Welcome to Country should be a beautiful, respectful ceremony that unites us as we reflect on Australia’s extraordinary history which stretches long before white settlement. Instead, it’s becoming divisive and, to be honest, I can understand why many people are confused by its purpose, as the AFL finals coverage broadcasts the ceremonies to millions of football fans. There is debate over the Welcome to Country.
Credit: Getty Images Unfortunately, that confusion is being used by some people with agendas as a vehicle to denigrate Aboriginal people and its culture, which is bad. However, there are enough voices both within the Aboriginal and white community expressing misgivings about what the Welcome to Country has become that a genuine debate about the ceremony would be useful. That can only happen if people can offer their opinion about Welcome to Country without being labelled as racist.
I feel the moment is, in some instances, being used by people who take the chance, when speaking to more than a million people watching on television, to push their own views rather than a chance for all present to show respect for the deep history attached to the land on which the game is being played. The reality is, whether you like it or not, people are not there to watch Welcome to Country, they are there to watch a game of football. Shannon Ruska understood why the crowd was at the Gabba when he gave a rousing Welcome to Country before the elimination final against Carlton, as did .