Councillors are set to weigh up three different possible approaches to January 26 next year - two of which would mean moving Lake Wendouree fireworks away from that date if adopted.
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The opening officer report on the agenda for the first ordinary meeting of this council term is headlined 'Options for January 26'.
It revisits a resolution made in May in which councillors agreed to consult with the Koorie Engagement Action Group (KEAG) and the wider community.
KEAG is an advisory committee to the City of Ballarat, aimed at boosting opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents.
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It recommended replacing the fireworks with a significant cultural event on the day, with option one in the agenda reflecting that approach. If adopted by councillors, it would mean fireworks would be discarded altogether.
A second option would keep the fireworks as they are, while the final option puts forward the possibility of fireworks transferring to a different date such as New Year's Eve or the Begonia Festival.
All three options would include a community event to raise the profile of Indigenous culture.
However, the council officer report notes that due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the fireworks may not take place this year in any case. Officers are recommending a decision on the fireworks' future be deferred until more community consultation has taken place.
However, a Survival Day Dawn ceremony, which took place for the first time this year, would remain under all the options being considered, along with citizenship ceremonies,
The dawn event was attended by more than 1,000 people, and was widely praised. The fireworks, which are put on by the City of Ballarat, and cost an estimated $40,000 each year, attracted a crowd of 10-15,000 this year.
Two former members of KEAG, Sissy Austin and Rachel Muir, resigned from the committee in June, criticising what they described as the council's lack of commitment to cancel the fireworks.
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