General News
25 January, 2024
Australia Day ‘recognised’
A FURIOUS Cairns mayor has rejected media reports that the regional council had cancelled and did not support Australia Day activities.
Cr Terry James has also moved to add Australia Day to ‘family fun’ events being held today after they were removed by council officers.
He used a mayoral minute at Wednesday’s monthly meeting “to correct on the record the council’s acknowledgement of Australia Day”.
“So, to set the record straight: Cairns Regional Council has always celebrated the gazetted federal public holiday and our national day – Australia Day, as we will again this year on January 26, 2024,” Cr James said.
“We have three signature event programs within a week of Australia Day. I will be officiating council’s premier citizenship ceremony this Friday (Australia Day), where we will celebrate the region’s newest Australians,” he said.
Cr James said he had “opted to retain January 26 as the most appropriate date for this ceremony, the national day of Australia.”
“The Australia Day community events have been specifically marketed to focus on ‘family fun’,” he said.
“From all reports, this marketing angle has resulted in a bigger take up of young families and children participating in these positive events where the Cairns community come to together to celebrate what we know and love about Australia – swimming in the pool, barbecues, games, music and fun with family and friends.
“My understanding is that we have had only good community feedback about these events to date, which is all about community coming together to celebrate and not detracting from that”. Cr James said the misunderstanding about removing Australia Day from the citizens of the year awards last year and this year was a decision by former mayor Bob Manning “to ensure that the focus of the awards is on the recipients – their merits, achievements, and actions as exemplary citizens of Cairns.”
“Notwithstanding, I acknowledge that this is a date that means different things to different people, and we respect that is up to community members to decide what this day means for them,” he said.
“However, Cairns Regional Council does not diverge from the date of January 26 as the national day of Australia.”
On Wednesday, councillors unanimously adopted the resolution: “Cairns Regional Council recognises 26 January as ‘Australia Day’, in accordance with the federally gazetted public holiday as our national day.”
