Aboriginal Elders Vote to End ‘Welcome to Country’, Say It’s Become a ‘Business’

Juru elder Randall Ross says the ceremony has been misused for profit.

Indigenous performers perform the Welcome to Country during a smoke ceremony prior to the state funeral service for Uncle Jack Charles at Hamer Hall in Melbourne, Australia on Oct. 18, 2022. Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

The Indigenous “Welcome to Country,” ubiquitous at formal events in Australia, has become the centre of debate once again.

A Queensland Aboriginal group, the Juru people, have voted against performing the Welcome to Country ceremony—performed by Aboriginals to welcome visitors—on its ancestral land going forward.