A South Australian Council has released a statement explaining that the decision to change the date of its Australia Day celebrations was not politically motivated and that it was simply a logistical necessity.
The City of Port Adelaide Enfield said that recent stories in the media had given a false impression about its position on Australia Day.
A story first published in the Advertiser on 27 July 2023, stated, “Port Adelaide Enfield Council was the first to move on a date change, hosting their 2023 awards and citizenship ceremonies on 23 January”.
Council said that this was a misleading statement, and clarified that a formal decision regarding Australia Day had never been made by the Council, nor had this discussion been had in the Council Chamber.
Council said that this factual error in reporting had been repeated in multiple follow-up stories.
Council said that it has always held its Australia Day Awards ceremony on the evening before Australia Day and this has occurred since its first ceremony many years ago.
Council explained that this was not a decision made for political reasons, it was a decision made to allow everybody involved in the ceremony to have a public holiday the following day.
The Council has always held a citizenship ceremony on Australia Day, however in 2022 an administrative decision was made to hold the ceremony on 23 January instead due to logistical reasons.
Council concluded by saying that both ceremonies will continue into the future, and that it has no intention of cancelling them, with future citizenship ceremony dates to be decided.
