Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has outlined where and when Welcome to Country ceremonies should be scrapped after declaring the frequency of the practice had become “over the top”.
Both Mr Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony were asked during the fourth and final leaders’ debate on Sunday night whether they would continue to feature the ceremony at official events.
Though the Opposition Leader did not condone the controversial booing of the Welcome to Country by attendees of Melbourne’s Anzac Day ceremony, he did say there is a “sense across the community” that the practice was “overdone”.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Mr Dutton expanded on his initial comments revealing which events should not feature the ceremony.
He was asked whether he thought instances such as Qantas’ in-flight acknowledgement to country was an example of “over doing it”.
“I think that’s over the top,” the Opposition Leader replied.
“I think it should be reserved for significant events of our country.”
Along with plane announcements and football matches, the Opposition Leader said he thought that Anzac Day dawn ceremonies did not warrant a Welcome to Country.
“It’s ultimately a decision for the individual organisers of the events and they can make a decision based on their membership and what their board wants to do, I mean that’s a decision for them and I respect that,” Mr Dutton said.
“But listening to a lot of veterans in this space, and Anzac Day is about our veterans, it’s about 103,000 Australians who have died in the service of our country, I think if you are listening to their sentiment, and we are respectful of that sentiment on Anzac Day, I think their majority view… would be that they don’t want it on that day.”
“For the opening of Parliament, fair enough, it is respectful to do. But for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, Australians think it is overdone,” Mr Dutton said at the debate, hosted by Channel 7.
“It cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do, it divides the country, not dissimilar to what the Prime Minister did with the Voice (referendum).”
Shadow Indigenous Australians minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price echoed the leader’s comments, telling Sky News on Monday “we have absolutely overdone” Welcome to Country ceremonies and Acknowledgment of Country practices.
She raised concerns that the practice had become politicised and were far too prevalant.
“Especially when they become politicised sort of statements that are divisive as opposed to, you know, feeling like it is a welcome,” she said
Ms Price agreed with the Opposition Leader’s comments that the rituals should be maintained for significant events such as the opening of Parliament.
Visits from foreign dignitaries would be a “more appropriate” opportunity for a Welcome to Country that situations where it is currently performed.
“Speaking to the everyday Australian, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, I mean there are those that shut off every time the plane lands, you know, I know I keep my headphones on because, you know, this is Australia, we all belong to this country,” she said.
The shadow minister said she didn’t want children growing up in Australia to “feel bad in any way” for being proud of their country, regardless of whether they are indigenous or non-indigenous.
“That is the direction we need to be going, is instilling a sense of pride in who we are without the politicisation of culture, but basically just sharing knowledge with one another,” Ms Price said.
“Ultimately that’s what it’s all about, but we haven’t seen that, we’ve seen a lot of politicisation, and I think that is what Australians are really over.”
Shadow finance minister Jane Hume earlier spoke to Sky News host Peter Stefanovic and said the ceremonies were “important” but had become “performative” in many instances.
“When they occur before, you know, every sporting event or every meeting … it does become a little bit ridiculous, and that’s when they lose their meaning,” Ms Hume said.
“We want to see Welcome to Country ceremonies performed at those ceremonial events when it is important, but at the same time, we want to make sure that they are meaningful.”
Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes shared her experience with attending a number of forums recently where she said every person who spoke presented an Acknowledgement of Country.
“And you get to the point where you’ve spent, you know, 10-15 per cent of the allocated time you’ve got for some of these meetings in either Welcome or Acknowledgement of Country’s,” Ms Hughes said.
The Senator said the ritual had lost its “impact or effectivenes” a lot of the time.
“At large events, that’s one thing, but when it’s every time you turn around, it does seem to lose its impact,” Ms Hughes sad.
Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite told Sky News he consulted the local aboriginal community to get their view on Welcome to Country ceremonies.
“They believe that the Welcome to Country is an important way to recognise their connection, thousands of year connection with this land and this beautiful water that surrounds us here,” Mr Thistlethwaite said.
“So I support continuing that tradition. And really, I mean does a 30 second Welcome to Country hurt the rest of us? I don’t think that it does.”
