Latest news with #WelcomestoCountry
ABC News
30-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Calls for Indigenous voters to harness electoral power in tight marginal seats
Indigenous policy has been largely absent from this election campaign. It's a marked difference to the 2022 poll when Labor promised a referendum on the Voice to Parliament. The past week of campaigning has been more about Welcomes to Country than Closing the Gap . "The only incursions into Indigenous policy in this election have really been about punching down on Aboriginal groups," said Euahlayi man Bhiamie Williamson. Stay updated: Catch the latest interviews and in-depth coverage on Mr Williamson is a senior lecturer at Monash University and has previously researched Indigenous voters in marginal electorates while at the Australian National University. "Indigenous peoples have electoral power around the country in some places that will surprise people," he said. "We've heard the narrative that Indigenous peoples are only 3 per cent of the population … the case of the 97 per cent lion and the 3 per cent mouse. "That view is inaccurate, and it doesn't engage with political geography of Australia." Bhiamie Williamson says Indigenous Australians have a "sleeping" electoral power. ( ABC News: Callum Flinn ) Mr Williamson's ANU research indicates that, numerically at least, Indigenous voters could decide the result in marginal electorates. "Seats where you have this sleeping Indigenous electoral power… they exist in all of corners of the country, not just the Northern Territory. "What we've found is that Indigenous voters [in] up to 15 seats around Australia, make up a greater proportion than the swinging margin in those electorates." Opportunity in Gilmore One of those seats is Gilmore on the New South Wales South Coast, which sits mostly on Yuin and Tharawal country. It was won by Labor at the last election by just 373 votes. Batemans Bay is in the electorate of Gilmore. ( ABC News: John Gunn ) ABC analysis of census data found there are an estimated 5,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander eligible voters in Gilmore. Mathematically, if not necessarily politically, it's a big enough number to be influential in the seat if it runs as close as the last poll. Liberal candidate Andrew Constance is taking on sitting Labor member Fiona Phillips in one of the tightest seats in the country. Read more about the federal election: Want even more? Here's where you can find all our 2025 Walbunja woman from the Yuin nation, Ros Carriage, is the CEO of the Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council. "I'm actually scared that the [Coalition] would get in because they've never been traditionally the friend of Aboriginal people," she said. "I don't trust Dutton because he never comes across as genuine to me. "I don't know that he's done anything for Aboriginal Australia at all. "The scare campaign that they put out with the referendum disgusted me, I was just absolutely horrified." Ms Carriage said she will be voting Labor. Ros Carriage fears federal funding could be cut under the Coalition. ( ABC News: John Gunn ) The Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council received federal funding this year to expand its Indigenous ranger program. Rangers conduct wildlife counts of endangered species and use traditional 'cool' controlled burns to protect temperate rainforests against bushfire. The Coalition's plan to audit government spending, especially on Indigenous programs, has left Ms Carriage anxious about the future of ranger work on her country. "I'm not sure that the LNP are going to continue that funding, or they may even cut the funding," said Ms Carriage. "But we need it to look after the country." Ros Carriage and Indigenous ranger Andrew Stewart at the site of a traditional burn on Yuin country. ( ABC News: James Vyver ) Like any electorate there are a broad range of views political views in Gilmore, not least among First Nations voters. "I voted no [in the Referendum], and unapologetically," said Trent Thompson, a Wangaaypuwan man from the Ngiyampaa nation. "I believe that the Voice was nothing more than virtue signalling." Mr Thompson lives in Nowra in the north of the electorate and plans to vote for Andrew Constance, despite currently being a member of One Nation. He's a full-time law student on a $600 fortnightly Abstudy allowance, while his wife Tamara is on a disability support pension. "Cost of living, it is crippling, electricity alone is costing us $400 a fortnight," Mr Thompson said. "Luckily, [the pension] is a bit more substantive. That's keeping us alive." Trent Thompson will be voting Liberal at the election. ( ABC News: John Gunn ) While cost of living has been a major deciding factor in Mr