Last year three Melbourne councils voted to stop celebrating the day, which marks the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and the raising of the Union Jack in Sydney Cove. Many Indigenous Australians regard it as "Invasion Day". Yarra, Darebin and Moreland councils voted to stop celebrating the date last year, deeming it disrespectful to Indigenous people. The Greens-led councils of Yarra and Darebin also decided to stop holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26. They were subsequently stripped of powers to do so by the Turnbull government. Mr Guy said he would sack local governments that strayed beyond their "core business".

"I think Victorians have had enough of councils that are not focused on the rates, roads, rubbish, doing their job, but instead are focused on issues like questioning the date of Australia Day," he told radio station 3aw. "And if councils can't focus on their core business, then I'll remove them and install a council that will." The Age has attempted to contact Mr Guy and opposition local government minister David Morris. Mr Guy's Twitter account has a link to a Herald Sun article on his plans for "unpatriotic" councils accompanied by the words the "Victorian Liberal National Policy: Australia Day is January 26".

Premier Daniel Andrews has criticised the progressive inner-city councils for voting to change the date and instead advocates celebrations which get the "balance right" and respect Indigenous Australians. Local Government Minister Marlene Kairouz reiterated the government's stance on Thursday and said it should be ratepayers, not the state, which gave councils the boot. “We'll be celebrating Australia Day on 26 January and everything that makes our country great,” the minister said. “If people don't like their councils they should vote them out." Darebin Mayor Kim Le Cerf hit back at Mr Guy, describing the Opposition Leader's proposals as "opportunistic" and casting doubt on his ability to enact them.

“It’s quite opportunistic given the debate that’s happening at the moment,” she said. “It’s a distraction from the mature conversation we’re trying have around changing the date on which we celebrate Australia.” Ms Le Cerfr said the proposed reforms would strip local governments of their ability to make decisions on behalf of their communities. The Greens councillor wouldn't be drawn on whether Darebin would reverse its Australia Day stance if a Coalition government were elected later this year. “He’d need to get the legislation through Parliament first," she said.

“And I’d wonder whether he’d have the power to do so, as it is the Australian government the oversees [the citizenship] process.” “Currently we can’t hold any citizenship ceremonies anyway, so I don’t know how they’d hold that over us.” The opposition's Australia Day announcements came days after Greens MP Lidia Thorpe responded to a series of death and rape threats following her calls for Australian flags to be flown at half-mast on January 26. Victoria's first female Aboriginal MP said the threats came after she "respectfully asked that we have a conversation" about the date. Ms Thorpe said Australia Day is "a day of mourning and deep pain for Australia's First Nations people".

Ms Le Cerfr said Darebin's decision not to celebrate January 26 was based on the belief that the date marked "the beginning of invasion and dispossession of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land as well as culture and identity". “We don’t think it's appropriate to celebrate a day that is supposed to be an inclusive day that celebrates what’s great about Australia on a day that causes so much pain and suffering for that community,” the mayor said. “It’s not an inclusive day and a better date could be found.”