Geelong One Fire Reconciliation Group has announced its broad support for the City of Greater Geelong Council’s six-month community conversation about 26 January, Australia Day.
The conversation, which commenced in July, seeks to understand and acknowledge the experiences of First Nations Peoples and the wider community with 26 January.
During stage one, the focus was on conversations with First Nations Peoples, with two community forums, extensive face-to-face meetings and promotion of an online survey. Now, with stage two underway, Council is seeking feedback from the broader community.
Geelong One Fire president Vicky Grosser said Geelong residents have a unique opportunity to have their voices heard on how January 26 is recognised in their city and community.
“We’re seeing Council take a staged and sensible approach to this matter,” she said.
“Essentially, we have an opportunity for all voices to be heard on this matter; and it is clearly in the best interests of the community for as many people as possible to share their thoughts and opinions.”
Group secretary Matthia Dempsey said the conversation is fundamental to the community and Council’s approach to the day currently celebrated as Australia Day.
“What 26 January looks like on this Djilang [Geelong] Country in future years will be determined by the conversations we hold today,” she said.
“We hear that people in this community want to see change and are often at a loss as to what to do on 26 January. This is an opportunity to shape and influence that change.”
Meanwhile, the City of Greater Geelong held a pop-up engagement session to discuss the January 26 issue at the Royal Geelong Show on Friday.
“We have now commenced the second stage of our conversation, which is with the broader community; and we’re urging everyone to ensure their voices are heard about how we mark 26 January in Greater Geelong,” Cr Mason said.
“We’ve learnt from the experiences of those Councils that have already consulted on this issue. The result is that rather than the standard approach to community consultation, we’re holding broader conversation over a six-month period, going out into the community to seek face-to-face feedback, and undertaking online engagement.”
