LGA Marketing Toolkit
This page includes information and resources for local government areas to promote their Australia Day events and activities in their community and on social media.
How we can help promote your events and activities
Event listings
We can spread the word about what’s on in your local area.
Complete this form (by Friday 8 December 2023) for your Australia Day 2024 events to feature on the Australia Day in NSW website. We may also promote your events on our social media channels and include in media material.
The form asks you for a short event summary and includes an option to add individual event listings on australiaday.com.au.
To submit an event to the Australia Day in NSW website, you need to register an account. To get started, visit the submit your event page.
Existing contributors
If you’ve created an event on this site before, then we’ve already created an account for you. All you need to do is reset your password, follow the instructions in the email, and then login.
Once you’re logged in, click on the ‘Events’ link under profile menu, and then Create a new event.
New contributors
- If you’re new to the site, then you’ll need to register an account.
- After registering, you’ll receive a verification email with a code and a link to login.
- After logging in, you can optionally set up multi-factor authentication (MFA)to increase your account security. This step is not required to continue.
- You then enter the verification code from your email.
- You will then be approved by a site manager and can login to create your events.
Our Event Listing Tips
- Consider the key information you need to provide in your event listing (about the event, location/s, times, speakers, activities to do, cost, is it ticketed, capacity etc.). Each event will be exposed to thousands of Australians - the more information the better!
- Write your listing with clear messaging and details, spell check the wording, and upload ONE listing per event. You can list as many events as you like. Include RSVP links and social media handles to event pages if available. Don’t be shy to hype up your post!
- List events that showcase your community and are uniquely yours! Events that excite the locals, that highlights your community or key events you want to promote to visitors.
- Even if your numbers are limited, let travellers looking to celebrate Australia Day with a difference know about your events.
- Upload your own community or event listing tile photo to stand out - listings with photos attract more interest! (don’t worry if you don’t have one though we’ve provided some for you to choose from).
Key messages and themes
Australia Day 2024 tagline - Reflect, Respect, Celebrate
Australia Day 2024 is a day to Reflect, Respect and Celebrate the Australian spirit and the best of this vast country; our mateship, our sense of community, our resilience, and looking to the future with optimism and unity.
We acknowledge and reflect on the significant contribution each of us makes to Australia. From our First Nations people who have cared for this country for 65,000 years to our newest citizens – we all call Australia home.Our national day is about who we are as Australians.
Australia Day is a time to come together, to connect with each other.
As our nation continues to grow, so too does our understanding of our history, who we are today and how we want Australia to evolve in the future.
We respect the contributions of all Australians and Australia Day is an opportunity to celebrate our cultural diversity and rich migrant heritage which makes us proudly Australian.
Key messages – Community focus
- This Australia Day, the community is encouraged to Reflect, Respect and Celebrate our nation and our people – and especially our strong sense of community.
- Australia Day events across NSW for 2024, are a great way to start the year with a feeling of unity and optimism.
- From country to coast to city – Australia Day is an opportunity to reflect on our history, culture, lifestyle, landscape, our people and the many inspiring stories shared.
- There are some things we can’t change, but we can change how we engage together as we walk together in a positive way.
- Australia Day is the perfect occasion to support local communities and focus on togetherness and playing our part by getting behind local businesses and helping out our mates.
- Australia Day is a time to support each other and more than ever before, inspire and unify the community and the nation.
- To celebrate our diversity, NSW offers a calendar of activities for all ages, backgrounds and areas of interest. Visit australiaday.com.au for more information and check out your local council website. If you choose to stay local, don’t forget to tune into the Australia Day Live broadcast live on ABC TV and iview.
- January and Australia Day is a time to reignite your love of travel, explore and reconnect with the bush, create memories in your own backyard and celebrate the Aussie lifestyle – and it’s a long weekend
- Make a difference this Australia Day by supporting your local community and businesses. Simple efforts such as making a restaurant booking with friends or family, holidaying in NSW and buying locally made products will go a long way in making a difference.
- Some local councils will host their own activities and our Australia Day Ambassadors will be out and about across NSW.
- For more information how you can mark the day, visit australiaday.com.au or visit your council website to plan ahead.
General messages
Plan ahead
- If you are spending the day outdoors, be sun smart, eat well and drink plenty of water, and wear appropriate clothing for weather conditions.
- Please check transport apps and visit info to plan ahead before you make your journey.
- No BYO alcohol and no glass applies to some Australia Day event sites. Check your local council website to familiarise yourself with local restrictions.
- No matter where you spend the day, please put your rubbish in bins and limit the single-use items you bring with you. We want to keep our state clean.
