Hills councillors reject push for indigenous acknowledgment at meetings despite 25k-person plea
More than 25,000 people called on Hills Shire Council to acknowledge traditional custodians — the Darug people — before its meetings but councillors have not budged during a tense debate on Tuesday night.
Hills Shire
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A mammoth 25,000 people have called on the Hills Shire Council to Acknowledge Traditional Custodians — the Darug people — before its meetings but councillors have not budged during a tense debate on Tuesday night.
It comes after a Hills Liberal Cr, Brooke Collins caused an onslaught of anger towards the council after suggested Aboriginals may have wiped out another race in emails to a Hills resident calling for council to acknowledge indigenous ancestors.
During the council meeting, which Cr Collins did not attend, Mayor Michelle Byrne introduced a mayoral minute titled Finding a Way Forward where she said the council needed to do things "differently".
This included an Acknowledgement of Country at Citizenship Ceremonies and at Hills Shire major events.
Cr Ryan Tracey welcomed the step, however, he said it did not go far enough to "address expectations of the community".
"We have a petition calling for acknowledgment with more than 20,000 signatures," Cr Tracey said.
"The people want acknowledgment and inclusion at every council meeting."
He put forward an amendment that "council acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land which we meet and pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging".
Cr Tony Hay seconded the amendment and said the Darug people should be mentioned.
"If it is good enough for citizenship ceremonies and events why isn't it good enough for council meetings?" he asked.
No councillors — besides Cr Hay and Cr Tracey — voted for the amendment but the mayoral minute was passed unanimously.
Cr Robyn Preston — also the Hawkesbury state Liberal MP — said the council had a responsibility to “unite rather than divide” and said the motion was the “first step towards moving in the right direction”.
But she questioned whether the 25,000 people who signed the petition were all local people.
"Were they 25,000 people from the Hills or from beyond?,” she asked.
Cr Peter Gangemi described the motion as a “call for unity that will help bring people together during these challenging times” while Cr Alan Haselden said the motion "strikes the right balance".
Before the meeting Change.org Petition organiser Samantha Wylie said she has been "overwhelmed" by the support from the community, with tens of thousands of signatures.
"It's important because my children are part of this community and I want my children to have pride in their culture and history," she said. “Recognition is the first step to reconciliation.”
A planned protest outside The Hills Shire Council is understood to have been called off at the last minute today.
The majority of elected representatives at The Hills Shire Council have rejected the notion of an Acknowledgement of Country during council meetings over several terms — despite community campaigns calling for the practice to be introduced.
Ms Preston also spoke exclusively with NewsLocal before the meeting condemning Cr Collins comments as a “example of division in the community”.
“As public official, we have a duty to unite not divide and that has always been my mantra,” she told The Hills Shire Times. “The comments made by Cr Collins have caused division in a time when we need the community to come together.”
Ms Preston, who employs Cr Collins in a part-time role as an electorate officer, said since she voted to reject acknowledgment of country in 2017, she has “developed a thorough understanding of what is important to communities in The Hills and Hawkesbury”.
“Acknowledging history and depth of the heritage in the Hawkesbury is so important to our people,” she said. “These comments by Cr Collins came at a time where there is a lot of tension in the air and I think it is an example of a complete lack of sensitivity.
“You have to pick up on the perception of generations in our community, which accepts, embraces, and shows that they are proud of their culture and heritage.