MidCoast Councillor Mick Graham moves to stop welcome to, acknowledgment of country

A recently elected Mid-North Coast Libertarian councillor has failed in his attempt to abolish the organisation’s Indigenous welcome to and acknowledgement of country practices. See how the emotional debate panned out.

MidCoast councillor Michael (Mick) Graham wants to put an end to welcomes and acknowledgments to country at council meetings.

A Mid-North Coast Libertarian councillor swept to power at the last local government elections has failed in his attempt to abolish the organisation’s Indigenous welcome to and acknowledgement of country practices.

One councillor who voted against the motion described it as “petty, ugly posturing” with another simply saying “this just makes me sad”.

Support for the party was strong in the MidCoast electorate which takes in the major towns of Taree, Forster and Gloucester.

Lead candidate Michael Graham and two of his Libertarian running mates, Phillip Beazley and Mal McKenzie, were elected to the 11-person council in September last year.

Some fellow councillors and senior staff were taken aback when all three refused to stand for the traditional acknowledgment to country prior to their first meeting in October.

They’ve refused to stand at all in subsequent meetings.

Newly elected MidCoast councillor Michael Graham.

On Wednesday Mr Graham tried to make it official – moving a motion to discontinue the practice of a welcome to – and acknowledgment of – country at all future council meetings and all other “council constituted meetings as well as in all communications including emails”.

Deputy Mayor Jeremy Miller indicated he would not be supporting the move and when he stood in the chambers to speak against it he said “this just makes me sad”.

He said if the three Libertarians genuinely wanted change they would look at reworking the council’s code of meeting practices which are currently under review.

“But that would be the boring way and it doesn’t get you in the news or a slap on the back from your mates,” Mr Miller told the packed gallery.

Jeremy Miller MidCoast council candidate.

He says it’s a very busy time for council and these types of motions distract councillors from their core business.

Fellow MidCoast Councillor Peter Howard described the motion as “petty, ugly posturing” and said he was “so disappointed” when he saw it on the agenda.

Mr Howard said he had received over 100 emails on the issue with them all urging him to vote against the move to abolish the welcome and acknowledgment practices.

In the initial wake of the Libertarians’ refusal to stand, there was a fierce backlash from some sectors of the community including prominent Indigenous Elder and pastor Russell Saunders, who said the councillors who did not stand “failed to show basic respect for our culture and our beliefs as the first people of this land”.

Taree's Russell Saunders has been disappointed that several newly elected MidCoast Councillors have refused to stand for the acknowledgment to country at their regular meetings.

Mr Saunders has thanked the councillors who stand for the acknowledgment.

“I know our people are appreciative of that. Your actions, at least, lighten some of the heartache we have had in the past in our fight for justice to be recognised as human beings in the country we have lived in for thousands of years,” he said.

MidCoast Councillor Mal McKenzie

As expected fellow Libertarians Mal McKenzie and Phillip Beazley supported Mr Graham’s motion to abolish the practices.

Mr McKenzie claims the practices are “racist and divisive”.

“It’s a ridiculous concept,” Mr McKenzie said.

The remaining eight councillors voted against the motion with Councillor Digby Wilson raising an alternative, successful motion to strengthen council’s relationship with first nations people and to recommit to the process of welcomes, and acknowledgments to, country at meetings and on email correspondence.

“We need to recommit after this hurtful debate,” Mr Miller said in support of Mr Wilson’s motion.

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