Acknowledgement of country spotted next to Barwon Water public works

A state government agency has been spotted placing acknowledgement of country signs next to its work sites to recognise the original custodians of “the water on which we rely”.

A Victorian water company is now deploying acknowledgement of country signs along the road next to its works sites.

A Barwon Water sign was snapped on Friday on a south Geelong footpath where water main upgrades are currently underway.

Sitting next to a common advisory sign advising that works were underway, the second sign informed pedestrians that Barwon Water acknowledges “Wadawurrung as the Traditional Custodians of this land on which we are working, and of the water on which we rely”.

“We pay our respects to their Elders past and present,” the sign added.

Land acknowledgment sign spotted adjacent to a Barwon Water mains upgrade site. Picture: Supplied.

Asked how long the signs have been in use, a spokeswoman for the agency said: “It has been standard practice for a number of years to recognise the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we deliver our projects”.

Barwon Water’s reconciliation plan makes no mention of signage, but does clarify that its reconciliation action plan seeks to create “a culturally safe workspace, which is free of discrimination at all levels”.

“It has been standard practice for a number of years to recognise the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we deliver our projects,” Barwon Water Managing Director Shaun Cumming said.

It comes amid widespread debate over the welcome to and acknowledgement of country messaging, with the board of NRL team Melbourne Storm the latest decrease its use of the ceremony.

A recent decision by Melbourne Storm to cancel a ceremony at its Anzac Day fixture resulted in the club’s partner, Victorian Aboriginal Health Services ending its ties to the NRL club.

At the recent Anzac Day ceremony at the Shrine, boos broke out after a Welcome to Country at the Dawn Service with neo-Nazis upporters later being escorted from the service.

Then opposition leader Peter Dutton also said during the election campaign that in his opinion the Welcome “is over done and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do”.

“I think it detracts from the significance of the statement that’s being made,’’ he said.

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Originally published as Acknowledgement of country spotted next to Barwon Water public works