Naracoorte Lucindale Council members voted 6-4 in favour of replacing the Acknowledgement of Country and scrapping the prayer

A South Australian council has voted in favour of scrapping its Acknowledgement of Country and has instead replaced it with its own version.

A regional South Australian council has voted to replace its Acknowledgement of Country at the start of meetings with a more “inclusive” statement that does not expressly mention Aboriginal people, while also scrapping its prayer.

In a move Reconciliation SA has labelled “walking back progress”, Naracoorte Lucindale Council members voted 6-4 last week in favour of the change, following a review initiated by Mayor Patrick Ross.

Minutes of the February 27 meeting show Mr Ross suggested cutting the prayer and changing the acknowledgement of country to say: “We acknowledge and respect our complex history. “We welcome everyone to build our future together.”

The minutes show Mr Ross, in putting forward the changes, said: “The Naracoorte Lucindale

Council acts on behalf of all residents and ratepayers, and to that end a general

acknowledgment of our history and an inclusive welcome is what is desired by our

community.

“My belief is that we keep all statements as simple as they need to be. The modern society

which we live in is so diverse in culture, language and religion, that either an omission or

inclusion may be divisive, and therefore I’m happy to put forward this proposal.”

The now-abandoned acknowledgement of country had read: “We acknowledge and respect the traditional owners of the ancestral lands of the Limestone Coast. We acknowledge elders past and present and we respect the deep feelings of attachment and relationship of Aboriginal peoples to country.”

The prayer, which did not mention God, was worded: “We gather to make decisions for our community. May we use only our best skills and judgement keeping ourselves impartial and neutral as we consider the merits and pitfalls of each matter that is placed before us and always act in accordance with what is best for our community and our fellow citizens.”

Reconciliation SA CEO Jason Downs said it was a step backwards and offered to conduct a workshop with the council to provide “context, advice and perspective”.

“We see this as walking back progress and signalling a lack of understanding of the significant and important role of First Nations culture,” he said.

“The elected members have now set a forward plan for division based on lack of awareness and understanding of Acknowledging Country.

“Scrapping the Acknowledgment of Country to keep things simple is not a good position for a region that relies on tourism nor a reflection on global awareness.

Mr Downs said that Reconciliation SA would continue to “challenge the ongoing demise of First Nations” positions in SA.

The council falls within the boundaries of land traditionally belonging to the Ngarrindjeri people.

Mr Ross declined to comment on Sunday when contacted by The Advertiser, saying he would be available on Monday.