A Victorian shire will scrap Australia Day citizenship ceremonies and organise inclusive events with local Indigenous groups for January 26.
The City of Greater Bendigo will shift citizenship ceremonies to January 25, following a council meeting on Monday night.
Traditional Australia Day celebrations will be unaffected and would still be held by local volunteer and community groups, Bendigo Mayor Angela Metcalf said.
"Council's decision aligns with the city's Barpangu Reconciliation Plan and recognises that January 26 is a difficult day for our First Nations community," Cr Metcalf said.
"I welcome the city supporting future opportunities where the broader Greater Bendigo community can come together and express compassion and understanding, and reflect on the impact of colonisation on First Nations people."
Bendigo is the latest council to shift how it recognises January 26, following similar changes by Geelong City, Merri-bek Yarra and Darebin councils in recent years.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has vocalised support for Australia Day, but last year scrapped a controversial rule forcing councils to run citizenship ceremonies on January 26.
The former Liberal government introduced the change to strip councils of their right to host citizenship ceremonies if they didn't hold the event on January 26.
