Aboriginal senator Jacinta Price slams welcome to country ceremony after Pauline Hanson fled Senate

New Aboriginal senator Jacinta Price has slammed welcome to country ceremonies for being token gestures and ‘throwaway lines’ – and backed Pauline Hanson after her walkout from the Senate on Wednesday.

The One Nation leader stormed out as Senate President Sue Lines acknowledged the Indigenous comunity at the opening of Wednesday’s sitting, yelling; ‘No, I won’t and never will’.

Senator Hanson was branded ignorant and racist by Greens senator Lidia Thorpe after the stunt, but she has now won backing from Senator Price who admitted the ceremonies had reached the point of overkill.

‘We’ve just been absolutely saturated with it,’ she said on Thursday. ‘It’s actually removing the sacredness of certain traditional culture and practices. 

‘And it’s just become almost like a throwaway line.’

New Aboriginal senator Jacinta Price has slammed welcome to country ceremonies for being token gestures and ‘throwaway lines’ after Pauline Hanson’s walkout from the Senate

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson stormed out as Senate President Sue Lines acknowledged the indigenous comunity at Parliament’s opening, yelling; ‘No, I won’t and never will’

The former deputy mayor of Alice Springs was elected Country Liberal Party Senator for the Northern Territory and made her maiden speech in traditional costume on Wednesday.

She used the moment to rail against Labor’s proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an elected body of First Nations representatives enshrined in the constitution that would advise the government on issues affecting them.

‘I’ve had my fill of being symbolically recognised,’ she told 2GB’s Ben Fordham on Thursday. 

‘I’ve had enough – they’ve done really nothing to improve the lives of really marginalised people.

Ex-deputy mayor of Alice Springs Jacinta Price was elected Country Liberal Party Senator for the Northern Territory and made her emotional maiden speech in traditional costume

‘I think I understand Pauline’s frustrations. We don’t want to see all these all these symbolic gestures. We want to see real action.

‘We want to see change for the benefit of not just marginalised Australians, but all Australians.’

She added: ‘Welcome to country and acknowledgement of country – they’re all very recent reinvention of culture. 

‘It’s not the road to go down. It’s not about division anymore. We have to start treating everybody as Australian citizens and have the same standards for everyone.

‘We’ve got so many successful Australians of indigenous heritage, just like myself.

Senator Jacinta Price also opposes Labor’s proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an elected body of First Nations representatives

Senator Jacinta Price (pictured with grandmother Tess Napaljarri Ross) admitted the welcome to country and acknowledgement of country ceremonies had reached the point of overkill

‘We’ve not needed the paternalistic approach this government is proposing to improve our lives, because we’ve got there ourselves, like everybody else, and that’s what we need to do. 

‘Just start treating everybody like we’re bloody well Australian citizens.’

In her maiden speech, she attacked Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s commitment to introducing the Voice to Parliament, which was proposed by Indigenous groups.

‘We hear the platitudes of motherhood statements from our now prime minister, who suggests without any evidence whatsoever that a Voice to Parliament bestowed upon us through the virtuous act of symbolic gesture by this government is what is going to empower us,’ she told the Senate on Wednesday.

‘His government has yet to demonstrate how this proposed voice will deliver practical outcomes and unite rather than drive a wedge further between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

‘No, Prime Minister, we don’t need another handout… and no, we Indigenous Australians have not come to agreement on this statement.’

Senator Price spoke out after the furious row which erupted over Ms Hanson’s Senate walkout.

The One Nation leader later said she could not accept the welcome to country or a proposal to be moved later in the day that would raise the Indigenous flag in the Senate chamber.

Pauline Hanson said she could not accept the welcome to country or a proposal to be moved later in the day that would raise the Indigenous flag in the Senate chamber

‘I’ve been feeling this way for a long time,’ she said. ‘I have called from the first day for equality for all Australians. I see this as divisive.’

She said if anyone needed acknowledgement it was ‘our people that have fought for this country. People who have sacrificed their lives’.

Senator Hanson added the Indigenous flag had ‘never been voted on’.

‘I will never pay respect to (the flag). I find this flag divisive,’ she said.

She also criticised the acknowledgement to country being so widespread.

‘We are now hearing it on flights and aeroplanes. I’m sorry – this is my country as well.

‘This is heading towards division in our nation. A them and us. And we’ll never close the gap if we continue down this path. All Australians should be treated equally and the same.’

Indigenous Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe called Pauline Hanson racist and her actions ‘disrespectful’ to the Parliament and Aboriginal Australians

Senator Lidia Thorpe attacked Senator Hanson on Twitter, calling her ignorant and racist

Indigenous Greens senator Lidia Thorpe called Senator Hanson racist and her actions ‘disrespectful’ to the Parliament and Aboriginal Australians.

‘Pauline Hanson, you are ignorant and you are racist,’ she wrote on Twitter.

‘Day two of the 47th Parliament and racism has reared its ugly head.

‘Pauline Hanson disrespectfully stormed out of the acknowledgement of country in the Senate, refusing to acknowledge ‘those people’.

‘You want to make parliament safe? Get rid of racism.’

THE DIFFERING TYPES OF COUNTRY CEREMONIES 

A form of welcome to country has been performed by Indigenous commmunities for thousands of years but its modern format came to the fore less than 50 years ago.

Maori and Cook Islanders refused to perform at a Perth arts festival in 1976 without being the ceremony being performed first. The idea then spread.

Only Traditional Owners/Custodians of the land on which the event takes place can deliver a Welcome to Country, usually to welcome foreigners.

If a Traditional Owner is not available to do a Welcome to Country or it is a less significant event, an Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered instead.

An Acknowledgement of Country is usually delivered as part of Welcome and Housekeeping at meetings and events.

It should be delivered at significant/large internal meetings or meetings with external participants e.g. branch meetings, inter-departmental meetings.

There are three types of Acknowledgement of Country:

Generic — this should be used if you don’t know the name of the people on whose land you are gathered, or if there are disputes about the land (multiple Aboriginal peoples identify as Traditional Custodians for that area). The words are:

‘I begin today by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.’

Specific — this should be used where there are no disputes and you know the name of the people on whose land you are gathered. The words are:

‘I begin today by acknowledging the people, Traditional Custodians of the land on which we today, and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples here today.’

General (to be used Australia wide or in a webinar, on a website, or in printed material) – The words are:

‘In the spirit of reconciliation the [organisation] acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.’

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