Welcome To Country: Stonnington Council plans Indigenous ceremony for babies

A council which held a ‘healing ceremony’ on Australia Day now wants to run a Welcome to Country for children and babies.

Stonnington Council wants to introduce a Welcome To Country ceremony for babies and young children. File picture.

An inner city council is planning a Welcome To Country ceremony for non-Indigenous children and babies.

Stonnington Council, which staged a contentious Indigenous ‘healing ceremony’ on Australia Day, wants to invite a traditional landowner to conduct a Welcome To Country ceremony for “babies, children and new families with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities”, as early as NAIDOC Week in July.

Institute of Public Affairs spokeswoman Dr Bella d’Abrera slammed the idea, claiming the council was trying to “indoctrinate” its youngest citizens.

“When it comes to the left, it seems that no one is too young to be indoctrinated — even babies,” she said.

“Ratepayers have had enough of their hardearned dollars being used by inner city councils to fund virtue signalling.”

The ceremony is part of the council’s reconcilliation action plan, which councillors approved seven-votes-to-two at its meeting on Monday night.

Chief executive Jacqui Weatherill said the ceremony and other child-focused initatives in the plan were “consistent with the expectations of the national quality framework that guides early education in Australia.”

Councillor Marcia Griffin did not support the action plan as she felt it was “not positive and empowering” and lacked strong community input, with only three submissions received.

The council also consulted with traditional custodians and Indigenous groups to put together the plan.

“It looks like more like a political document designed to divide our community,” she said.

But councillor Mike Scott disagreed, saying the plan was “full of measurable actions” and “innovative strategies” which he felt would “empower” Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Our community wants to see us do more to reconcile with First Nations peoples … and this plan will help us do that,” he said.

Stonnington Council will fly Indigenous flags outside its town halls and offices as part of its reconciliation action plan. File picture.

Other initiatives outlined in the plan include a review of “cultural learning needs” within the council, updating staff email signatures with an acknowledgment of country statement, and displaying Indigenous signage and posters at council venues.

The council would also fly the Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander flags outside its offices and at Prahran and Malvern town halls.

Meanwhile, Ms Weatherill has vowed to let councillors vote on its Australia Day activities next year following mixed reactions about its ‘healing ceremony’ last month.

Council officers decided to introduce the ceremony at a cost of more than $8000 to ratepayers, alongside the council’s traditional citizenship ceremony.

Following repeated questions on the topic from Cr Alex Lew, who criticised the decision to stage the ceremony, Ms Weatherill told the gallery she was happy to bring the proposed 2023 activities to council for deliberation later in the year.

She told Leader celebrating Australia Day on January 26 would be “an ongoing conversation” at the council with the endorsement of the action plan.