A regional council in WA will allow new citizens to don their board shorts and thongs, despite the Prime Minister's move to introduce a formal dress code to citizenship ceremonies.

The mayor of the City of Greater Geraldton, Shane Van Styn, has started a petition fighting Scott Morrison's move to ban singlets and thongs at the official ceremony.

"Prime Minister Scott Morrison has got to get fair dinkum about this," he said.

"Not every Australia Day ceremony is held in Parliament House or in some fancy dining hall in Sydney."

"Here in Geraldton, our ceremony is done down on the beach in between sets of music on our wonderful family foreshore in about 40 degree heat.

"If old mate new citizen wants to chuck on a pair of pluggers and celebrate all things Australian, then he should be able to do that."

He said he would not be enforcing any rules for dress at any of Geraldton's citizenship ceremonies.

"This is not a big pompous ceremony," he said.

"Whilst I am officiating Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, if you want to emblazon yourself in an Australian singlet or wear boardies cause you are joining in the fun, I will let you up on stage and gladly welcome you as a new Australian."

'Heavy-handed' Federal changes

Mayor Shane Van Styn said he will not enforce any dress code on new Australian citizens. ( Supplied: Facebook/Zoe Parasiliti )

The dress code is part of the Federal Government's changes, slated to come into effect next year, to force local councils to hold citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day.

Mr Morrison previously called on people to respect the dress code at official ceremonies and said it was fine to "put on the boardies and thongs afterward at the BBQ".

The Australian Local Government Association would not comment on the dress code, but said the announcement to for councils to hold ceremonies on the 26th of January as a response to the change-the-date movement was "heavy-handed and odd".

In a statement, ALGA President Mayor David O'Loughlin said most councils would not oppose the changes to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code.

"Most councils hold more than one citizenship ceremony a year, some as often as monthly," he said.

"The Federal Government's strong focus on drawing a link between Australia Day and citizenship ceremonies is bizarre."

Mr Van Styn is not one for formal fashion, wearing a wetsuit to a radio interview in 2017. ( ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Dominique Bayens )

Dress code 'not in Aussie spirit'

The Shire of Augusta-Margaret River president Pamela Townshend says the Federal Government should not be making Australia Day a political issue.

She said the council had no position on changing the date of its Australia Day celebrations, but said the dress code was outdated.

"Quite often it is hot on Australia Day and we are at the beach on Australia Day," she said.

"We wear thongs and shorts and I just think it sounds so 1956.

"It is just ridiculous that you have to wear a suit and tie on Australia Day when it is sweltering and 40 degrees."

While WA Greens member for Mining and Pastoral Robin Chapple said Mr Morrison's comments were ridiculous.

"You can tell that this is a decision made from an air-conditioned office in Canberra," he said.

"In case Mr Morrison did not realise, it gets extremely hot in Northern Australia.

"We are welcoming people as new Aussies, that is the important thing," he said.

"People want to see the Government getting to work, not getting into a summer culture war."

Mr Van Styn said the dress code could prevent people from wearing cultural attire.

"Simply saying you are not allowed to wear thongs where do you draw the line," he said.

"A lot of our Asian friends wear open toe shoes as part of their national dress, indeed as part of their formal dress.

"Why do we want to have dress standard bouncers on stage at an Australia Day citizenship ceremony working out who is allowed to be Australian and who is not based on what they are wearing?"