The hugely popular Australia Day Live concert in Canberra has been cancelled, a move that has infuriated ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who is now threatening to strip territory funding from the awards.
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The Australia Day Live concert has drawn thousands of Canberrans to the lawns of Parliament House each year since it began in 2004.
It has featured the likes of Jimmy Barnes, INXS, Matt Corby, and Guy Sebastian, and adds life to the more formal announcements of the Australian of the Year Awards.
But the National Australia Day council has quietly cancelled the event, writing to Mr Barr to inform him of its decision this week.
The Australian of the Year awards will instead be held in the Great Hall at Parliament House, and the council says it is still "looking at how the public could continue to be part of the celebrations".
New council chief executive officer Chris Kirby pointed to the potentially dangerous storm at this year's concert, saying "weather and safety" played a major part in planning the event.
He said the storm had "brought the event to a standstill and potentially put the public at risk".
The decision has angered ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who is now threatening to withdraw funding to the council, which sits within Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's portfolio.
Mr Barr has described the federal government's treatment of the national capital as "an insult to all Australians".
"To cancel the national Australia Day concert attended by tens of thousands of Australians because it rained last year is very disappointing," Mr Barr said.
"The Americans don't treat Washington in this way, the New Zealanders don't treat Wellington in this way, so why do the Federal Liberals feel the need to treat Canberra in this way."
The Australia Day celebrations were the subject of a war of words between the Northern Territory and the ACT last year.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles said the events should celebrate "Australia Day not Canberra Day", and wrote to then Prime Minister Tony Abbott to suggest they be moved around the country each year.
"I think it would be fantastic for the Northern Territory to host the official ceremony in the future and I can't think of a better backdrop for a celebration of Australia than Darwin Harbour, Katherine Gorge or our iconic Uluru," Mr Giles said.
The council said it considered other locations, but decided to keep the awards ceremony in Canberra, albeit indoors.
Mr Kirby said the change in format and venue was part of an "ongoing evolution of the awards".
"We encourage all Canberrans to take part in Australia Day activities in Canberra including the National Flag Raising and Citizenship Ceremony," he said.
Mr Barr said he will look to re-allocate the ACT's financial contribution, thought to be about $100,000, unless the decision is overturned.
"I simply cannot justify such significant financial support for a invitation only event that would effectively exclude Canberra families," Mr Barr said.
