It’s official ... Hobart seeks Oz Day move

HOBART City Council will officially throw its weight behind the bid to change the date of Australia Day.

At last night’s council meeting, Hobart aldermen agreed for the council to formally declare its hand for the date of Australia Day to be changed from January 26.

But the council will not stop holding its citizenship ceremonies and celebrations on Australia Day and could even fund Invasion Day protests in the city.

Despite submitting motions to state and national local government conferences asking Tasmanian and Australian councils to lobby the Federal Government to change the date, Hobart had never formal- ly declared its support for the celebration being moved from January 26.

But that changed when aldermen agreed by majority for the council to officially support a campaign for the date change.

Hobart alderman Anna Reynolds said the city would be on the right side of history.

“Hobart is joining a movement that is building,” she said.

Melbourne councils Yarra and Darebin have been stripped of their power to hold citizenship ceremonies after they dumped their Australia Day formalities.

Ald Helen Burnet, who first submitted the motion earlier this year, said Hobart’s course of action was sensible.

“We can support the Aboriginal community and be that mouthpiece in the council area,” Ald Burnet said. Ald Tanya Denison said Hobart’s recommendation was having a “bob each way”.

Ald Marti Zucco said it was worrying the council could fund a protest and agreed with Ald Philip Cocker there were bigger issues for the Aboriginal community.

“I went to the Australia Day conference in Adelaide, there were some very important speakers who said some interesting things,” he said.

“One of them was a person called Dr Robert Issacs who is an Aboriginal elder ... he said we have a group of people who feel so passionate about the issue but there are a greater percentage of people who just want to move forward.

“Ald Cocker is right, there are issues bigger than Australia Day that we have to address.”