Radical Aboriginalists like to claim that Australia is stolen land and that people like me have no right to be here. The Welcome to Country openings seems to be based upon this philosophy, that by somehow saying, yes, we are on Aboriginal land, but we acknowledge this, all is well. But is it? In stating this, a confession of a crime of property thief has been made. So, the entire thing is self-defeating, since even if this was so, would the legal system find this and that every part of Australian society is based upon thief, so that the entire social system of Australia needs dismantling? And if Whites did leave Australia, producing a deserted landscape, how long would it be, how many days, before communist China set up shop here? Be sure, following the example of Tibet, that they will not be as friendly as Anglos, assuming not everyone has died out from lack of resources.
In any case, the Welcome to Country ideology has got to comedy, self-parody levels, where Australia's delegation to the COP29 climate change conference Dr Clare Anderson, did give the Welcome to Country address, although stating that she was not in Australia, but did it anyway. I suppose that is something; many overseas commentators said that this shows that Australia is not a serious country. Well, not from the climate change Left, anyway!
"Australia's delegation to the COP29 climate change conference has been labelled a "complete farce" after one speaker opened her remarks with an Indigenous Acknowledgment of Country — for an event in Azerbaijan.
The two-week 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference, which wraps up on Friday, was held in the tiny former Soviet republic straddling eastern Europe and western Asia.
Despite the fact that the capital Baku is more than 13,000 kilometres from Sydney, that did not stop Dr Clare Anderson from paying respects to Australia's traditional owners, as is now customary before most corporate, government and sporting events.
Dr Anderson, director of sustainability performance at engineering and professional services firm Worley, was speaking before a nearly empty crowd for the opening panel session at the Australian pavilion in Baku.
"I'm very delighted to be here today," she said.
"To start, I might … whilst we're not on Australian lands, I'd still like to start with acknowledging the traditional owners of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging."
A clip of the moment was shared on X by former Australian MP Craig Kelly.
"What a complete farce — here's a video from the 'Australian Pavilion' at the climate wankfest at Baku — funded by Australian taxpayers," he wrote.
"Imagine, all that coin to pay for constructing an exhibition stand, flying a delegation half way around world, setting up video facilities to record it all — and they get five people to attend."
He added that "I wonder if this would pass muster if we had an Australian DOGE", referring to US President-elect Donald Trump's Elon Musk-headed Department of Government Efficiency.
The video sparked bemusement among many viewers.
"Why are Australian government officials doing a welcome to country in Azerbaijan," Nationals Senator Matt Canavan asked.
"Welcome to Country … in Baku," said Freelancer chief executive Matt Barrie.
One-time Liberal candidate Katherine Deves, who unsuccessfully ran for former Prime Minister Tony Abbott's northern beaches seat of Warringah in 2022, said, "Australia is an outpost. No one cares."
Several X users labelled it a "joke".
"Cancel the return flight, the credit cards and disavow. That will save lots of planet and our money," one wrote.
"We are not a serious country," another said.
After the failure of the Voice to Parliament referendum last year, some commentators have suggested the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of Country — now found everywhere from bus announcements and school assemblies to job interviews and pilates classes — should be scaled back.
Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said earlier this year the overuse of the Welcome to Country in Australian public life could actually make people feel unwelcome in their own country.
Ms Price told Sky News Australians should not be "confronted with it at every single opportunity".
In September, One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson called for ceremonies to be banned, saying Australians were "sick and tired of them".
"They are sick of being told Australia is not their country, which is what these things effectively do," she wrote on X."