In short:
Wyndham Council votes 10–1 on 24 February to drop a proposal asking the Federal Government for direction on Australia Day, deciding not to escalate the issue nationally. Councillors instead reserve the right to manage how 26 January is observed locally, keeping the decision in their own hands.
Wyndham Keeps Australia Day Decision Local
Wyndham councillors have shut down a push to ask Canberra how Australia Day should be observed, voting overwhelmingly to strip the issue from its proposed motions to the Australian Local Government Association’s National General Assembly in June.
At the 24 February council meeting, councillors debated which matters Wyndham would put forward to the national gathering of councils, scheduled for 23 to 25 June in Canberra.
An officer’s report recommended two motions: one calling for federal action to address loneliness through housing mechanisms, and another seeking “national leadership on the observance of Australia Day”.
The Australia Day proposal argued that councils across the country are observing 26 January in different ways, leading to “inconsistency, confusion and division within communities”, and called on the Federal Government to provide clearer guidance.
Cr Peter Maynard said it was absurd for council to ask the Federal Government to tell Wyndham what it could or could not do on the day.
“It is up to the federal government to decide when that day is, but I will not be told what we as a group of councillors ….. can do on Australia Day,” Cr Maynard said.
“It’s just bizarre that we would ask a government to tell us what we can do… and that is being nice.”
Cr Jennie Barrera supported that position, pointing out that motions drafted by officers are prepared at the direction of councillors.
Cr Jasmine Hill spoke in favour of keeping the request, saying mixed responses to 26 January across councils create confusion for migrants.
“It is very confusing as a migrant, and a lot of migrants come to me and say it’s so confusing,” Cr Hill said.
“If you celebrate and somebody is actually offended, it is very hard to navigate.”
She said councils are left to manage the fallout of a national decision they did not make.
“Councils are left to manage community division… we are left to manage media scrutiny and political debate for a decision we did not make.”
In the end, the vote was decisive. Councillors rejected the Australia Day component 10–1, opting to advance only the loneliness and housing motion.
The debate follows comments earlier this year from suspended councillor and then-mayor Josh Gilligan, who strongly pushed back against calls to scrap 26 January locally and backed retaining the date as set nationally.
Australia Day remains one of the most divisive civic issues in Melbourne. Some councils have scrapped official 26 January celebrations or shifted their focus to reflection and mourning.
Others have firmly backed in the date, arguing it is a time to celebrate the country and its achievements.
For many Indigenous Australians and their supporters, 26 January marks the beginning of British colonialism and the dispossession that followed, making celebration on that date deeply hurtful.
Others believe history should not be altered and say the day is about coming together and recognising Australia as a modern nation.
Against that backdrop, Wyndham’s debate is measured rather than chaotic.
Councillors acknowledge the sensitivities but ultimately draw a line at asking Canberra to tell them how to handle it.
Wyndham Council has historically backed the nationally determined date, despite ongoing pressure from some local groups to abandon it.
This week’s vote sends a clear message: while the broader cultural fight over 26 January continues, Wyndham will not be seeking federal direction on how to mark Australia Day.
