An increasing number of Australians are opposed to Welcome to Country ceremonies at major public events, according to a new national survey. Polling released on Tuesday by the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA) revealed that many Australians are growing weary of seeing these ceremonies at national events such as Anzac Day and sports matches.
Survey Findings
Almost half of those surveyed want the formal welcome removed from Anzac Day commemorations altogether, while six in ten believe the practice has become divisive. The findings emerged after several Welcome to Country ceremonies were interrupted by hecklers booing at dawn services in Sydney, Melbourne, and Adelaide on Saturday. These acts of disrespect were condemned by politicians, senior military figures, and Indigenous leaders, resulting in a 24-year-old who allegedly booed at the Martin Place service being arrested and charged.
The booing has brought the debate around Welcome to Country ceremonies back into the spotlight. The IPA-commissioned survey of 1,001 Australians aged 18 and over, conducted by independent research firm Dynata between April 23 and 27, found that 49 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the ceremonies should no longer be performed at Anzac Day services. In contrast, only 31 per cent wanted the formality to continue, while the rest were uncertain.
Demographic Differences
Opposition was strongest among Australians aged 25 to 34, with 53 per cent in that cohort wanting the ceremonies scrapped on April 25. Institute of Public Affairs deputy executive director Daniel Wild said the polling pointed to a significant shift in public sentiment following last weekend's events. 'More and more Australians are saying they want Anzac Day ceremonies to focus exclusively on the sacrifices of our Diggers, and to drop the inappropriate Welcome to Country ceremonies which create division,' he said.
'It is bad enough that Welcome or Acknowledgement of Country ceremonies have become pervasive in public and corporate life. But when this overreach impacts on our most sacred of days, enough is enough.'
Divisive Nature
The survey also found widespread agreement that Welcome to Country ceremonies have become socially divisive. Sixty per cent of respondents said they felt the practice now causes division, compared with just 12 per cent who disagreed. Men were more likely than women to hold that view, while almost two-thirds of respondents aged 45 and over believed the ceremonies had become divisive.
Opposition extended beyond commemorative events. Sixty per cent of those surveyed said Welcome to Country ceremonies should not be staged at sporting matches, with the strongest resistance among people aged 45 to 54, where 69 per cent supported banning the practice.
Reactions and Criticism
Mr Wild said the results showed many Australians were no longer prepared to stay silent. 'Welcome to Country ceremonies are anything but welcoming,' he said. 'They have become hostile, aggressive, and a form of moral hectoring designed to make Australians feel bad about their nation and history.' He rejected claims that critics were acting disrespectfully, arguing instead that many Australians believed the ceremonies detracted from the intent of national days. 'Creating division along racial lines is far more disrespectful to the memory of our fallen than objecting to their inclusion on a completely inappropriate basis,' Wild said.
Political leaders, however, drew a clear line between opposing the ceremonies and disrupting commemorations. Defence Minister Richard Marles condemned the booing on Saturday as 'deeply disgraceful,' saying it went against the meaning of the day. 'Acknowledgements to Country are just an act of respect, and what characterises today is that it is a day of respect,' Marles told ABC News Breakfast. 'To boo in that way goes completely against that.'
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor also denounced the disruptions but acknowledged broader frustration with Welcome to Country, saying it was overused. 'Booing, whatever the cause, on Anzac Day and Anzac Day ceremonies is absolutely inappropriate and un-Australian. It simply shouldn't happen,' Taylor said. 'I can understand the frustration Australians feel about overuse of Welcomes to Country. I think they are devalued by overuse. Let's do this less and make it more special when it happens, but absolutely not boo.'