- Don’t forget to take your eligible drink containers to a Return and Earn collection point across NSW and donate 10c to your pocket or to a cause close to your heart! Return and Earn is good for our environment and good for you! Please recycle responsibly and keep Return and Earn sites clean.
- If you do drink, do it responsibly and look after yourself, your mates and your environment.
- Remember Australia Day is for everyone. Be respectful of people at all times.
- The NSW Government and Australia Day Council of NSW are looking forward to planning and celebrating Australia Day 2024.
- Australia Day in Sydney Program updates will be provided at australiaday.com.au and check out your council website for local events and activities.
Hot weather messaging
- Heat affects everyone – It is important to take extra care during hot weather to reduce your risk of heat-related illness.
- There are simple ways to keep cool and stay hydrated in summer:
- Avoid being outdoors in the hottest part of the day as much as possible.
- Drink plenty of water regularly, even if you don’t feel thirsty.
- Take water with you if you’re going outside.
- Talk to your doctor about how to manage your health in the heat if you have a chronic illness, are on regular medications, or have a limit on your fluid intake.
- Protect your skin and eyes from the sun by applying sunscreen to exposed skin, wearing sunglasses and a hat.
- Even after hot weather has passed, your body can still be affected by it. Monitor your health in the days following hot weather and get medical assistance if you feel unwell.
Air quality messaging
If there is bushfire smoke in your area, take steps to reduce the time you spend in smoky air. Bushfire smoke has fine particles that can affect your health. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones from bushfire smoke: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/bushfires
Template media materials
The Australia Day Council of NSW has created templates. These templates are designed to help you promote your Australia Day activities and Australia Day Ambassador’s visit.
Templates include a:
- Media Release
- Letter to the Editor
- Newsletter/website copy.
Simply copy the following templates into a new Word Document and fill it out with information about your event.
Template – Media Release
[Insert LGA logo]
Heading:
[Australia Day Ambassador full name] announced as [community name]’s Australia Day 2024 Ambassador
Subhead:
Join Australia Day Ambassador, [Australia Day Ambassador full name], at [community name]’s Australia Day events and activities!
Body:
On Friday 26 January the [Community name] community is encouraged to Reflect, Respect and Celebrate our nation and our people – and especially our strong sense of community. Australia Day 2024 will present a particularly poignant and special opportunity to recognise the resilience of Australians and to focus on what we can achieve as a community and nation.
Each year we want to unite our community and pay tribute to the Australian spirit. We’re extremely grateful our Australia Day Ambassador, [Australia Day Ambassador full name] will join our community and offer inspiration and share [his/her] optimistic messages and stories. Known for their work [in/as] [title/experience], [Australia Day Ambassador full name] is proud to be an Australia Day Ambassador and to visit [community name] to join in with our community celebrations.
[Community name] [Mayor/representative title], [full name], is excited that [Australia Day Ambassador first name] will join [community name] on such an important day.
[insert quote example]. “Australia Day is an opportunity for everyone living in [community name] to think about what it means to be Australian and is an opportunity to reconnect with each other. Our national day is a time to reflect on and celebrate strong signs of hope and solidarity. It is this spirit of togetherness that gives us strength to continue to see the value of the positive.”
[insert additional quote example] “In [community name], we recognise and acknowledge our Aboriginal people and we respect the contributions of all Australians. On Australia Day we recognise that everyone plays a role in shaping our nation’s future while also taking the time to reflect on our past.”
Australians share a unique, unifying and defining set of values that are based on the spirit of community, selflessness, courage and resilience. Values that are embodied by our Australia Day Ambassador [Australia Day Ambassador first name].”
Australia Day Ambassadors generously volunteer their time and share their story at hundreds of community events. For more than 30 years, Ambassadors have inspired thousands of people in activities as diverse as the communities themselves, and 2024 will be no different.
Drawing inspiration from our Ambassadors, the [Community name] community is encouraged to make a difference this Australia Day by supporting community businesses. Simple efforts such as arranging restaurant/cafe bookings or buying locally made products will boost the Australia Day spirit.
Template – Letter to the Editor
A letter to the Editor of your local newspaper may be an effective way to inform readers that an Australia Day Ambassador is coming to your local event on January 26. Simply copy and paste the following template and the information about the Ambassador program into a new Word document and fill it out with the necessary information.
Letters to the editor can be easily submitted via email. Visit the appropriate newspaper home page and look under the ‘contact us’ tab. Email it through to the main email address, or the nominated Letter to the Editor email. Mark your subject header: ‘Letter to the Editor: Australia Day Ambassador’.
