Edition 186 February 1, 2024
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45"%3$%3&*2& "*+,-"#$"&."/& By Sarah Waters
Tweed Shire Council bucked tradition and held their 2024 Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony on Thursday, January 25, last week - the day before Australia Day. Council decided to change the date last
year, after Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles announced an update to the Australian citizenship ceremonies code. Councils are now allowed to host ceremonies on any of the three days before
or after January 26. Mayor Chris Cherry said hosting Tweed’s Australia Day Awards and Citizenship Ceremony a day before the public holiday allowed invited guests to attend last Thursday’s event and then spend Australia Day with their family and friends.
It also saved council with costs by not having to pay staff overtime for working on a public holiday. Tweed Councillor Nola Firth said that it was a win, win situation to have the awards and citizenship ceremony on a different day. “While I personally
Councils now have more control over what they do for Australia Day
believe Australia Day should be on another day than the one where Captain Arthur Phillip arrived and took possession of what was in fact Indigenous land, the timing of the citizenship ceremony, of which there are many during the year, was not intended to create controversy,”
Ms Firth said. Ms Firth said community members could still celebrate Australia Day as they wished on January 26, but it also allowed the award ceremonies to be held on a day which wasn’t so contentious to some people. Meanwhile, Byron Shire Council, did
not host any Australia Day celebrations or ceremonies this year. Mayor Michael Lyon said council held the opinion quite broadly that there should be a different day to celebrate Australians, which is more inclusive. “I think the way things are going, more
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