Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the federal government will force local councils to conduct citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, after several moved their functions off the national holiday, given its links to colonisation and the ill-treatment of indigenous Aborigines.
Australia Day marks the date the British “First Fleet” sailed into Sydney Harbour in 1788 and declared the land unoccupied, despite encountering Indigenous people and established settlements. Indigenous Australians trace their lineage on the island continent back 50,000 years and for them, the date – known as ‘Invasion Day’ – marks the start of British colonisation.
Prior to the changes, local councils had no set days to hold citizenship ceremonies – held for migrants who have newly attained Australian citizenship. But Morrison, speaking from Jabiru in the Northern Territory, made it clear that it would be compulsory for councils to run these ceremonies on Australia Day, otherwise their right to hold the functions would be revoked.
