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https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/wave-of-new-australian-citizens-celebrated-in-merri-bek-after-australia-day-ceremonies-rule-repealed-20230104-p5cac1.html>
"After nine years living in Melbourne, Briton Rob Wilkie officially became an
Australian, donning an “Always Was, Always Will Be” Aboriginal rights T-shirt
to mark the occasion.
On a rainy Tuesday, some 120 Merri-bek residents, of all ages and hailing from
the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, became citizens at Coburg
Town Hall in Melbourne’s inner-north. They are among the first since the
federal government repealed a Coalition rule that forced councils to hold the
ceremonies on Australia Day.
Wilkie, 35, said Merri-bek’s move to change his citizenship ceremony from
Thursday to Tuesday – to avoid January 26 – was wonderful.
“I lived in Scotland for a long time and January 26 is Robert Burns night, so
it’s just basically a night of drinking whisky, eating haggis and chatting, but
here it is such a loaded thing,” he said. “The fact that it’s still celebrated
in the way it is means a lot of hurt to a lot of people who frankly have more
right to be here than me.
“Moving [citizenship ceremonies] is a step and a good one, and it’s great that
it’s come from the ground up.”
Seven councils around the country, including four in Victoria, held the first
swathe of “alternative” Australia Day citizenship ceremonies on Tuesday.
Murrindindi council, Loddon Shire and Hindmarsh Shire all held ceremonies of
less than 10 people according to the federal government.
But the Merri-bek ceremony had an extra significance as it was this council,
formerly known as Moreland Council, which triggered a major reversal of a
Morrison-era edict when it voted last month to stop holding citizenship
ceremonies on January 26 out of respect for Indigenous Australians."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
