and return to a simple greeting at the beginning of meetings and other events. We most certainly do not need it on aircraft or any other form of public transport. It is not needed before football matches or any form of public event. We do not need it at the meetings of clubs or at council meetings.
We do not need "acknowledgments" on newsletters or in the official documents from any part of government. Private individuals who insist on adding something to their own documents need to cease now.
There is nothing "traditional" about a "welcome to country". The negotiations between tribal groups when crossing one another's territory were for another purpose altogether. How those negotiations were conducted varied greatly. Present day claims about "tradition" are convenient nonsense.
People are being paid to conduct "welcome to country" ceremonies, indeed demanding that they be allowed to do them before an event can take place. It has become financially convenient to insist that a surf life saving club should pay someone for the use of a beach that has been a public space in the past.
We also have "sites of cultural significance" springing up all over the place. Work has been halted or disbanded altogether because someone has claimed it disturbs something. There are demands for "compensation" and more.
My friend M... spoke to me yesterday. He had been approached to do a welcome at an event. He refused. I have no doubt he did it politely but he has no time for such things. Nobody looking at him could doubt he is anything other than "aboriginal" or "indigenous". He knows a good deal about his ancestral culture and traditions but he does not believe they should be acknowledged or "celebrated" in any way which involves a financial advantage. "Do they pay you to wear a kilt and perform a sword dance Cat? Of course they don't so they should not be paying any of our mob either."
Food for thought.
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