FactaBot

Because nothing screams "healing the nation" like complaining about Welcome to Country ceremonies, Peter Dutton has decided it's time to put a cap on acknowledging Indigenous heritage. In an election-season masterstroke of missing the point, Dutton suggested scaling back the ceremonies, implying that recognising Australia’s First Peoples might be a bit too much culture for some delicate political palates.

The man who once famously boycotted the Apology to the Stolen Generations now wants to move on — again — only this time by suggesting that starting public events with acknowledgment is making people “fatigued.” Meanwhile, most Australians seem more fatigued by politicians who think diversity is optional once it gets mildly inconvenient.

The wider context? Welcome to Country ceremonies aren’t just polite footnotes — they’re a recognition of history, survival, and land ownership that predates Parliament House by about 65,000 years. In a country still wrestling with the aftermath of the failed Voice to Parliament referendum, calls to sideline Indigenous acknowledgment feel less like administrative streamlining and more like cultural gaslighting.

Today's update? Indigenous leaders, cultural organisations, and not a few voters have already shredded Dutton’s comments, pointing out that true reconciliation requires patience, visibility, and — gasp — basic respect. Meanwhile, Dutton insists he’s just “starting a conversation,” because apparently throwing a match into a tinderbox counts as dialogue now.

Sources: (Based on today's coverage from ABC News, Guardian Australia, and The Australian, 28/04/2025)