Thompson's vote, values considerations have come first. "Peter Dutton, I trust him much, much more," Mr Thompson said. "I'm disgusted with what this country's become and the [Labor] politics that are running it." Mr Thompson said while he will be voting Liberal at this election, but he's unhappy at the overall lack of debate around Indigenous policy. "It makes me annoyed, we're supposed to be closing the gap," he said. "We can't do that when there's no policies." When it comes to local issues in Gilmore, Mr Thompson is worried about the lack of public housing combined with a rise in homelessness. "We are told all the time that we live in one of the luckiest countries in the world, a rich country," he said. "If you live in such a rich country, how can there be so many homeless people and how can there be such a drastic population jump in the last three years?" Power in numbers Based on ABC analysis, there are an estimated eight electorates where the potential number of First Nations voters exceeds the winning margin at the 2022 poll. How the data was analysed: The ABC collected data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander potential eligible voters living in each electorate from the 2021 Census. This number was then compared with the winning vote margin from the 2022 election, sourced from the Australian Electoral Commission. The AEC does not provide enrolment data at an electorate level, so that metric has not been included in our calculations. For example; the Nationals won the New South Wales seat of Cowper by 5,172 votes, where there are an estimated 7,400 Indigenous people of voting age. In Tasmania, there are an estimated 4,000 Indigenous voters in the seat of Lyons, where Labor won with a margin of 1,344 votes. The ABS estimates that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations are under-represented in their data, making the calculations conservative. A further six seats are likely to have this same 'sleeping' electoral power, including Peter Dutton's seat of Dickson which is held by a slim 1.7 per cent margin. Every state and territory except the ACT has at least one electorate where First Nations voters have the potential for power in numbers. A map of the marginal seats across the country where the number of Indigenous voters is estimated to be greater than the winning vote margin at the 2022 election. ( ABC News ) The challenge for independents and the major parties is to convert a numerical advantage into a political one. But Mr Williamson says it should be an opportunity for communities, not parties. "Indigenous voters undoubtedly, like every other community around the country, would vote in different ways, they'd have different priorities," he said. "However, Indigenous voters and Indigenous communities undoubtedly have common interests. "If in some areas, you could bring and organise an Indigenous vote together as a bloc, they could wield extraordinary political influence and have a say in who wins in their local electorate." Mr Thompson has engaged in the political process in the past, having previously been a young Liberal and a member of the National Party. He said that there is untapped political potential in Gilmore in the way Mr Williamson's research indicates. Trent Thompson and his wife Tamara, with children Beatrix, Georgia and Endellion. ( ABC News: John Gunn ) "[It] would require the leadership and guidance of the elders to become engaged, not just with the communities, but with each other, to come to a consensus position. "If that could happen, then, yeah, absolutely [they] could form their own movement and move forward that way." Ms Carriage said while the problems facing Australia's First Peoples are complex, getting Indigenous people to vote together starts with some simple propositions for politicians. "Let the Aboriginal people know that you're there for them and you're not just that face that's on the TV every now and again. "Put your shorts and T-shirt on. Come sit down. Have a sausage sizzle with us," she said. "And truth telling, please! Let us see that you're actually doing something … we want to see action, we want to make them accountable." With additional reporting by Madi Chwasta. Loading Having trouble seeing this form? Try
Sky News AU
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Peter Dutton gives a ‘voice' to majority of Australians in criticisms of Welcome to Country
Nationals Senator Matt Canavan says Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is setting the example on his criticisms of the Welcome to Country ceremonies. 'I do think we are going to see fewer Welcomes to Country now at inappropriate times because of leadership from Peter Dutton here,' Mr Canavan said. 'He is just giving the voice to a vast majority of Australians.'
