Dutton will force councils to hold Australia Day events on the day

Peter Dutton is determined to make Australia Day an election issue, demanding all local councils recognise the day on the day and hold their ceremonies on 26 January.

But he won’t be attending the national ceremony in Canberra.

The Opposition Leader said a Coalition government would change the rules to return the days when all ceremonies were held on Australia Day itself.

Since 2022, councils have been allowed to hold their Australia Day events up to three days either side of the actual day (if they want to attract federal funding for their ceremonies).

An increasing number of councils are choosing to hold their events on days leading up to or just after the 26th, due to the controversy of it commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet, which many Indigenous Australians now call Invasion Day.

But Mr Dutton said enough was enough and that local governments should not be “ashamed” of their country on its national day.

“We have an incredible Indigenous history we should celebrate, and we have an incredible migrant story we should celebrate that as well,” he said.

The Opposition Leader said Australia should recognise the good and bad in its history.

“Part of the reason we have found ourselves in the mess at the moment, with councils running in every direction, is because the Prime Minister removed the requirement for councils to hold their citizenship ceremony on Australia Day,” he said.

“If the Prime Minister doesn’t have the strength of leadership to stand up to mayors and others who don’t want to celebrate Australia Day, then our country’s in more trouble than we first realised.

“There are millions of Australians who have made the migrant journey to our country, they have enriched this country, and for many of them Australia Day is sacrosanct because they became citizens on that day.”

Mr Dutton has confirmed he will not attend the national ceremony in the capital on Australia Day.

Anthony Albanese suggested that was a bit of a contradiction on the part of the Opposition Leader.

“I will be attending the national Australia Day commemorations, as I have done every year in which I have been Labor leader,” the Prime Minister said.

“I hope that Peter Dutton this year makes a choice to join the national Australia Day celebrations in Canberra. That is what I did as the Opposition leader.”

Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher said while she had attended the national ceremony for years, she couldn’t recall ever seeing Mr Dutton at one.

The Federal Government is providing more than $10 million in financial support for hundreds of Australia Day community events in every state and territory.

A focus on inclusiveness and accessibility will be highlighted at these Australia Day events across the country.

Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and for the Public Service, Patrick Gorman, said Australia Day was a day to celebrate the freedoms we share and the values and beliefs we hold as Australians.

“It is a day to acknowledge the past and pay respect to First Nations peoples’ survival, resilience and enduring culture,” he said.

“It is also an opportunity to embrace the many cultures and backgrounds that make up the Australian story.”

Australia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Stephen Smith caused somewhat of an uproar last week over his decision to snub Australia Day celebrations in London over the “sensitivities” attached to the date.

He has since backflipped on his stance and will now attend a party co-hosted by the Britain-Australia Society and the Australian Foundation Trust on 25 January, with nothing scheduled for the actual day on the 26th.

But his about-face did not occur before Mr Dutton blasted Australia’s top diplomat in the UK for being “ashamed” of his country’s national day.

“If Stephen Smith is ashamed of Australia Day, he should be on the next flight home,” the Opposition Leader said.

Last year, Mr Dutton called for a boycott of Woolworths over the supermarket giant’s decision not to sell Australia Day merchandise.