A Western Victoria MP has opposed a Ballarat councillors motion to end Australia Day citizenship ceremonies.
At a meeting tonight, council will vote on moving January citizenship ceremonies to another date, before or after Australia Day.
A number of Victorian councils have already made the decision to not hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
Joe McCracken says council should have their priorities elsewhere.
“I don’t think it’s council’s role to go against this, particularly when they’ve got so many other things to be worrying about,” he said.
“Roads, footpaths, planning processes, even the issue down at White Flat Oval, that’s all being ignored, and this is being put up as a priority when it clearly shouldn’t be.”
Central Ward councillor Belinda Coates, who lodged the notice of motion, says this is a matter for local councils to decide, in accordance with a Federal Government change made last year.
Ms. Coates says the State Government do not have a say on how this is administered, and therefore comments from state MP’s are irrelevant.
The Ballarat Council says they won’t be commenting on the motion until it has been debated in the council chamber tonight and any decision is made.
