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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Adeshola Ore

Melbourne council moves to abandon Australia Day citizenship ceremonies

Invasion Day protests in Melbourne this year
Invasion Day protests in Melbourne this year. The Merri-bek council voted to scrap citizenship ceremonies on 26 January but a Labor councillor moved a motion to repeal the decision. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The future of citizenship ceremonies at three Melbourne councils hangs in the balance, as the federal government refuses to reveal whether it will revoke a Coalition-era policy that forces the ceremonies to be held on 26 January.

The Greens-led Merri-bek council, in Melbourne’s north, on Wednesday voted to abandon Australia Day citizenship ceremonies and instead honour the date with a mourning event to recognise the dispossession of Indigenous Australians.

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