Trumpster,

Another racists beat up from you, $2 million you say, it cost Australia a conservative $40 million to host Charlie Windsor recently. I don't see you jumping up and down about that one, but then again Charlies not black is he.

Typical Paul. Don't try to defend the graft....just deflect.

BTW ... $40million? More fabrication from the group's fabulist-in-chief.

Would it be churlish to point out that royal tours have a longer history than these made up Welcome ceremonies?

Just imagine a majority of 50,000 or so spectators booing, slow clapping, or yelling "Get Off" to some arrogant, disrespectful twit dressed up as a stoneage aboriginal.

If you object to such claptrap, say so; don't wait for Big Brother to do it for you. It's Big Brother who has encouraged this non-traditional nonsense and the lies about it.

"Welcome to Country" as far as I know is not mandated.

We're told that:

" It's an acknowlegement in a
significant way to recognize and celebrate the
traditional ownership of country and our First Nations
people. It is appropriate for major public events especially
in locations where traditional owners have been formally
recognized".

As for corruption? Corruption can happen in any organization
including Indigenous corporations due to power imbalances,
complex funding structures, ethnic inequality, and so on.
Yet there are we're told "many Indigenous organizations
in urban, rural, and remote areas which are successfully
managed in a broad range of programs and services for their
communities".

The following is a list of suggestions for success:

1) The community has ownership of and control over decision
making.

2) Culture is central to the program including
an understanding of local context.

3) Local Indigenous staff work on the program or in the
organization.

4)Good corporate governance exists.

5) Trusting relationships are established.

6) Flexibility in timelines.

There's more at:

http://aifs.gov.au/resources/policy-and-practice-papers/what-makes-effective-indigenous-community-managed-programs-and

Someone used to recite this annoying nonsense before our concerts,
nobody meant it of course, nobody listened anyway, but it was done out of fear and left a bad taste.
It had absolutely nothing to do with the music we came to play and our audience to listen to.

Then our orchestra got a new brave president who declared that we will not be doing that thing any more,
so our concerts now start straight with the music, or perhaps with the conductor first speaking about the music that we are about to play.

Our audience is happy, we waste no time - their or ours, we concentrate on our music and we received no threats or adverse effects.

Then who loses? Only the latecomers!

In any case, no people own or ever owned the land - it is God's alone, who for a while lends it to all creatures.

Land acknowledgement ceremonies exist in other countries.
Canada and the United States are two examples. Closer to home
is New Zealand.

In our own "Welcome to Country," I don't think that they are
saying that we don't belong here or that " This is my country".
What they're saying is their ancestors have been here for
thousands of generations. That we are relatively new arrivals.
And there's nothing wrong for us to acknowledge that.