2 days ago
Anthony Albanese's message for Australians who criticise Welcome To Country
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has spoken about the importance of Welcome to Country ceremonies after one was performed at the official opening of Parliament.
The 48th parliament officially opened on Tuesday, marking Mr Albanese's second term as prime minister after his landslide election win, with Labor holding 94 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives.
The official procession filed into the Great Hall of Parliament House before a Welcome to Country and traditional dances were performed.
Indigenous Elder Violet Sheridan welcomed the assembled politicians to Ngunnawal land.
'To walk on Ngunnawal country is to accept responsibilities. It is not just about being here. It is about caring for this land,' Ms Sheridan said.
'As part of this welcome I offer you spiritual protection and safe passage. May you all walk gently, listen and carry the spirit of this country with you.
'May your journey on Ngunnawal country be of understanding, respect and shared purpose. Guided by the values of care, connection and community.'
Following the ceremony, Albanese reinforced the importance of Welcome to Country ceremonies, claiming it was a 'powerful way' to begin the new parliament.
'Like a lot of the more positive things about our nation, we shouldn't take it for granted,' Albanese said.
'This ceremony didn't take place until 2007 and was controversial in 2007. It is not controversial today. Nor should it be.
'It is a respectful way of us beginning our deliberations here in Canberra, which of course means meeting place.
'It is a reminder as well of why we all belong here together, that we are stronger together and we belong.
'Consider the beautiful set of contradictions that make up who we are. A youthful nation, yet one of the world's oldest democracies. An ancient continent but one that we share with the world's oldest continuous culture.
'What an extraordinary privilege, what a source of pride for all Australians.
'We have so many facets and they come together to make a unique whole. They come together here on the ground and they come together in the sky above us.
'Look up on a clear night when you are far from city lights and you will see the dark emu with the Southern Cross shining on its head. When you look at the Southern Cross, look at the star that twinkles most softly.
'It is the part of the Southern Cross that features on the Australian flag but not on the flag of New Zealand.
'Several years ago now the international astronomical union formally recognised the star as the name given to it by the Wardaman people in the NT.
'To the Wardaman it represents a red dilly bag filled with special songs of knowledge. It is an Australian star, a piece of ourselves reflected back at us from our great southern sky.
'It flies above us now on that giant flag pole at the top of this building.
'One more reminder that this country and this parliament is our great diversity of chapters coming together and the welcome to country lets us touch the very beginning of the story, our story, the Australian story.'
'Let us do it with the same sense of grace and courage that First Nations people show us with their leadership,' he said.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley urged MPs to let the Welcome to Country 'set the tone' for the next Parliament.
'As Australians, we share a story unlike any other, with an ancient culture, the oldest living in the world, rooted in land, language and story. A democratic inheritance brought from afar but grounded in Australian values,' she says.
'A modern nation shaped by people from every part of the world, united by the belief that this country gives you a fair go and a chance at a better life.'
