TRANSCRIPT
6 January 2025
E&OE
Topics: Cost of Welcome to Country ceremonies.
Lucy Zelic
James Stevens is the federal member for Sturt, and he has had plenty to say about this cost because he, of course, submitted that freedom of information request and he joins me on the line now, I am very pleased to say. James, thanks for your time. Happy New Year.
James Stevens MP
Happy New Year to you too, Lucy, and to all your listeners.
Lucy Zelic
Thank you. This is just what I feel is the tip of the iceberg. But the funding from the Commonwealth Government departments, the cost from state and local governments, I mean, it would contribute much, much more, wouldn't it?
James Stevens MP
There's no question about that. Lucy. This has become a multi-million dollar industry and something that people have turned into an income earning opportunity instead of a proper, genuine, respectful process. I support that there are times when we should have Welcome to Country ceremonies. You've outlined some sensible times when they're appropriate, but I think it's become quite cheapened by being turned into something that's charged out.
It's not very welcoming to charge someone for a welcome. And of course, the millions of dollars that all levels of government are clearly spending on these ceremonies every year are millions of dollars that are not being spent addressing the real, serious challenges facing particularly remote and regional Indigenous communities. So, the government's got the priorities all wrong here.
Lucy Zelic
And I'm glad that you mentioned that the priorities are all wrong, because I often wonder, James, when I assess all of this and try to get to the root of where it really started to get out of control. And I'm always in two minds, because I wonder if we conduct these ceremonies out of respect or is it all because it's a box ticking exercise and because we're afraid of offending someone if we don't.
James Stevens MP
Well Lucy, it's interesting, since this story was published yesterday, I've actually had quite a large number of Indigenous people contact me and say thank you very much for exposing this, because they actually find it offensive that these ceremonies are being paid for. They think it's out of step with the true meaning and reason for having a Welcome to Country.
And yes, I think a lot of bureaucrats are saying, well, I feel good by having a Welcome to Country ceremony rather than actually spending my resources on addressing the serious, systemic challenges in these communities. If it's making them feel good to have a Welcome to Country ceremony, I'm not interested in that. What I'm interested in these bureaucrats doing is focusing their time on actually addressing the issues that face the communities. And I think the vast majority of Indigenous Australians are looking for that as well.
Lucy Zelic
Particularly, I mean, off the back of what I mentioned earlier, which is that I think that we are very entitled to know that the billions of dollars that are going towards these Indigenous communities, we're entitled to know how they're being spent, because we're still seeing these communities face some really challenging and gut wrenching issues, and we need to get to the bottom of it. We need to continue to provide our support. But it seems as though, this particularly, you know, when you consider Welcome to Countries, that's not the way to do it.
Are you anticipating that this could be a problem for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, only because there has been public backlash to them, and the overarching sentiment is that we need to stop doing them, ad nauseum, because they've lost their impact and their gravitas. But he seems to think that it doesn't cost anything to pay our respects, but clearly it does. But could this be an issue for him in this election year?
James Stevens MP
I think so. Look, if he doesn't read the room on these things, then I think that people will, quite rightly, and they're entitled to, ask questions about where his priorities are. We saw this through the Indigenous Voice referendum. Frankly, I think a very clear message was sent by the Australian people that they are desperately concerned about the situation, particularly in regional and remote communities facing Indigenous Australians. We all want to close the gap. Something doesn't stack up between the amount of money that's being spent in Indigenous Affairs and the outcomes that are being achieved. And my colleague, Senator Price, has made this point very, very eloquently.
We need to take a good look at where all this money is going, because it's clearly not flowing where it needs to, and we can't be afraid to call out bad behaviour and misappropriation of funds and taxpayer funds going to the wrong areas and the wrong priorities.
We have to stand up for the little kids who are enduring appalling, outrageous conditions and treatment in some of the communities that they live in, who this money is meant to be going towards to provide assistance for them. We've got to call out what the cause of the problems are, and if Anthony Albanese wants to spend his time funding Welcome to Country ceremonies, then I think he's going to get a pretty clear message from the Australian people, that that's not what they want their taxpayer funds being spent on.
Lucy Zelic
Well said, James, if you had your way, before I let you go, and it's a loaded question, and it may be too broad and a challenging one to answer in great depth and detail, but at a surface level, how would you redirect this funding to better serve the community? Because I think it's all well and good that we have these conversations and say, well, they need to be helping more and doing more. But how would you do more?
James Stevens MP
I think we've got to start by dismantling the current system of failure. Clearly, there are so many levels and through these programs that get these billions and billions of dollars, I don't know what that money is being spent on. I've got some suspicions about what it's being spent on, but I know what it's not being spent on, and that's front-line service delivery. And Jacinta Price makes this point very eloquently. And I think one of the great things about a change of government will be that she'll be the Minister in charge of taking on these groups which are squandering these billions of dollars on all sorts of things, other than actually delivering for Indigenous Australians.
So, she'll be a new broom that'll roll her sleeves up and not be frightened. I think anyone that's met her or has dealt with her will know she will not be frightened to take on the special interest groups, the people that have built an industry and feathered their own nests with these billions of dollars of funds that are meant to be going to frontline services. And that sort of change, I think, will be very welcome, not just by the Australian people, but particularly in those communities that are desperate for that help.
Lucy Zelic
James Stevens, federal Member for Sturt, thank you so much for your time today and lending your voice to this. We really appreciate it. We hope for a Happy New Year. I mean, I personally, hope for a Coalition government, but we'll see how that all plays out, mate, thank you and take care.
James Stevens MP
Well me too. Thanks so much Lucy.