Canberra defends Welcome to Country spend

By PETER ROWE

A Federal government spokeswoman has defended the amount of money government departments have spent on Welcome to Country ceremonies after an opposition spokesman criticised the process as a ‘multi-million-dollar industry’.

The government official said expenditure was “in line with our Reconciliation Action Plan” and met with the plans, ironically introduced under a Coalition government a decade ago.

“All procurement is undertaken in line with the Commonwealth Procurement Rules in order to achieve value for money,” the spokeswoman said.

“This has been a longstanding practice for many years.”

A Finance department spokesman said that inviting a traditional custodian to perform a welcome to country at significant corporate events helps build connection with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“It demonstrates our commitment to reconciliation,” he said.

A report in the Sydney Daily Telegraph said more than $450,000 had been in the past two years by various government departments.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency paid $60,342, the Australian Institute of sport $47,000 and the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet spent $41,801 for 33 ceremonies the report stated.

Freedom of Information requests also showed the Infrastructure Department spent $35,618 ceremonies and the Industry, Science and Resource Department spent $30,896.

Welcome to Country ceremonies were criticised by Shadow Indigenous affairs minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price last month, telling Sky News it had become an ‘Aboriginal industry’ and that culture had been sacrificed for commercial gain.

Critics have argued the money could be spent on direct action to assist communities, but fail to accept that Indigenous communities have a right to become businesses in their own right to conduct traditional, cultural ceremonies.