After intense debate over what Australia Day means, Shoalhaven councillors resolved to write to the state government to amend the Local Government Act to make it a mandatory celebration, and to continue celebrating it in the Shoalhaven.
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“I’m extremely concerned about other councils that have just taken it upon themselves to make this decision to abandon Australia Day without any community consultation,” Cr Mitchell Pakes said.
“I’m concerned about the comments that have been made around our council about Australia Day.”
Labor’s Annette Alldrick argued it was a national issue rather than state and there were rumblings from the Greens.
“To many Aboriginal people it's a day of mourning, a day of survival,” Mayor Amanda Findley said.
“I can’t accept the point of view that we aren’t going to have a conversation about changing the date, because some of our community wants to have that conversation.”
Cr Kaye Gartner was appalled by the motion.
"My family, we do not celebrate the 26th of January as Australia day because we know it is Invasion day", she said.
"We don't go to the beach because we're gonna be surrounded by drunken people going on about Australia Day.
"The disappointment that I have with this notice of motion, it is not about encouraging us to think deeply about Australia Day or to reflect on who we are as Australian's and how we go forward with reconciliation, it's a motion to stop us doing exactly that.”
But they were overruled seven votes to five on Tuesday.
Cr Jo Gash, who voted for the motion, would not be accused of being unsympathetic to the local Indigenous population.
“Don’t tell me I don’t have an affinity with Aboriginal people,” she said.
“Fifty five years ago my first daughter was born. A black or Aboriginal person was dumped at the hospital, I had one Aboriginal person on my breast I had my daughter on the other breast, and that continued for some three months."
