‘Bullsh*t’: Ratepayers slugged tens of thousands for Welcome to Country

Ratepayers are paying tens of thousands for Welcome to Country ceremonies, with Brisbane ratepayers footing a $135,000 bill for the events in the past two years alone.

Queensland councils are spending thousands on Welcome to Country ceremonies. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

• ‘I’d like a refund’: Ratepayers explode

Queensland councils are spending tens of thousands of dollars on Welcome to Country ceremonies, with Brisbane ratepayers footing a $135,000 bill for the events in the last two years alone.

It follows revelations that an Aboriginal corporation sought to charge a battling small town surf club a $2000 “fee for service” for Welcome to Country ceremonies at four surf carnivals, a North Queensland mayor describing them as “bulls--t” and some councils around Australia moving to dump them.

According to the National Association for the Visual Arts, the standard fee for Welcome to Country ceremonies ranges from $300 to $750.

The Sunday Mail asked major South East Queensland councils how much they were spending on the ceremonies at meetings and events.

A Brisbane City Council spokeswoman said the council spent $84,711 on Welcome to Country ceremonies at civic events last year and $50,490 so far this year.

“Welcome to Country ceremonies are organised for events, including citizenship ceremonies, civic receptions, and cultural and Indigenous events, which make up around 25 per cent of civic events held in 2023 and 2024,” she said.

South East Queensland ratepayers are being slugged thousands for Welcome to Country. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“These ceremonies feature tribal dances with fire lighting and smoking ceremonies rather than an individual speaker.”

A Gold Coast City Council spokeswoman said the council spent “a few thousand dollars a year” on the ceremonies.

“If the city deems a Welcome to Country appropriate for an event, we engage the relevant (Aboriginal) group to deliver the service required,” she said.

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council did not disclose how much it was spending on Welcome to Country ceremonies but said they were held at significant public events, conferences and community forums.

“Most Traditional Custodians will require at least a nominal fee to cover time and travel costs similar to what would be expected for a guest speaker or performer. Any fees are agreed with the Traditional Custodian when planning the event,” a spokeswoman said.

“Council, in line with our Reconciliation Action Plan, supports demonstrating respect to Traditional Custodians, the Kabi Kabi peoples and Jinibara people, through observing cultural protocols.

“We recognise our shared history and will continue to work in partnership to provide a foundation for building a shared future with the Kabi Kabi peoples and the Jinibara peoples.”

According to Reconciliation Australia, incorporating Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country into meetings, gatherings, and events shows respect by upholding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols.

“Taking the time to Acknowledge Country, or including a Welcome to Country at an event, reminds us that every day we live, work, and dream on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lands,” the organisation says.

Yamba Surf Lifesaving Club nippers run into the surf during training.

The Sunday Mail revealed last weekend that the Yamba Surf Club on the NSW Far North Coast had been hit with a $2000 bill from the local Yaegl Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation to conduct Welcome to Country ceremonies at events including a nippers carnival over the surf season.

After the demand was revealed, the corporation said there had been a “misunderstanding” and the charge should have been levied on the local council or state government rather than on the surf club.

It’s understood next weekend’s Yamba Triathlon was also threatened over a wrangle with the Yaegl, who hold native title rights over the beach at Yamba.

Earlier this year, Croydon mayor and outspoken “anti-woke” advocate Trevor Pickering told The Courier-Mail he refused to hold Welcome to Country ceremonies at his council meetings.

“I’ve got a nephew who is Aboriginal, I have other family members who identify as Aboriginal, I grew up with Aboriginal people, I befriended Aboriginal people and that Welcome to Country stuff is pure bulls--t,” he said.

Late last year, South Australia’s Northern Areas Council voted to stop reading an Acknowledgement of Country at council meetings, sparking anger from the local Indigenous community.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate also came under fire from local traditional owners earlier this year over his council’s failure to read an Acknowledgement of Country at council meetings.

“Everything is going great here. (During) citizenship (ceremonies) we do acknowledgment,” he told the ABC.

“Council business is council business. We do our national anthem and I think it’s good enough.”

Prominent Aboriginal community leader Warren Mundine, who led the campaign against the Voice, said earlier this year that Welcome to Country ceremonies had become “divisive” and been “trivialised”.

“I go to some conferences and you spend half the day doing Welcome to Country,’ he said.