The federal Greens will continue to argue for Australia Day to be permanently rescheduled out of respect for Indigenous Australians in 2018, leader Richard Di Natale has revealed.
The renewed push from the Greens, who hold nine Senate seats and one seat in the House of Representatives, comes just weeks before this year's Australia Day.
Some local councils in Victoria have changed the date of their local celebrations already, including Yarra, Darebin and Fremantle.
In an interview with Fairfax Media, Mr Di Natale said he wanted more councils to follow their lead. He said the federal party would coorindate with local councillors around the country to prosecute the case.
"All Australians want a day on which we can come together and to celebrate our wonderfully diverse, open and free society - but January 26 is not that day," Greens leader Richard Di Natale told Fairfax Media on Sunday.
"It's time that we stop papering over an issue that for 200 years has been so divisive and painful for so many of our citizens."
The issue has attracted more public attention in recent months following the decision of the ABC 's youth radio station Triple J to move its popular 'Hottest 100' countdown away from January 26, in keeping with feedback from a listener survey.
Many Indigenous leaders have been pushing for the change for years. January 26 marks the date the First Fleet landed in Sydney Cove in 1788 and the beginning of British colonisation in Australia.
The Turnbull government is strongly opposed to moves to change the date of Australia Day, and has punished councils that make efforts to separate the occassion from January 26 by revoking their right to conduct citizenship ceremonies on the day.
