Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has doubled down on plans to review Welcome to Country funding under an elected Coalition government after a new report revealed how much they’ve cost taxpayers.
More than $100,000 has been spent on the events by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade under the current leadership of Anthony Albanese, according to figures obtained through Freedom of Information.
Taxpayers footed on the bill for 97 occasions over two years to July 2024.
That’s on top of the $450,000 spent by other government agencies in the same period during a national cost of living crisis.
A Welcome to Country ceremony for a visiting Malaysian delegation in March 2023 cost taxpayers $5,500 while another ceremony later that year cost $6,600.
Senator Price branded the new figures as an example of the Albanese government pushing money into ‘mere symbolism’.
‘Welcomes to Country may well have their place, but we cannot place them at the top of our priority list when everyday ns are struggling to pay their energy and grocery bills,’ she told the Daily Telegraph.
It comes after the newly-appointed shadow minister for government efficiency revealed earlier this month she’d consider diverting funding away from the ceremonies if the Coalition returns to power at the upcoming federal election.
Senator Price reiterated that a Coalition government would cut government waste and realign spending ‘with the priorities of everyday ns’.
‘It also means auditing the billions of dollars that are spent for the supposed betterment of Indigenous ns but are not making meaningful progress so that we can actually start getting outcomes for our most marginalised Indigenous ns,’ she said.
The Coalition’s spokesman for foreign affairs David Coleman added: ‘ns will be shocked at how much the Albanese Government is spending here, especially in the middle of Labor’s cost-of-living crisis’.
The Albanese government hit back, saying Welcome to Country ceremonies were in place for many years, including under the previous Coalition governments.
A spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said the ceremonies were important in respecting a ‘commitment to reconciliation’.
‘This is a powerful message to convey about , particularly to visitors from the Pacific, who place a strong emphasis on traditional custom and respect for the knowledge of elders,’ the spokeswoman said.
‘The government is focused on building closer relationships with our nearest neighbours, while (Opposition leader Peter) Dutton and the Liberals are focused on culture wars.’
Last week, Senator Price outlined her plans to slash the Canberra bureaucracy if the Coalition wins government.
First in her sights is the money spent on Indigenous affairs, including Welcome to Country ceremonies.
‘I would like to look at an audit of the billions of dollars that are spent in the Indigenous space, so that we can understand where that can be better spent,’ she told the ABC.
‘I don’t believe that we should be spending $450,000 a term on Welcome to Country when that isn’t actually improving the life of a marginalised, Indigenous n.’
‘That kind of funding could be redirected to actually improve the lives of marginalised Indigenous ns, as opposed to being used for what is effectively a welcoming ceremony, many of which have now become quite politicised.’
Mr Albanese kept on message about the cost of living crisis when he was asked to respond.
‘What ns are concerned about when I travel around the country isn’t looking for culture wars and looking to divide,’ he said.