‘It’s my country too’: Aussies have their say on Welcome to Country

After controversy erupted on Anzac Day, Peter Dutton has listed two places Welcome to Country ceremonies are being overdone. Now Aussies have had their say.

Peter Dutton has proposed Welcome to Country ceremonies be relegated to “major events” only, claiming that acknowledgments of the traditional owners of the land have gone too far.

With just five days to convince Australians to vote for them in Saturday’s election, the Liberal leader and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese squared off in their final debate of the campaign on Sunday night.

The showdown, moderated by Seven’s political editor Mark Riley, took place amid a culture war over the necessity of the ceremonies, reignited after a group of hecklers – including known neo-Nazis – booed the Welcome to Country at the traditional Anzac Day Dawn Service in Melbourne last week.

Both Mr Dutton and Mr Albanese have strongly condemned the incident. But, questioned by Riley whether he will “acknowledge the traditional owners at your official events”, the Opposition Leader said there was a sense in the community that they’re “overdone” and “divide the country” just as the failed Voice referendum did in 2023.

In the days since the Dawn Service incident, a growing number of politicians and Australians have waded into the debate.

On Friday, Empact News took to the streets of Melbourne’s CBD to ask whether people supported a Welcome to Country.

Though all respondents lambasted those who had protested it that morning, some, much like Mr Dutton, declared the ceremonies were not necessary “all the time”.

“It gets a bit monotonous,” one man told the outlet. “I’ve got some great Aboriginal friends, you know, and they feel the same.”

Uncle Colin Hunter delivers Welcome to Country during the Anzac Day clash between Collingwood and Essendon at the MCG. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Peter Dutton during the final leaders’ debate on Sunday night said the ceremonies are ‘overdone’ and ‘divide the country’. Picture: Lukas Coch-Pool/Getty Images

“Yeah, I do (support a Welcome to Country) – but it’s my country, too,” another said.

“I do, yes, when it’s appropriate,” a third man said, without specifying what might constitute an “appropriate” occasion.

Just as many people, however, stood in support of the ceremonies all the time.

“Oh yes, of course I do,” one woman told the outlet.

“What we need to do as Australians is actually honour and respect everything to do with the First Nations people.”

“I think it’s necessary,” another man agreed.

‘We’ve got be a lot more discerning’

During Sunday’s debate, Mr Dutton gave two examples where he felt the ritual was no longer needed.

“For the opening of parliament, fair enough, it is respectful to do, but for the start of every meeting at work, or the start of a football game, I think other Australians think it is overdone and cheapens the significance of what it was meant to do,” he said.

Barnaby Joyce clashed with Tanya Plibersek during an appearance on Sunrise. Picture: Channel 7/Sunrise

Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce then echoed Mr Dutton’s comments, clashing with Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek on Sunrise on Monday morning.

Though Mr Joyce agreed with Ms Plibersek labelling the Dawn Service protesters “scumbags”, he claimed the “overdone” ceremonies were leading to “aggravation” among Australians.

“People are starting to feel awkward at them and awkward goes to anger at times. That is something we don’t want,” he said.

“I certainly don’t want to be welcomed back to my own hometown. I think veterans have a genuine concern, if they’ve signed on the dotted line to (serve) for this nation, they don’t believe they need to be welcomed to it.

“We’ve got to be a lot more discerning about how we do this because there is an aggravation that’s building up in the community.

“The best thing to do to avoid that is to be a lot more discerning about when you do Welcome to Countries.”

Welcome to Country a ‘matter of respect’

Asked for his response to his Mr Dutton’s claims during the debate on Sunday, Mr Albanese said the ceremonies are a “matter of respect”, and that it should be at an event’s host’s discretion as to whether they hold one or not.

“It’s up to them, and people will have different views, and people are entitled to their views, but we have a great privilege, from my perspective, of sharing this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth,” the Prime Minister said.

“When I welcome international visitors to Parliament House, you know what they want to see? That culture.”

Though post-debate data compiled by Roy Morgan found Mr Albanese was the winner under the network’s panel of voters, it was Mr Dutton they sided with on the matter of Indigenous affairs.

Seven’s new “The Pulse” measurement – which is similar to the old “Worm” – spiked way into the positive when he was speaking about Welcome to Country ceremonies

A news.com.au poll of more than 100,000 readers on Saturday also overwhelmingly found Australians think “they should stop completely”.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the ceremonies are a ‘matter of respect’. Picture: Lukas Coch-Pool/Getty Images

Bunurong elder Uncle Mark Brown was booed during the Welcome to Country on Anzac Day. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

‘It’s not welcoming’: Liberals double down

Liberal frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, former Prime Minister Tony Abbott and National Party leader David Littleproud have all also indicated support for a winding back of the tradition.

Speaking at a Voice to parliament ‘No’ campaign event in 2023, Mr Abbott said he is “getting a little bit sick of Welcomes to Country because (Australia) belongs to all of us, not just to some of us”.

“And I’m getting a little bit tired of seeing the flag of some of us flown equally with the flag of all of us,” he said.

“And I just think that the longer this goes on, the more divisive and the more difficult and the more dangerous that it’s getting now.”

If elected on May 3, Mr Dutton has stated his commitment not to stand in front of the Indigenous or Torres Strait Islander flags at official press conferences.

“I want our country to be united under one flag, and I want our country to be as good as it can be, and we can’t be as good as we can be if we’re separating people into different groupings,” he told reporters on Saturday.

“We are all equal Australians, and we can respect the Indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Island flag, but we unite under one flag, as every other … comparable country does and that’s how we can help close the gap.”

Mr Dutton with Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Picture: Patrick Hamilton/AFP

Senator Price has also repeatedly voiced her opposition to Welcome to Country ceremonies.

“There is no problem with acknowledging our history, but rolling out these performances before every sporting event or public gathering is definitely divisive,” Sen Price, who is the Coalition’s Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians, said.

“It’s not welcoming, it’s telling non-Indigenous Australians ‘this isn’t your country’ and that’s wrong. We are all Australians and we share this great land.”

“Around the country”, Sen Price said, there were some people whose “only role, their only source of income, is delivering Welcome to Country”.

“Everyone’s getting sick of it.”

Originally published as ‘It’s my country too’: Aussies have their say on Welcome to Country