The Guardian
28-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Dutton claims majority of veterans don't want welcome to country at Anzac Day ceremonies
Peter Dutton has confirmed he does not believe welcome to country ceremonies are necessary at Anzac Day dawn services and on commercial flights, continuing to stoke a culture war in the final week of the election campaign. It comes days after a neo-Nazi booed and heckled a welcome to country ceremony at a dawn service in Melbourne. On Monday, Dutton again condemned those extremist protests, saying Anzac Day ceremonies were 'sacred' and not a place for booing, but repeated comments from Sunday night's televised debate that Indigenous acknowledgments were 'over the top'. In an at-times testy press conference in the NSW central coast seat of Paterson – a key Liberal target – Dutton said 'significant events' like opening of parliament were appropriate for a welcome to country, but downplayed the need in other areas. Asked about Qantas' practice of giving acknowledgment of country where their planes land, Dutton dubbed it 'over the top'. The airline was contacted for comment. During his press conference, pressed on whether Anzac Day ceremonies warranted a Welcome to Country, Dutton replied: 'No, would be my answer to that. 'It's ultimately a decision for the individual organisers at the events, and they can make a decision based on their membership and what their board wants to do, and that's a decision for them, and I respect that,' Dutton said. 'Anzac Day is about our veterans … I think if you are listening to their sentiment, and we are respectful of that sentiment on Anzac Day, I think the majority view would be that they don't want it on that day. But I think it is an individual decision for the RSLs.' Dutton did not say how his view about the 'majority' of veterans was formed. Several media organisations have referred to an online survey run by which was an unscientific and unrepresentative opt-in poll, which found 65% of 50,000 respondents wanted Welcomes to Country to end completely and another 23% said they wanted fewer welcomes. On 15 April, the Cairns RSL sub branch asked the local state MP, Michael Healy, not to acknowledge country in his speech at a dawn service. 'In defence to [sic] our members' wishes, we respectfully request that you refrain from including the welcome to country in your speech at our Anzac Day dawn service,' said an email seen by Guardian Australia. skip past newsletter promotion Sign up to Afternoon Update: Election 2025 Free daily newsletter Our Australian afternoon update breaks down the key election campaign stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy . We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. after newsletter promotion The Queensland RSL was contacted for comment. It is not known whether Healy was asked not to provide a welcome to country acknowledgment as one had been delivered earlier in the service. Healy has also been contacted for comment. When contacted for a response to Dutton's remarks, the national RSL referred Guardian Australia to a website providing advice on hosting an Anzac Day service, which includes a 'welcome including acknowledgment of country'. The Victorian branch of the RSL was also contacted for comment. Labor cabinet minister Jason Clare told Sunrise on Monday morning that he hoped the issue would not become a political football in the final days of the election. 'Remember where all of this began on Friday. It spawned out of the actions of neo-Nazis interrupting an Anzac Day Dawn Service. I don't think any of us want to find ourselves on the same side of this argument as neo-Nazis,' he said. Anthony Albanese, during the Seven debate on Sunday, said it was up to individual organisations to decide whether to open their event with a welcome to country but noted the ceremonies were a 'matter of respect'. He noted that in New Zealand, the national anthem was sung in Māori language as well as English.
News.com.au
28-04-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
‘Sick of it': Liberals pledge to scale back Welcome to Country ceremonies
Peter Dutton strongly condemned the actions of neo-Nazis attending the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne on Friday, who heckled and booed during the Welcome to Country ceremony. But Mr Dutton and Liberal frontbencher Jacinta Nampijinpa Price have previously backed scaling back the use of Welcome to Country ceremonies, with Senator Price warning people are 'sick if it'. Amid the Shrine clash and a fresh furore over claims the NRL's Melbourne Storm 'cancelled' the welcome at AAMI Park on Friday the topic is back on the agenda. Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy was scheduled to perform the service at the match before she was informed just hours before kick-off the Welcome to Country ceremony was no longer wanted. 'We were all just dumbfounded,' Aunty Joy said. 'We would dearly love to be out there, but they've broken our hearts.' A Storm statement insisted there was 'a miscommunication of expectations regarding the use (of) Welcome to Country at Melbourne Storm events throughout the year'. 'We acknowledge and accept the timing and miscommunication was not ideal and we have spoken to the groups concerned this afternoon,'' a spokesman said. Former prime minister Tony Abbott, federal opposition leader Peter Dutton and National Party leader David Littleproud have all 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 it 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.' Mr Dutton has also expressed some reservations over Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country ceremonies. 