Dear Editor,
I’m very happy to announce that [Ambassador full name] will be spending this Australia Day in [community name]. [Ambassador full name] will be visiting as part of the Australia Day 2024 Australia Day Council of NSW Ambassador Program.
Known for their contributions as [title/experience], we are very excited to welcome [Australia Day Ambassador full name] to [community name] and show them how we mark our national day.
In [community name], we respect the contributions of all Australians, and we celebrate our achievements by coming together and connecting with family, friends and community.
Having [Australia Day Ambassador first name] with us to share [his/her] inspiring stories will help us develop these themes further.
Australia Day 2024 is a day to reflect, respect and celebrate the Australian spirit and the best of this vast country; mateship, a strong sense of community, resilience, and looking forward with optimism and hope. This year, I want to encourage everyone from [community name] to mark Australia Day in a way that is meaningful to them.
Details about [Community name]’s official 2024 Australia Day event/activities are as follows:
- When: Friday 26 January 2024 at [start/finish time]
- Location: [street address, suburb]
- Activities: [list of activities – if a schedule is available, please include]
For more information please visit [local government area website address]. We’re asking residents of [community name] to join the conversation by uploading a photo of how they’re recognising Australia Day to their social media channels and use the hashtag #AusDayNSW
About the Ambassador Program
The NSW Ambassador program has been running for more than 30 years and for Australia Day 2024, up to 100 remarkable Australians will volunteer to participate in a program of activities around the state. Ambassadors share the common goal of banding together in solidarity, sharing stories of optimism and showing support to communities across the state.
The program started with just nine Ambassadors in 1990, following the hugely successful 1988 bicentenary. The original Ambassadors included Australian heart-transplant recipient Fiona Coote; pioneering Australian aviator, the late Nancy Bird Walton AO OBE; rock ‘n roll singer Col Joye AM; and former Australian cricketer Alan Davidson AM MBE. The program continues to attract Australians of the highest calibre every year.
MEDIA interviews with NSW Ambassadors: [email protected].
For more information on Australia Day 2024, please visit australiaday.com.au
[Representative full name]
Template – Newsletter/website copy
To make it easy for your community to get involved in telling the story of how we mark Australia Day, include the below copy in your electronic direct mail (EDM), or website (where appropriate).
Australia Day 2024 is a day to reflect, respect and celebrate the Australian spirit. We use the day to highlight the best of this country including:
- Australia’s Aboriginal culture and heritage
- our mateship
- our sense of community
- our resilience
- lifestyle, culture and people from all walks of life
- our cultural diversity and rich migrant heritage
- our optimism and hope as we look to the future.
[Include details around your local events and activities]
This Australia Day, we encourage you to reconnect with country – with local attractions, people and the Aussie lifestyle – and at the same time support local, regional and rural communities and businesses throughout January and on Australia Day.
Join the conversation this Australia Day by uploading a photo using #AusDayNSW.
You can watch Australia Day Live at the Sydney Opera House live on ABC TV and iview:
For more information on Australia Day 2024, please visit australiaday.com.au.
Tips and tricks
1. Use relevant hashtags
Be part of the nation’s biggest online conversation in the lead-up to and on Australia Day by using #AusDayNSW.
Where relevant, you may also like to include other hashtags such as:
- #AusDayAmbassador
- #[name of the local government area you will be in].
Don’t forget to tag us in your posts so we can share and spread the love.
2. Leverage your nominated Australia Day Ambassador
To have an Australia Day Ambassador attend your Australia Day event is a huge honour. Think of ways they can engage in your event by speaking, participating in activities, or communicating with the media. It’s your chance to promote your wonderful local area. We’ve included pre-drafted social media posts for you to give to them.
3. Spread the message
Think of all the ways you can spread the message about how your community is marking Australia Day. Make sure you leverage your contacts and stakeholders. And don’t forget to ask others to share your social media posts.
Social media engagement
The following social media posts will make it easy for you to create discussion in the lead-up to Australia Day. Feel free to tailor them to your local government area’s tone of voice.
We recommend using an image from your previous local Australia Day celebrations to go with the text provided below.
Suggested posts – To encourage people to share
Put #AusDayNSW in your posts and share!
See where you can find all the fun this australiaday.com.au
Check out all the great local events at australiaday.com.au
Show how you mark @AustraliaDayNSW with #AusDayNSW
See what’s on near you at australiaday.com.au
Suggested posts – From a group or council
Check out australiaday.com.au to find out what’s happening in your local community.
Let’s all come together for #AusDayNSW!
Suggested posts – From an Ambassador
Stay connected
Stay connected and see what others are up to this Australia Day. We encourage you to tag and share content from the below media channels.