Fiery scenes as another council calls for abolishing Acknowledgment of Country: ‘The Australian public is tired of this virtue signaling and tokenism’

Australia

A council covering a large area of rural Australia has rejected an initiative to scrap welcome-to-country and country-recognition ceremonies.

The Shire of Harvey, which covers 1,800 square kilometers in southwestern Western Australia, last month rejected a bid by councilor Craig Carbone to end the rituals after strong opposition from indigenous groups, but decided to review the practices.

Cr Carbone argued that the defeat of the proposed Indigenous voice in Parliament demonstrated a shift in attitudes away from the ‘tokenistic’ and ‘virtue signaling’ welcomes and expressions of thanks.

Shire of Harvey Councilor Craig Carbone tabled failed motion to scrap Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Country ceremonies

“The Australian public is tired of this virtue signaling and tokenism,” he said.

‘It is time for all of us to leave our colonial past behind and look to our multicultural future. It is time for us to embrace everyone, from all walks of life, and move forward as a nation,” he said.

“I think I’ve made it loud and clear that people want to get rid of these ‘wokeisms’ that are dragging our country down.”

Cr Carbone did not consult with the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation or the other key Indigenous body in the area, the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, before tabling the motion.

Greg Little, chairman of the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation, rejected these descriptions, despite the body previously claiming that the recognition and welcome ceremonies had become overused.

“It is not tokenism and is in fact delivered with heart and desire for unity,” said Greg Little, Chairman of the Corporation the ABC.

“We are blessed with the acceptance… for Aboriginal people that exists in the Harvey community, and this community does not need division.”

Megan Krakouer, chair of the South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council, called the idea “shameful” and “appalling.”

A Welcome to Country will be performed during the Super Netball semi-final between the West Coast Fever and the Melbourne Vixens at Perth’s RAC Arena in June

Shire of Harvey president Michelle Campbell said she welcomed the council’s decision to review the rituals as the debate caused unrest.

“Our Indigenous community is still reeling from the outcome of the referendum,” she said.

“They were hurt by this and I suppose the lack of consultation….” [on] how this [the proposal] was submitted to the council for discussion.’

Ms Campbell claimed the wider community did not support Mr Carbone’s proposal and claimed to have received many submissions from local residents opposing it.

After the meeting, the Harvey Aboriginal Corporation posted a statement on social media saying this was the case was disappointed with the debate, but respected the council’s decision.

“We look forward to working with the shire and other community members on the review of this policy,” the report said.

Earlier this month the Northern Areas Council, which covers a huge swath of land 200 kilometers north of Adelaide, passed a motion to remove official recognition from meetings and official correspondence.

Councilors decided to ditch the ritual because Australia was ‘one country’.

The Shire of Harvey covers 1,800 square kilometers in the south-west of Western Australia

Mayor Sue Scarman said an acknowledgment of the land was read out at the start of council meetings for two years but was dumped was democracy in action.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson this month called for a ban on Welcome to Country after losing the referendum.

She said she wanted to hold lead vote architect Professor Marcia Langton to her promise made in April that a no vote would put an end to her performances of the ceremony.

WHAT ARE WELCOME TO LAND AND RECOGNITION OF LAND?

A Welcome to Country can only be delivered by Traditional owners or custodians of the land on which the event takes place.

It is usually conducted by a local Aboriginal Elder to acknowledge and give permission for the events taking place on their traditional land.

It’s also a sign of respect and protocol, but ohOrganizing a Welcome to Country can take weeks and involve several indigenous groups.

If a Traditional Owner is not available to make a Welcome to Country, an Acknowledgment of Country can be delivered instead.

An acknowledgment of land is a way of showing awareness and respect for the traditional custodians of the land where a meeting or event is taking place.

Its purpose is to recognize Aboriginal people’s ongoing connection to the land, and can be delivered by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

There are three types of country recognition:

General — this should be used if you do not know the name of the people on whose land you are gathered, or if there are disputes over the land (several Aboriginal peoples identify themselves as Traditional Custodians for that area). The words are:

“I begin today by recognizing the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live today, and paying my respects to their elders, past and present. I pay that respect here today to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

Specifically – this should be used when there are no disputes and you know the names of the people on whose land you are gathered. The words are:

“I begin today by recognizing the people, traditional custodians of the land on which we live today, and paying my respects to their elders, past and present. I pay that respect here today to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

General (to be used across Australia or in a webinar, on a website or in printed material) – The words are:

‘In the spirit of reconciliation, the [organisation] recognizes the traditional custodians of land across Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.”

“We can only hope that this promise is kept,” Senator Hanson said in a post on

She claimed Australians, including some Indigenous people, were “sick” of the ritual.

“They are recited at the start of every parliamentary session, every council meeting and every zoom meeting of civil servants,” she continued.

‘We hear them at the end of every domestic flight, you hear the groans in the cabin every time.

‘They have essentially lost all meaning through their constant repetition.

“Australians – including many Indigenous people – are fed up with them. They are tired of being told that Australia is not their country.”