‘Sick of it being shoved down their throats’: Sydney councillor Steve Christou’s new plan to axe welcome to country ceremonies

A western Sydney councillor has announced a bold plan to axe “welcome to country” ceremonies acknowledging Indigenous Australians if his party is elected as the majority at this year’s election.

Welcome to country ceremonies are now standard at most major public events across sport, entertainment and politics, while most Australian airlines now incorporate the acknowledgement into their landing announcements.  

Cumberland City councillor and former mayor Steve Christou revealed on Monday that he would dump both “welcome to country” and smoking ceremonies if his party Our Local Community won the majority at the upcoming local government elections in September.

The outspoken councillor appeared on Sky News Australia on Tuesday night to explain his plan and claimed the increasingly common ceremonies made most Australians “feel unwelcome”.  

“Quite frankly, the welcome to country ceremony has become overdone, watered down, and people are sick of it being shoved down their throats,” he told Sky News Australia host Andrew Bolt.

“Especially in a local government area like Cumberland City Council, where 240,000 residents reside and 64 per cent of them were born overseas, the feedback that we are getting is, ‘why do we need to be welcomed to a country that we helped build?’

“We turned Australia into a great country, into an even better country and we feel unwelcome when we hear welcome the country.”

Mr Christou pointed out that most Australians voted no in the failed Voice to Parliament referendum, which renewed discussion about how the country reconciles its ancient history.

“No matter where you come from, whether it’s Anglo roots, ethnic roots, any background, we are all equal,” he said.

“And that’s the overwhelming driving force behind this, that resident feedback and my personal belief that we do not need to be welcomed into our own country and create a two class divide as second-class citizens.”

The Bolt Report host then pointed out that modern Australia was built by a melting pot of migrants and the country does not “owe” itself to one race.

“You’re absolutely spot on,” Mr Christou replied.

“We actually have a little speech that we say in council which acknowledges all the community, no matter what your background.

“And we make a point of getting up in council and saying that we acknowledge not only the Indigenous people of the land.”

Mr Christou explained he is the son of Greek Cypriot refugees who fled civil war between the opposing Turkish Muslims and Greek Christians in the 1970s.

“My parents were Greek Cypriot refugees that came to Australia when they lost their home in 1976,” he said.

“And, you know, it’s this kind of division that sows hatred and discontent amongst our community and Australian people are equal.

“We want to stand shoulder to shoulder, side by side, hand in hand with our Indigenous brothers and sisters as equals.

“Nothing more, nothing less. Everybody as equal.”