28-07-2025
Hobart City councillors reject push to drop Acknowledgement of Country
Hobart City councillors have voted to keep Aboriginal acknowledgements in official council meetings and events, with some labelling a proposal to remove them an attempt to ignite a culture war.
The council debated a motion, which called for Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Country to be removed from meeting agendas and the actual proceedings of council-run events, during its meeting on Monday afternoon.
The motion was brought by councillor Louise Elliot, who likened the practices to "quasi-religious rituals" and suggested they instead take place before meetings and events got underway so those who did not wish to take part could avoid them.
After more than an hour of debate on Monday evening, the council voted eight-four to reject the proposal.
The meeting opened with Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds delivering a personalised Acknowledgement of Country, which explored the history of shell necklace making among Aboriginal women in Tasmania.
Multiple councillors and community members in the chamber wore black T-shirts emblazoned with the Aboriginal flag in what appeared to be opposition to Cr Elliot's motion.
Cr Elliot introduced her motion by declaring that Acknowledgements of Country and Welcomes to Country were "overused, divisive, demeaning, tokenistic, and ineffective".
She said her suggestion was about "consent and choice" and that it sought to make the practices optional for those who did not want to participate in them.
"It's obvious that these are political and quasi-religious rituals," she said.
"I think it being left on the agenda is a form of harassment and I think it exposes the council."
Some of the councillors who supported the motion, including Will Coats and Marti Zucco, suggested the acknowledgements could be perceived as inflammatory or that they could make people uncomfortable.
However, most of the elected members were firmly opposed to the suggestion and stressed the importance of maintaining the practice as an important gesture of respect and acknowledgement of the state's history.
Councillor Mike Dutta, among others, argued the inclusion of a short statement at the start of a meeting did not restrict or infringe upon someone's freedom of thought or religion.
"It is essential that we continue to prioritise this gesture, not just as a formality, but as a genuine expression of our commitment to reconciliation," Cr Dutta said.
Multiple councillors said the discussion was unnecessary because the practice was already optional, with no formal policy requiring it and no punishment if the chair of a meeting chose not to include it.
Some elected members, including Ben Lohberger, questioned the motives behind the motion.
"It is political grandstanding reminiscent of the culture war politics we get from the likes of One Nation and [US President] Donald Trump and it doesn't belong in this room," Cr Lohberger said.
Deputy Lord Mayor Zelinda Sherlock echoed the sentiment, describing the motion as a "contrived culture war".
"If you refuse to acknowledge the murders of innocent men, women and children, that's your choice," Cr Sherlock said.
"But don't frame it as, 'I'm not given a choice and I don't have consent,' [because] you are not forced to do it at all."
An attempt to have the debate moved to a council workshop was rejected before the original motion was ultimately shut down.
This was the third time this year a Tasmanian council rejected an attempt to remove Acknowledgements of Country from meetings. Similar motions failed in Burnie and Flinders Island.
Reconciliation Tasmania chief executive Pauline Cook said it showed the majority of Tasmanians were in favour of the practice and understood its importance for healing and justice for Aboriginal people.
"[The acknowledgements] are a really effective way of slowly changing hearts and minds through regular repetition," Ms Cook said.
"They honour the truth by saying, 'We know whose land this is, we recognise history and we are willing to say it out loud.'"
Despite this, Ms Cook said it was important the practices were not a substitute for the "real work of addressing structural change".
During the Hobart council debate, some elected members called for the creation of a policy surrounding the Acknowledgement of Country so the rules were clear.
Council staff suggested the creation of a procedure for the delivery or non-delivery of an acknowledgement was something that could be explored going forward.
Despite her motion failing, Cr Elliot vowed to continue pushing to have the acknowledgements removed from official council proceedings.
"I'm looking forward to getting some advice and it's a bone I won't drop," she said.
