WA Council Rejects Proposal to Scrap Indigenous Ceremony at Council Events

A Western Australian council has rejected a councillor’s proposal to scrap Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country ceremonies following pressure from a local Indigenous community. In October, Councillor Craig Carbone from the Shire of Harvey in the south-west of Western Australia put forward a motion to abolish both Indigenous ceremonies, labelling them “tokenistic” and “virtue signalling.” The move comes as two South Australian councils voted to axe the procedure, with members saying their reason for doing so was because Australia was “one country.” Acknowledgement of Country ceremonies, first popularised in the 1970s, are performed before formal proceedings to show respect to Indigenous communities and their connection to their land, while the Welcome to Country is an actual physical ceremony. These ceremonies are usually conducted by Aboriginal leaders and elders....