Waverley Council in Sydney's eastern suburbs has scrapped plans for an expanded Australia Day event after its First Nations Advisory Committee warned the proposal would cause "negative impact and potential harm" to the local Indigenous community. The decision followed months of debate among councillors over how to mark 26 January, highlighting ongoing tension in Australia over how the date should be commemorated given its significance as a day of mourning for many Aboriginal people.

The plan, put forward by councillors Dov Frazer and Joshua Spicer, would have added a free barbecue and community market stalls at a cost of $20,000, after an earlier $400,000 proposal from Liberal councillor Lauren Townsend was rejected as too costly. The advisory committee unanimously opposed the scaled-back version, saying it would rather support a "Survival Day" activity, and several councillors, including Labor's Margaret Merten and the Greens' Ludovico Fabiano, cited the committee's stance and the council's existing arrangements in voting it down. Waverley Council will instead retain its current 2027 Australia Day programme, comprising a Dawn Reflection ceremony, citizenship proceedings and a community barbecue.