Welcome to Country ceremonies targeted by Coalition after new $100k cost revealed

Welcome to Country and smoking ceremonies are once again in the crosshairs of the Coalition, after new documents revealed more than $100,000 has been spent on the events by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Albanese Government.

Welcome to Country and smoking ceremonies have re-emerged in the crosshairs of the Coalition, after new documents revealed more than $100,000 has been spent on the events by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the Albanese Government.

Costings obtained via Freedom of Information requests reveal the department spent the cash on 97 ceremonies over the two years to July 2024, with the figures coming on top of the $450,000 spent by other government agencies in the same time period.

It comes after the Coalition’s newly-appointed spokeswoman for government efficiency Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price last month said she’d consider diverting funding away from the ceremonies, as part of a wide-ranging review pledged by the Coalition of all funding on Indigenous programs.

Senator Price said the latest figures were an example of the Albanese government pumping money into “mere symbolism” – something she said was rejected when Australians voted against The Voice.

Governor-General Samantha Mostyn during a welcome to country smoking ceremony at the swearing in at Parliament House last year. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“Welcomes to Country may well have their place, but we cannot place them at the top of our priority list when everyday Australians are struggling to pay their energy and grocery bills,” she said.

She reiterated a Coalition government would “cut government waste and realign spending with the priorities of everyday Australians”.

“It also means auditing the billions of dollars that are spent for the supposed betterment of Indigenous Australians but are not making meaningful progress so that we can actually start getting outcomes for our most marginalised Indigenous Australians,” she said.

Among the most expensive events listed was a $5,500 spend on a Welcome to Country for a visiting Malaysian delegation in March 2023, while no details were available for a $6,600 outlay on a smoking and Welcome to Country ceremony in October 2023.

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price last month said she’d consider diverting funding away from welcome to country ceremonies if the Coalition got into power. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said Welcome to Country events “have been in place for many years, including under the previous government”.

“Welcome to Country ceremonies are about demonstrating respect and a commitment to reconciliation,” she said.

“This is a powerful message to convey about Australia, particularly to visitors from the Pacific, who place a strong emphasis on traditional custom and respect for the knowledge of elders.

“The government is focused on building closer relationships with our nearest neighbours, while (Opposition leader Peter) Dutton and the Liberals are focused on culture wars.”

Liberal Party MP James Stevens said the new figures were “another example of taxpayer funds being spent on symbolism rather than practical outcomes”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Coalition spokesman for government waste James Stevens said the new figures were “another example of taxpayer funds being spent on symbolism rather than practical outcomes for Indigenous communities”.

David Coleman, the Coalition’s spokesman for foreign affairs, said “Australians will be shocked at how much the Albanese Government is spending here, especially in the middle of Labor’s cost-of-living crisis”.

DFAT was contacted for comment.

Originally published as Welcome to Country ceremonies targeted by Coalition after new $100k cost revealed