Decision details

Moved by Councillor Davis, seconded by Councillor Worling -

It is resolved that:

(A)      Council note:

(i)         Africa Day is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world;

(ii)        African slaves came to Australia with the First Fleet as convicts to the Colony of NSW in 1788. These 10 Sub-Saharan African slaves constitute the first multicultural group to settle in colonial Australia. They include the notorious runaway 'Black Caesar', who became our first bushranger, John Randall, John Martin, Janel Gordon, James Williams, John Coffin, John Williams, Thomas Orford, Samuel Chinery, and George Francisco;

(iii)      by 1796, an African American freeman named William “Billie” Blue was convicted of stealing raw sugar in London and sentenced to seven years transportation to Botany Bay. Reaching Sydney on 14 December 1801, Blue had less than two years of his sentence to serve. By July 1804 he was living at The Rocks with Elizabeth Williams, a 30-year-old, English-born convict, who had arrived from Hampshire the previous month. They married on 27 April 1805 at St Philip's Church of England and were to have six children.  Billie Blue was the first ferryman on Sydney Harbour, after whom Blues Point is named;

(iv)      the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2015-2024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent (resolution 68/237) citing the need to strengthen national, regional and international cooperation in relation to the full enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights by people of African descent, and their full and equal participation in all aspects of society; 

(v)       according of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021), there are 86,405 people living in NSW who were born in Sub-Saharan Africa, from almost every country in the region. The largest number were born in South Africa (49,740), Zimbabwe (7,383), Mauritius (5,793), Kenya (4,207), Nigeria (4,009), Ghana (2,790), Sierra Leone (1,662), Ethiopia (1,475), Zambia (1,243) and Uganda (958);

(vi)      today 3,848 Africans live in the City of Sydney;

(vii)     the African Australian Advocacy Centre founded in 2019 represents the African Australian Communities in advocacy, research, and policy outcomes in collaboration with different stakeholders including but not limited to non-profit organisations, state and federal government, business, industry, the civil sector, academia and the philanthropic sector; and

(viii)    We Belong Here: Framework for Human Rights and Equity for Australians of African Descent is based on the African Australian Advocacy Centre’s Submission to the Australian Government in Response to the United Nations Working Group of Experts of Peoples of African Descent Recommendations in November 2023; and Extending the Decade of People of African Descent: Continuing the Journey Towards Recognition, Justice, and Development in Asia and the Pacific Region;

(B)      Council endorse submission of the following motion for consideration at the upcoming 2024 Local Government NSW (LGNSW) Annual Conference:

That Local Government NSW work with relevant stakeholders to encourage all NSW councils to officially recognise and support Africa Day on 25 May annually; and

(C)      the Chief Executive Officer be requested to consult with the African Australian Advocacy Centre and relevant cultural authorities on ways to support:

(i)         community-led and formal recognition of Africa Day on 25 May annually; and

(ii)        people of African descent across the City through a program of events that commemorates and celebrates the culture and contribution of people of African descent living in Australia.

Carried unanimously.

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