PRIME Minister Scott Morrison has told Left-wing councils not to mess with Australia Day celebrations under the guise of COVID-19 restrictions.
With increasing numbers of councils abandoning January 26 events, the prime minister has cautioned them not to politicise the national day.
The warning comes as local governments, including Fremantle in Perth, Moreland, Yarra and Darebin in Melbourne as well as NSW councils in Balmain, Newtown and Byron Bay, refuse to hold celebrations in their communities.
- Left-wing councils are again refusing to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
- In response, a number of councils have been stripped of citizenship powers.
- The federal government has warned local politicians not to further divide Australians.
Instead, these councils have committed to commemorate “Invasion Day” in solidarity with activist Australians.
STRIPPED
Local officials are obligated to perform citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, with their powers stripped if they don’t comply. A number of councils, however, have chosen to hold Australian citizenship festivities on other days.
Councils in Sydney including North Sydney, Parramatta, Liverpool and Canterbury Bankstown will hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26 but have stopped all large gatherings under COVID-19 restrictions.
PM Morrison’s blunt warning was issued after Melbourne’s inner-city councils of Yarra and Darebin were stripped of citizenship ceremonies following their refusal to refer to January 26 as Australia Day.
Immigration Minister Alex Hawke told The Australian newspaper this week that there was no need for councils to further divide Australians
“We know the vast majority of councils across the country will do the right thing when determining whether to hold online or physical citizenship ceremonies,” Mr Hawke said.
BICKERING
“For any council seeking to play politics with Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, our message is simple – don’t. Australians need this sort of negative bickering less than ever at this challenging time.”
Meanwhile, indigenous organisers are pushing ahead with “Invasion Day” protests planned for January 26 at The Domain in Sydney’s CBD.
Organiser Elizabeth Jarrett described the protest as too urgent not to proceed given the “ongoing oppression facing first nation communities”.
“Unlike COVID, the virus of colonial racism that came to these lands in 1788 cannot be defeated by self-isolation or quarantine,” Ms Jarrett said in a statement. “We need to come together and fight back.”
She said that throughout the pandemic, indigenous people were still “being locked up and killed and our children are being taken at ever-increasing rates”.
“We will not stop until our sovereignty is recognised and we see justice,” she said.
DIFFICULT
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian this week encouraged all local councils to hold Australia Day celebrations in a COVID-safe way.
“Australians should be proud after such a difficult year,” Ms Berejiklian said.
“I think we have demonstrated as a State and a nation that those important milestones can, should and will be recognised – but it’s doing it in a COVID safe way.”
NSW Health has limited outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 500 people.PC
So what exactly is Scott doing about section 18C of the racial discrimination act? It seems that he doesn’t want local councils to tell us how to think and act, but he’s happy to reserve that course of action as an option for the Federal Government. Is he a hypocrite, or just plain stupid?
And I’m not forgetting our first, more unfortunate British incomers, the poor Convicts.
They were transported away from the rotting, freezing, hopelessly overcrowded, rat-and-disease infested hulks in the middle of the Thames to a life of helping to build the first Australian settlements; most eventually gaining their freedom to build a new life.
The muddle-headed Victorian Premier is welcome to his day in sackcloth and ashes, lamenting that so many Nationalities, starting with the British, chose to make (this gigantic, previously sparsely-populated Continent) Australia, their home; chose to add so much to the development, wealth and amazing lifestyle that we all now enjoy.
Our much-valued Indigenous Peoples did encounter cruelty and neglect on the way, this is a shaming, nasty fact. However, we have all come far. Nowadays they can fully participate in our modern life, if they so desire. They are showered with tenfold the social care, help and welfare offered to any other group of Australians. And that is how it should be!
No, Australia Day IS TRULY A DAY FOR THANKSGIVING AND CELEBRATION.
The usual virtue signalling grifters crawl out of their sewers at the same time every year to practice identity politics. The latest lame stupidity from Zali Steggall seeking a minutes silence on Australia Day is classic attention seeking nonsense, though arguably not surprising from Steggall. We are one Australia, with one legal and governmental system. Dividing Australia by race is a slippery slope that should be resisted by all branches of Government. If you are not proud of Australia and its heritage, try moving somewhere else.
Scott Morrison is strongly supported by the average quiet but voting Australian with regard to his Australia Day views. The latter regard the left view of this day as being hopelessly devoid of merit. The left are so out of step with mainstream Australia on this issue that there’s little point in affording them any coverage at all, other than to advise that those councils who have been weak and silly enough to support them will be punished for their anti patriotic behaviour, and henceforth will be noted by almost all Australians as being manifestations of a lower form of life.
I am offended by those who think they can cancel my history, my culture and my sense of belonging. Cancel culture should be cancelled. Ring your local offending council and tell them how you feel.
Some Pelosi-Councils need to be booted out of existence before more damage us done to Australian unity.
We should follow the idea Noel Pearson, suggested having it over two days over a weekend, signifying before, during and after so we include our migrant communities too. Australia is a sum of everyone’s experiences, not just one group.