Melbourne City Council vote in favour of reviewing Australia Day celebrations following backlash over recent years

Melbourne City Council has moved a step closer to ditching Australia Day after councillors passed a motion to review celebrations on January 26.

Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp led the call for change on Tuesday night in a meeting where members agreed for a consultation process to understand the views of the community.

Ms Capp told Sky News Australia the following the day that while the date is not something they can change, they are hoping to create more “unity” following backlash over the public holiday in recent years.

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“Firstly, the Commonwealth government sets the day so that is not something we can change or that is under consideration,” she told host Pete Stefanovic on Wednesday.

“It’s up to the state government, they run the parade and fireworks, so again, that is outside our bailiwick.

“But there are things we do – the citizenship ceremonies, we attend and support the day of morning dawn service, we support the Share the Spirit Festival in the afternoon showcasing indigenous talent and many of these activities have organically become part of our programme throughout the day.”

Ms Capp said they hope to consult the community on how they feel about Australia Day celebrations and what more could be done to promote unity.

“What we’re seeking to understand is what do our constituents and our traditional owners feel about 26th January and the things we can be doing on the day to build more unity,” she added.

“There are things we could add into the programme or things we can stop doing. There are suggestions that we can make.

“But it’s such an important date, it has been divisive, it’s very sensitive. I think it’s really important that as a local government, we’re involved in that debate.”

Australia Day has been the subject of controversy year-on-year and has sparked growing protest action across the country over calls for the date to be changed or abolished.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered across the country on January 26 holding placards reading “no pride in genocide” and “change the date”.

In Melbourne, a statue of Captain James Cook at St Kilda Beach was smeared with red paint with flyers proposing the abolition of celebrations.

Australia Day marks the anniversary of Sir Arthur Phillip raising the Union Jack in Sydney Cove on January 26, 1788 to signify the beginning of the British colony.

The date is seen as a day of mourning for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the British invasion led to mass deaths, the stealing of children and widespread oppression.