Founder of Voices of Monash Advocates for Reviving Australia Day Celebrations
After narrowly missing out on a Jells Ward seat, a local small business owner voiced concern over the lack of Australia Day festivities for the community.
Marcus Fernandez says he will give out national flags himself if his local district, the City of Monash, does not celebrate Australia Day on Jan. 26.
Fernandez, who runs the Voices of Monash initiative after narrowly missing out on a Jells Ward councillor seat during the Victorian local government elections in November, has been campaigning to restore national pride back to inner-city Melbourne on Australia Day.
City of Monash will not host any Australia Day ceremonies outside of its citizenship ceremony.
This is something Fernandez, who also owns a small business as a nutritionist, wants to see changed.
“It is a shame. They do run the citizenship ceremony, but there doesn’t seem to be anything that I could see celebrating Australia Day,” he told The Epoch Times.
“So I was considering handing out a couple of hundred small Australian flags. I’m going to go to local shops and do what I can.”
Fernandez says national day celebrations would have broad appeal to the 203,560 residents in the City of Monash region, which includes Glen Waverley, Huntingdale, Mulgrave, Oakleigh, and parts of Chadstone.
“I did ask the question,” he said.
“They [council] replied with ‘The City of Monash will hold a special Citizenship Ceremony, celebrating 100 community members becoming citizens. Featuring Welcome to Country, raising of flag by cadets, national anthem and a free BBQ for all attendees after.’
“While this is great for those with family members becoming citizens, it was not clear to me if this event was open to the general public.”
In comparison, Moira Shire Council will host six Australia Day events in Yarrawonga, Cobram, Catamine, Barmah, Nathalia, Tungamah, and Numurkah. They will include free barbecues, entertainment, and award presentations.
Where Was the Australian Flag?
Fernandez said a concerned City of Monash resident sent him a picture of the new mayor, Paul Klisaris, in front of both an Aboriginal flag and a Torres Strait Islands flag, with no visible Australian flag in the background.
The photo appeared in the monthly newsletter, the Monash Bulletin.
Fernandez took those concerns to City of Monash’s communications team and said the reply he received was “No flag was chosen over another, it was merely the angle.”
But he doesn’t think the photo was a one-off issue.
“If you go to their website, they don’t have the Australian flag anywhere. They only have the two Indigenous flags. There’s a big Acknowledgement of Country focus,” he said.
City of Monash said acting mayor, Councillor Brian Little, has previously commented in media reports about the citizenship ceremony it will host on Jan. 26.
“Monash Council…
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“It’s good to know down the road that if there’s a change of government, she would be the minister responsible,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez added he took solace from the fact that he had secured the most votes on a two-party preferred basis.
This is why he is continuing to run his Voices for Monash campaign, with his ambition for this group to meet more local residents and create change.
But he has not yet decided…
The Voices for Monash website states that it is committed to analyzing all major decisions of Monash Council, as well as those making them, to ensure the community is aware of the decisions and conduct of its elected representatives.
