The Turnbull government has reacted angrily to the new Greens campaign to change the date of Australia Day, accusing leader Richard Di Natale of stoking division for the sake of "shameless attention seeking".

Coalition and Labor politicians – from Barnaby Joyce to Bill Shorten – have united to reject the latest push by Senator Di Natale, who has declared the controversial issue will be one of his top priorities for 2018.

He has told the 100 Greens councillors across the country they will have the full support and resources of the federal party if they launch campaigns to shift local celebrations from January 26.

He wants more councils to follow the lead of Yarra, Darebin and Fremantle, which have all made moves to shift events from the date, because to many Indigenous Australians it represents the trauma and violence of British colonisation.