Think about that number in an intelligent (non news corps/daily mail) way.
It’s only 81 local councils, who are probably infested with greens, in amongst the vast majority of local councils across Australia.
Sadly, from all the comments above.
It can be concluded that it is a truly no win situation for which ever day it’s celebrated.
YES! Let’s have a gold statue in Melbourne’s CBD too.
Not necessarily, my local council (Albury) is one of them, and this is very much a conservative area politically (although there is one Greens member on the council). Caused a big outcry too when it was revealed a few weeks ago. It didn’t even go to a council vote, the council CEO made a ‘captains call’ and the announcement was hidden in a council newsletter. The councillors (bar one) did throw their support behind the decision though when it came up at the following council meeting.
It’s more likely because a lot of people are choosing a different day to become an Australian citizen than Australia Day. That is what happened last year with my mate’s girlfriend. She puposely chose the alternative date the local council has for citizenship ceremonies to Australia Day (even though she had to wait a few months longer). So if enough people are doing that, then the ceremony is not viable on Australia Day and it gets dropped.
My council (Monash) will hold its citizenship ceremony on January 26.
And if prospective citizens can’t make it along then they choose one of the other nine citizenship ceremonies Monash have scheduled for 2024. Doesn’t make the New South Wales day seem that special knowing how frequently such events are held.
Kmart and Woolworths won’t be selling Australia Day merchandise this year.
I for one look forward to all the “Cancel Culture” and “Woke Madness” comments that will come for this.
Woolies is probably doing it deliberately to try and take some of the attention away claims of price gouging in the middle of a cost of living crisis. 
Let’s see what other “announcements” will come out of their bag of tricks to divert attention.
Rubbish, it’s a business decision to drop a small range of Chinese made crap that few people could give a toss about nor careed about before until relatively recently when we tried to copy American style patriotism.
In isolation, sure, that’s true, but making this decision now (just over two weeks away from the contentious date in question and at the same time they are under scrutiny for price gouging) comes across as a ploy to try and distract the public from that issue and also tick some more socially progressive boxes at the same time.
I’d have no issue with them being socially progressive on issues like this, however, when they are the same company that engages in anti-competitive behaviour and price gouging, and makes ridiculous profits in a cost of living crisis without passing any of that on to employees or customers, it does smack of gross hypocrisy and insincere in the extreme- a cheap way of pretending to be progressive.
It would’ve been made months ago if not even over a year ago, it’s just the perpetually offended snowflakes have noticed they can’t buy a cheap flag to drape their Bintang singlets and southern cross tattoos.
I’m sure it was decided at some back office commitee meeting some time ago. Why not announce it then?
Seems awfully convenient to me still that they’ve decided today’s the day to announce it.
There’s better ways to criticise those who are unhappy or struggling to adapt with the societal shift away from celebrating Australia Day than cheap insults and broad stereotypes.
because igniting an Australia Day culture war in July won’t get the clicks. Announce it in January when it’s peak Australia Day outrage season (from both sides)
All these stores cancelling Australia Day could at least give their customers the choice to purchase Australia Day merchandise. If they don’t want it, then they can keep walking along to the next aisle. Easy as that…
but the point they are saying is that there is no demand for it. Nobody is buying Australia Day merch anymore. So it’s taking up shelf or floor space in the supermarkets and not getting sold in favour of stuff that would probably turn over more profit. And it’s mostly just cheaply made flimsy imported stuff (so it’s not even supporting Australian-made) that gets worn or used once then chucked into landfill.
Or if you are really desperate for this cheap merchandise then you can keep walking over to the next shop which sells it. Easy as that…
Plus they need all the space for the piles of hugely reduced mince tarts that weren’t sold at Christmas and all the heavily reduced Quick Sale hot cross buns that are unsold. 
They didn’t announce it. The ever diminishing number of people who buy the crap have suddenly woken up to the fact that some businesses aren’t selling this year and naturally thats made it into the lazy tabloid media news cycle.
Shops aren’t cancelling Australia Day, they’re choosing not to sell crappy merchandise.
Clearly you’ve never run a business. If you’ve run a promotion for several years and the sales are not flash and you constantly end up selling everything at or below cost price come the 27th of January.
With your logic, briquettes and kerosene would be widely available for the handful of people who still want to heat their homes with old technology…
Do you really believe that this is because of a ‘gradual decline in demand’? Sure, support for Australia Day is declining, but this is clearly not the reason Woolworths and co. are doing this. It is sad that they are pandering to a minority and as long as the country recognises January 26 as the Australia Day public holiday, then it’s the responsibility of retailers and supermarkets to provide for the people, as they do for other holidays such as Easter and Christmas, IMO. The idea that Australia Day merchandise will be loss-making is ridiculous given there is still a large number of people choosing to celebrate the day.