‘It's my country too': Aussies have their say on Welcome to Country
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.'
'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.
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'.
'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.'
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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
5 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Australia needs to cough up its ‘regulatory hairballs', declares PC boss
Productivity Commission boss Danielle Wood is calling on all levels of government to launch a war on red tape and bureaucracy, describing an avalanche of laws over recent years as 'regulatory hairballs' that have held back living standards. Before the federal government's three-day economic roundtable, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers says will tackle red tape in areas from housing to mining approvals, Wood will use a speech on Monday to argue that politicians have sought to over-regulate the country at the expense of economic growth and opportunities for all Australians. Wood is one of the key attendees at the roundtable that will include business, community and union leaders who will canvass issues ranging from the shape of the tax system to the rise of AI to the lack of competition across parts of the economy. In an address to the National Press Club, Wood will say that economic growth has fallen down the list of priorities. Governments at all levels have instead focused on other policy goals. This had contributed to 'regulatory creep' where governments feel they have to respond to any issue with new laws or red tape, as voters looked to a 'Canberra fix' that ultimately led to decisions that slowed growth. Loading She will argue all governments should follow the lead of the administration of former American president John F. Kennedy, which put up signs in the US Commerce Department asking: 'What have you done for growth today?' 'Perhaps it's time to distribute that sign to government agencies and ministerial offices all around our country,' she will say. 'Regulatory hairballs have found their way into almost every corner of our economy. Growth has simply fallen down the list of priorities in policymaking.'
Perth Now
5 hours ago
- Perth Now
Agency chief's solution to economy woes
Decision makers must adopt a 'growth mindset' to fix the productivity problem plaguing the economy, according to Australia's productivity tsar. Labor's highly anticipated Economic Reform Roundtable will kick off on Tuesday, bringing together 'a range of people with a range of views', as described by Anthony Albanese. The point of getting unions, business leaders, and policy experts in the same room as politicians is building consensus on how to boost productivity, or how efficiently an economy produces goods and services. Productivity Commission (PC) chair Danielle Wood will use a major speech on Monday to call on fellow roundtable attendees to be bold as they 'thrash out potential reforms to kickstart Australia's flagging productivity growth', warning that failure could bust the 'generational bargain' of handing over a better country to the future. 'I'm thrilled by the new appetite for economic reform that the roundtable has created over the past two months,' Ms Wood will tell the National Press Club, according to a copy of her speech seen by NewsWire. 'Ultimately the government will be judged on its actions and the outcomes they achieve. 'But it has taken an important step by recognising and pursuing economic growth, and the productivity that drives it, as a prime goal of policy. 'This 'growth mindset' – an elevation of growth and the benefits it brings – has been missing from Australian policy for far too long.' Productivity Commission chair Danielle Wood is calling for a 'growth mindset'. Aaron Francis / The Australian Credit: News Corp Australia Faced with challenges posed by geopolitical turmoil, climate change and an ageing population, she will point out that young Australians do not believe they will have 'better lives than their parents'. 'The expectation that life will get better for each successive generation is Australia's generational bargain,' Ms Wood said. 'For many generations we have fulfilled its promise. Until, perhaps, this one. 'Overwhelmingly, young people today believe they won't live better lives than their parents did. 'As chair of the Productivity Commission, I'm worried too.' She will note that the PC has already given the Albanese government some options. Her agency released five reports over the past month zooming in on key areas, ranging from increasing economic agility and workforce training to harnessing artificial intelligence and the net zero transition. On economic dynamism, the PC proposed reforming Australia's corporate tax system to encourage business investment, which has declined since the Global Financial Crisis. It would cut the corporate tax rate for most businesses to 20 per cent and introduce a 5 per cent cashflow tax on all businesses, with a view to creating friendlier conditions for investors. The result, according to Ms Wood, 'would increase investment by $7.4bn and GDP by $14.6bn'. 'Big enough to get out of bed for, I would think,' she will say. Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell has commented on the Albanese government's upcoming economic roundtable. 'We know in terms of tax reform, GST and capital gains tax and negative gearing have already been ruled out by the PM,' Mr Clennell said. 'But there does seem to be consideration of a road user charge.' On AI, the PC warned against a new overarching regulatory framework for AI and instead update existing regulations to address risks like fraud and discrimination. 'This would translate to an additional $116bn in economic activity – equivalent to boosting incomes for each Australian by $4300 a year over that period,' Ms Wood will say. 'A growth mindset means that we must not regulate our way out of this opportunity.' Less regulation was an overarching theme in all the PC's reports. Using those the reports as guides, Ms Wood will put forward three 'lessons about what a growth mindset looks like'. 'Regulate with growth in mind,' she will say, calling for 'leadership from the top when the policy sausage is being made'. The Albanese government's Economic Reform Roundtable will kick off on Tuesday. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia In a nod to AI, she will say, 'Real growth comes from new ideas and technology,' arguing that productivity growth comes from new ideas, products, processes, and ways of managing people. While physical inputs have limits, human ingenuity does not, Ms Wood will say. Therefore, a growth mindset should focus on fostering innovation and enabling Australia to benefit from its own inventions and those of others. Her final lesson is that productivity 'is a game of inches'. 'There is simply no single policy reform that can bring productivity growth back to its long-term average of 1.6 per cent,' Ms Wood will say. 'To shift the dial, governments will have to make a lot of pro-productivity decisions.' Though, acknowledging the mammoth task, she will say she is 'optimistic that there is a package here that can make a difference to Australia's prosperity'. 'Governments must embed the importance of growth in every decision they make,' Ms Wood will say. 'This means engaging with trade-offs, better program delivery and design, and the 'boring but important work' of reducing administrative burden. 'We must ensure that governments pursue a growth agenda, for the benefit of businesses and workers today and, more importantly, for the generations to come. 'And that's worth a few days locked in a room.'
The Age
5 hours ago
- The Age
Australia needs to cough up its ‘regulatory hairballs', declares PC boss
Productivity Commission boss Danielle Wood is calling on all levels of government to launch a war on red tape and bureaucracy, describing an avalanche of laws over recent years as 'regulatory hairballs' that have held back living standards. Before the federal government's three-day economic roundtable, which Treasurer Jim Chalmers says will tackle red tape in areas from housing to mining approvals, Wood will use a speech on Monday to argue that politicians have sought to over-regulate the country at the expense of economic growth and opportunities for all Australians. Wood is one of the key attendees at the roundtable that will include business, community and union leaders who will canvass issues ranging from the shape of the tax system to the rise of AI to the lack of competition across parts of the economy. In an address to the National Press Club, Wood will say that economic growth has fallen down the list of priorities. Governments at all levels have instead focused on other policy goals. This had contributed to 'regulatory creep' where governments feel they have to respond to any issue with new laws or red tape, as voters looked to a 'Canberra fix' that ultimately led to decisions that slowed growth. Loading She will argue all governments should follow the lead of the administration of former American president John F. Kennedy, which put up signs in the US Commerce Department asking: 'What have you done for growth today?' 'Perhaps it's time to distribute that sign to government agencies and ministerial offices all around our country,' she will say. 'Regulatory hairballs have found their way into almost every corner of our economy. Growth has simply fallen down the list of priorities in policymaking.'
