Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country

A guide for the Department of Education and Training

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners The Department of Education and Training acknowledges and honours the Traditional Owners of Victorian lands and waters, and we pay respect to Elders past and present and all Victorian Aboriginal communities.

Language used in this guide The Department of Education and Training recognises the diversity of Aboriginal people living throughout Victoria. Whilst the term ‘Koorie’ or “Koori” are commonly used to describe Aboriginal people of southeast Australia, this guide uses the term ‘Aboriginal’ to include all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Victoria. Koorie is maintained when it is the name of a program title.

Acknowledgement of the Wirnalung Ganai Artwork (front Cover) The artwork is by artist Brent Watkins, a proud Ganai (Victoria) and Yamatji (Western Australia) man.Description of the art:Centre: Spirit of the Elder; cultural teacher and mentor to young people. Supporting connectedness and identityOutside: Children and young people pursuing their dreams and becoming strong leadersWhite ochre: Represents spirit and land; white is throughout the artwork as spirit is everywhereWhite circles: Represents people and communities coming togetherCircles: Joining circles depict people and communities coming togetherWhite curvy lines: Joining each other represents not thinking in a straight line; not giving children and young people false hopes but having high aspirations for them and with them.

© State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training) 2020

Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country Guide, is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria (Department of Education and Training), indicate if changes were made and comply with the other licence terms, see: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The licence does not apply to:• any images, photographs, trademarks or branding, including the Victorian Government logo and the DET logo; and• content supplied by third parties.Copyright queries may be directed to copyright@edumail.vic.gov.au

Welcome to Country and acknowledgement of Traditional Owners policy

The Victorian Government has a strong commitment to improving Koorie education outcomes and educational achievement. The Education State strengthens this resolve through providing every Victorian the opportunity to succeed in life, regardless of background, place or circumstance.

Marrung: Aboriginal Education Plan has a vision that Victoria will be a state where the rich and thriving cultures, knowledge and experience of First national peoples are celebrated by all Victorians.

Departmental employees at every level of the organization, including in corporate setting and schools, can enact this through arranging Elders to conduct Welcome to Country at significant Departmental events (ie: when Ministers and dignitaries are involved; launches; public forums; government announcements of policies and initiatives and opening of new services or facilities) and Acknowledge Traditional Owners at meetings, internal events and smaller gatherings and school assemblies.

The purpose of Welcome to Country or an Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners.

Conducting a Welcome to Country or an Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners demonstrates respect for the Traditional Owners of the land on which the event is taking place and acknowledges the spiritual, physical and cultural connection to Country as the First Peoples.

Learn more about Country at Koorie Protocols for Koorie Education in Victorian Primary and Secondary Schools , developed by the Department’s principle partner in Koorie education, the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated.

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What is the difference between a Welcome to Country and an Acknowledgement of Country?

Welcome to Country

A Welcome to Country is a traditional practice that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples perform to formally welcome people to their Country. It can only be conducted by a formally recognised Traditional Owner of the land on which the event or meeting is taking place. The welcome is usually performed by an Elder or can be made by a nominated representative of the Koorie community.

Elders are paid or otherwise remunerated for their cultural knowledge and authority within their community for conducting the Welcome.

Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners An Acknowledgment of Country can be made by anyone who wishes to pay their respect to the formally recognised Traditional Owners of the land on which the event or meeting is taking place.

For Department of Education and Training events, the Acknowledgement should at a minimum, be conducted by the most senior person attending the event. It is not necessary to ask an Aboriginal staff member to conduct the Acknowledgement unless they are the most senior person at the event.

In addition, other speakers at an event may also choose to Acknowledge Traditional Owners.

It is important that before an event you check who the formally recognised Traditional Owners are where you are meeting. (See below for more information)

If you are using Polycom, Acknowledge Traditional Owners on each of the lands that members are meeting on today and pay respects to their Elders past and present.

How do I Acknowledge Traditional Owners?Where the Traditional Owners are formally recognised and known, the following wording can be used:

I acknowledge the [insert Traditional Owner group name] people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet today, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

If it is known that there are Elders and/or other Aboriginal people present, the following can be added.

I also acknowledge other Elders and Aboriginal people who are here today.

Where the Traditional Owners are not known, the following wording can be used:

I acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

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The same supplementary wording applies if there are known Elders and other Aboriginal people present:

I also acknowledge other Elders and Aboriginal people who are here today.

Acknowledgements of Country in Melbourne Central Business District

To ensure clarity and consistency in how our Ministers and Department staff give a formal Acknowledgement of Country at events held in the Melbourne Central Business District (CBD), please note the following advice.

As the Traditional Owners of the land covered by Melbourne CBD have not yet been formally recognised, a general Acknowledgement of Country should be made.

At events held outside Melbourne CBD, the formally recognised Traditional Owners of the land on which the event is being held can be specifically named. Please use one following two examples of Acknowledge of Country for Melbourne CBD events:

‘I wish to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land we are meeting on, the people of the Kulin Nation, and pay my respects to their Elders — past, present and emerging.’

This could be expanded to include:

‘I also acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where all our Department offices are located. The Department has a strong commitment to Aboriginal inclusion. This includes recognising Aboriginal culture as the world’s oldest continuous living culture and the important role of Traditional Owners and Elders across our communities. ‘ 

How do I find out who the Traditional Owners are?

In Victoria, Traditional Owners are recognised formally through the three distinct pieces of legislation: The Traditional Owners Settlement Act 2010 ; the Native Title Act 1993 (National); and the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006, administered by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council which appoints a Traditional Owner corporation as a Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP).

To find out if your event or function is within an area where a RAP exists please go to the State-wide Registered Aboriginal Parties map .

If the area you have searched is located within a RAP area, you should acknowledge the Traditional Owners represented by that RAP.

You may wish to contact the RAP to confirm the correct name and pronunciation. Find contact information in the Registered Aboriginal Parties page.

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Where there is no RAP with oversight of the location in which the event is taking place, use the above wording on “Where the Traditional Owners are not known”.

Want to know more about the Legislation that supports Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Traditional Owners?

Traditional Owners Settlement Act

The Victorian Traditional Owners Settlement Act 2010 (the Act) describes the deep connection Victorian Traditional Owners have to the land now known as the state of Victoria.

Aboriginal peoples have lived for more than a thousand generations in this State. They maintained complex societies with many languages, kinship systems, laws, polities and spiritualties. They enjoyed a close spiritual connection with their Country and developed sustainable economic practices for their lands, waters and natural resources.

The arrival of Europeans in this State ruptured the spiritual, political and economic order of the Aboriginal peoples. They faced the loss of their ancestral land and grave threats to their cultures, but the Aboriginal peoples have survived.

The Act provides for an out-of-court settlement of native title and allows the Victorian Government to recognise Traditional Owners and certain rights in Crown land.

The Constitution Act

The Constitution Act 1975 recognises the unique status of Victoria’s Traditional Owners as descendants of Australia's first peoples. The unique and irreplaceable contribution to the identity and well-being of this State by Aboriginal peoples is acknowledged.

Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act

The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 accepts Aboriginal people as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal cultural heritage. At a local level, Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) are the voice of Aboriginal people in the management and protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria.

The Native Title Act

The Native Title Act 1993 (NTA) asserts the traditional rights and interests to land and waters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Under the native title claimants can make an application to the Federal Court to have their native title recognised by Australian law.

Further information can be found at Aboriginal Victoria or by contacting the Koorie Outcomes Division. marrung@edumail.vic.gov.au

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