Mparntwe/Alice Springs will no longer hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26 after councillors voted on Tuesday to change the date.
Under a motion put forward by Mayor Asta Hill, one of the council's four annual citizenship ceremonies will instead be scheduled within three days either side of January 26, at the chief executive's discretion.
"This motion does not take away our opportunity to celebrate our community or our pride in being Australians or becoming Australian citizens," Cr Hill said in comments reported by the ABC.
"Instead, what it does is it decouples two contrasting events, the anniversary of invasion and colonisation, and dispossession and killing and suffering, and the celebration of our vibrant and diverse community as it welcomes our citizens."
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The move makes the Alice Springs council one of more than 80 local governments across Australia that have chosen not to conduct ceremonies on January 26. Elsewhere in the NT, the Darwin City Council shifted its citizenship ceremonies away from the date several years ago.
The council decision follows Ms Hill's personal move earlier this year to withdraw from the citizenship and awards ceremony on 'Australia Day', saying the date "causes harm to parts of our community".
She had previously said while it is a "privilege to witness the joy and pride people felt on becoming Australian citizens," in her personal view, January 26 is "not the right date to celebrate our national day".
Ms Hill, elected in September 2025, is the town's first Greens-endorsed mayor.
The decision, which passed by five votes to four, has drawn criticism from Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who accused councils of allowing activism to overshadow unity.
She said Australians are tired of "activists" who seek to portray the nation's history as hostile rather than "acknowledging the freedoms, stability and opportunity" that define modern Australia.
"Public office carries a responsibility to represent the whole community, not elevate personal ideology over moments that are meant to unite Australians," she told NT News.