'It's a respectful way to acknowledge the Indigenous heritage of our country,'' he said. 'But I do get the point that when you go to a function and there's an MC who I think appropriately can do recognition, you then get the next five or ten speakers who each do their own Acknowledgement to Country, and frankly, I think it detracts from the significance of the statement that's being made,' he told 2GB radio. Price: 'Everyone's getting sick of it' Senator Price has described the tradition as 'divisive'. 'There is no problem with acknowledging our history, but rolling out these performances before every sporting event or public gathering is definitely divisive,' she 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.' She said 'around the country' there were some people whose 'only role, their only source of income, is delivering Welcome to Country'. 'Everyone's getting sick of Welcome to Country,'' she said. Victoria Police have confirmed the man who led the booing in Melbourne expected to be charged on summons with offensive behaviour. 'There is no place in Australia for what occurred in Melbourne,' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a statement. 'A neo-Nazi disrupting Anzac Day is abhorrent, un-Australian, and disgraceful. The people responsible must face the full force of the law.' Why Peter Dutton won't display Aboriginal flags But Peter Dutton has also declared he will not display the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander flags during press conferences if he is elected prime minister, arguing the practice 'divides people unnecessarily'. ' I'm very strongly of the belief that we are a country united under one flag and if we're asking people to identify with different flags, no other country does that, and we are dividing our country unnecessarily,' he told Sky News. 'We should have respect for the Indigenous flag and the Torres Strait Islander flag, but they are not our national flags.' Mr Dutton has already adopted the practice of not standing in front of the Torres Strait Islander flag. 'The fact is that we should stand up for who we are, for our values, what we believe in,' he said. 'We are united as a country when we gather under one flag, which is what we should do on Australia Day.' PM's view on flags Three years ago, in his first press conference as prime minister, Anthony Albanese made a quiet statement by installing both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island flags next to the Australian flag before embarking on the ill-fated referendum. 'We didn't make a fuss, we didn't put out a media release ... we just did it,' Mr Albanese said. 'We have flags that represent our entire nation. It's an opportunity to speak about our full history.' Labor frontbencher Patrick Gorman, the assistant minister to the Prime Minister, had previously explained the significance of the change under Mr Albanese. 'To some, this change may have appeared insignificant,' Mr Gorman said. 'To others it instantly represented another step towards greater inclusion.' On seeing all three flags behind the Prime Minister of Australia, the former minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, said she got a lump in her throat. 'The thoughtfulness, the nod to respect (and) the inclusivity of the gesture was something everyone noticed and really appreciated,' she reflected. 'But they do. Because symbols, however small, always represent something bigger. 'In this case, they represented renewal, a fresh start, and the Albanese Government's deep desire to build stronger foundations with First Nations people.'
The Age
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Anger at Anzac Day backfire holds lessons for cultural warriors
The far-right hecklers who disrupted the Welcome to Country ceremonies at Friday morning's Anzac Day services in Melbourne and Perth were quickly condemned as fringe actors. But what they shouted – 'We don't need to be welcomed,' according to reports – has become a common refrain. It is repeated with rising frequency in conservative debates about Welcomes to Country on social media, in Sky News segments and even the Senate. The Coalition stoked this debate earlier this year, when it brought the phrase into mainstream politics by pledging to wind back spending on Welcomes to Country if it formed government. 'Welcomes to Country should be reserved for rare occasions, especially when the taxpayer is being asked to pick up the tab,' the opposition's Indigenous affairs spokeswoman, Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, said in February this year. Clive Palmer's $100 million ad blitz has kept the issue alive ahead of next weekend's election, with banners that declare: 'We don't need to be welcomed to our own country.' The ad ran in metropolitan newspapers on Anzac Day, including this masthead. Loading Then, on Friday, neo-Nazis agitators hijacked the conversation. Josh Roose, an academic at Deakin University who specialises in extremism, said it demonstrated the latest tactics of far-right extremists, who are seeking to appropriate 'anti-woke' talking points for their own ends as they stage attention-seeking stunts during this year's election campaign. 'What they're tending to do is tie their extreme views into a wider backlash from a small but vocal minority on the right, who stand against the Welcome to Country. In so doing, they attempt to cast themselves as standing against woke politics, but what is really behind this is a hate-filled ideology,' Roose said.
