The Australian government has spent nearly $500,000 on Welcome to Country ceremonies over the past two years, sparking criticism from the shadow government who argue the money could be better spent on addressing the needs of indigenous Australians.
Australian taxpayers have spent close to $500,000 on Welcome to Country ceremonies at official government events over the past two years in a bid to demonstrate respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.The government has spent close to half a million dollars on Welcome to Country ceremonies over the last two years according to newly released data.
Freedom of Information records obtained by shadow government waste reduction spokesman James Stevens exposed the expense on Sunday. The documents revealed that government agencies splashed $452,953 in taxpayer money over the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 financial years. The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet alone spent $41,801 on 33 Welcome to Country ceremonies. At an average of approximately $1,266 per ceremony, and with each ceremony lasting about five to 15 minutes, the cost amounts to about $100 per minute for an Aboriginal representative to welcome visitors to the land.While Welcome to Country ceremonies have become a regular feature of official events, the shadow government waste reduction spokesman said the spending was excessive. “While there is a place for traditional Welcome to Country ceremonies, taxpayers should not be forking out half a million dollars for them,” Mr Stevens said. “When added to the enormous amounts state and local governments spend on these ceremonies, it’s become a multimillion-dollar industry. “Welcomes to Country should be genuine and authentic, not a lucrative income stream at the taxpayers’ expense. “Spending millions on ‘welcome’ ceremonies does nothing to address the challenges facing indigenous Australians. “This money could be better spent on delivering real solutions to indigenous communities,” Mr Stevens said. Liberal Party MP James Stevens said the expense of Welcome to Country ceremonies could be better spent on real solutions for indigenous communitie
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