The City of Ballarat has launched a survey to get feedback from the community on January 26 activities.

The survey comes off the back of a failed motion from councillor Belinda Coates from a meeting in November 2023.

Her motion was to no longer hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26, which several local governments had ceased to do since the federal government no longer required councils to hold a ceremony on that date.

A second motion did pass for the council to to "outline a consultation and engagement process for investigating future activities and events held on January 26".

The survey launched on March 22, which requires a log-in to complete.

The council has faced criticism from the community, mostly via social media, about events to be held on January 26, which was often fuelled from discussions about when the council holds its free fireworks event.

The January 26 Lake Wendouree fireworks were moved to the second weekend of Summer Sundays in 2020, and at the first meeting of 2024, council approved moving the fireworks to New Years Eve as a trial, however online conversations continued to criticise council over not holding fireworks on January 26, Australia Day.

January 26 became a controversial date as it is considered by many First Nations people as 'survival day' or 'invasion day,' and it marks the start of the genocide committed by colonial settlers of First Nations people.

It was the date Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Sydney Cove in 1788.

Between 20,000 to 70,000 Indigenous people were massacred when the 'First Fleet' arrived.

Australia has only celebrated January 26 as Australia Day officially since 1994 - before that, it was a date in May.

On January 26, the council hold a Survival Day Dawn Ceremony in partnership with the Koori Engagement Action Group, as well as a citizenship ceremony and an Australia Day picnic at Victoria Park.

Council noted for people to remember when taking the survey the date of the Australia Day public holiday is a set as a national holiday by the Commonwealth and "changing the date of the public holiday is not something that council has the ability to change".

The site also notes the council's decision for the fireworks to be held on New Years Eve.