SA’s Northern Areas Council votes to dump its Indigenous Acknowledegment of Country

A South Australian council has voted to drop the Acknowledgement of Country from its meetings – but no one seems to want to explain what was wrong with it.

A regional South Australian council has voted to stop reading an Acknowledgement of Country at meetings, and remove it from all official council correspondence.

The Northern Areas Council, which covers Mid North locations including Jamestown, this month passed a motion without notice “that council delete the Acknowledgement of Country and banner on correspondence”.

It was moved by Councillor Hank Langes and seconded by Councillor John Barberien – but the vote was not unanimous

Mayor Sue Scarman said the practice of reading an Acknowledgement of Country at the start of council meetings had been introduced about two years ago.

She said no division was called on the motion to revoke it, and declined to comment on how she personally voted.

Northern Areas councillor Hank Langes did not respond to enquiries. Picture: Northern Areas Council

Councillor John Barberien did not answer questions either. Picture: Northern Areas Council

“It’s a democracy,” she said.

“This was a motion of council and it was carried, so I support it. My personal take is now null and void.”

She said fellow councillors were told at the meeting that the policy should be changed because “we’re one country”.

Cr Langes did not respond to inquiries, while Cr Barberien declined to comment.

The statement is seen as a gesture of respect to Indigenous culture and to First Nations Peoples’ relationship with the land.

The wording of the acknowledgment, which still appeared on the November meeting minutes was “we acknowledge and pay respect to the Nukunu and Ngadjuri people – Traditional Owners of the land the Northern Areas Council occupies – to their Elders past, present and emerging, and we extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are present today”.

Earlier this year, Kangaroo Island council mayor Michael Pengilly refused to have an Acknowledgement of Country read at the start of a meeting, later labelling it a “divisive” issue.

Kangaroo Island councillors had previously discussed a formal Acknowledgement of Country at the start of every meeting.

Kangaroo Island mayor Michael Pengilly at Emu Bay. Picture: Brad Fleet

But council records showed Mr Pengilly, a former state Liberal MP, refused to have it read at its January meeting.

The minutes, published on the council’s website, show Mr Pengilly overruled attempts to read it and rejected a formal objection from his colleague, Councillor Bob Teasdale.

Instead he opened the meeting referencing the 2020 bushfires on KI.

“Mayor Pengilly overruled the point of order stating that the matter of the acknowledgement of country should have been discussed at an information briefing session prior to being considered by council,” it states.

“It is (also) not a policy of Council and therefore it will not be read out.”

Mr Teasdale, who has been in Aboriginal education for more than 60 years, then tried to formally have it read out “but the Mayor again refused to accept his proposal”, records state.