Acknowledgement of Country: Answering the Questions You Hear at Work

Leaders, managers, People and Culture teams and RAP champions across Australian workplaces hear the same questions about Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country, again and again:

• “Why do we have to do it?”
• “Isn’t it tokenistic?”
• “Should it happen at every event?”
• “What if I get it wrong?”
• “I don’t need to be welcomed to my own country.”

These questions may come from genuine curiosity, reflect fear or frustration, or point to a deeper political disagreement.

Responding defensively, shutting the conversation down, or asking a First Nations colleague to explain can feel like the easiest option. But a difficult question doesn’t always have to end a conversation, with the right understanding, it can become an invitation to deepen it.

First, what is the difference?

Acknowledgement of Country

An Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered by anyone. It recognises the Traditional Owners of the Country on which people are meeting and their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community.

There is no single compulsory script. An Acknowledgement can be brief, sincere and connected to the purpose of the gathering.

Welcome to Country

A Welcome to Country is different. It is delivered by a Traditional Owner of the Country where the gathering is taking place, or by someone authorised by those Traditional Owners.

A Welcome may include spoken words, language, song, dance, music, a smoking ceremony or another cultural form. The speaker is welcoming people to their particular Country, not to Australia.

Questions about Acknowledgement of Country

Why do we have to do it?

An Acknowledgement is a way to show respect and recognise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have continuing connections with Country.

Whether it is required in a particular workplace is usually an organisational policy question rather than a universal legal rule. That distinction matters. “Because it is policy” may explain the requirement, but it does not explain the purpose.

When people understand what they are acknowledging and why it matters, the practice can move from compliance towards connection.

Isn’t it just tokenistic?

It can be.

An Acknowledgement delivered without thought, understanding or any relationship to organisational behaviour can feel performative. First Nations people also raise concerns about empty rhetoric and symbolic gestures that are not supported by action.

But this does not mean every Acknowledgement is inherently tokenistic. It means the way it is approached matters.

A useful question is not simply, “Should we stop?” but “What would make these words meaningful here?” That might include helping people understand Country, personalising the wording, learning about local Traditional Owners and connecting the protocol with practical commitments.

Should it happen at every meeting or event?

There is no single answer for every organisation or occasion.

A major event, public gathering or significant meeting may call for a different approach from a five-minute internal check-in. Once a Welcome or Acknowledgement has been delivered at the beginning of an event, every subsequent speaker does not ordinarily need to repeat it.

Thoughtful and proportionate practice is more meaningful than automatic repetition. Organisations can establish guidance that explains when an Acknowledgement is appropriate, while leaving room for people to offer one sincerely at other times.

What if I get it wrong?

People commonly worry about mispronouncing a Nation’s name, identifying the wrong Traditional Owners or using incorrect wording.

Preparation matters. Research the Country where the gathering is taking place and practise the pronunciation. If custodianship is uncertain or contested, seek guidance from an appropriate local Aboriginal organisation rather than guessing.

There is no perfect universal script. If you make a genuine mistake and are corrected, listen, acknowledge the correction and improve next time. Fear of imperfection should not prevent respectful learning.

Why am I saying words I do not understand?

This may be the most important question of all.

Many people have been given an organisational script without being helped to understand what Country means. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, Country is much more than a location. It encompasses relationships, identity, belonging, culture, law, responsibility and connection with the living world.

If people do not understand what they are acknowledging, the words can feel hollow. The solution is deeper learning, not a more elaborate script.

Does it matter if no First Nations people are present?

An Acknowledgement is not only a message delivered for First Nations people in the room. It also reminds everyone present where they are and recognises the continuing relationship between Traditional Owners and Country.

Non-Indigenous people can meaningfully acknowledge Country among themselves. The question is whether the words are understood and offered with respect.

How does it work online?

In an online meeting, the speaker can acknowledge the Country from which they are presenting and recognise the many Countries from which other people may be joining.

It does not need to become a long rollcall. A short acknowledgement of the distributed nature of the gathering can be both inclusive and practical.

Questions about Welcome to Country

I don’t need to be welcomed to my own country

This objection usually rests on a misunderstanding of the word Country.

Traditional Owners are not welcoming another Australian to Australia. They are welcoming people to their particular traditional Country and cultural domain. Country in this context is not the same as the modern nation-state.

A Welcome does not cancel anyone else’s citizenship, history or belonging. It recognises an older and continuing relationship with that particular place.

Why does it cost so much?

A Welcome to Country is cultural work. The person delivering it brings cultural authority, knowledge, preparation and time. A Welcome may also involve travel, language, performers or ceremony.

Respectful payment recognises that expertise and contribution, just as organisations pay other speakers, facilitators and professionals. Organisations can still have clear and transparent booking processes, but the starting point should be respect for the value of the work.

Wasn’t Welcome to Country invented recently?

The recognisable contemporary public form of Welcome to Country became more visible in recent decades. Welcoming visitors, recognising cultural boundaries and seeking permission to enter another Country have much older and locally varied cultural foundations.

Those two facts can both be true.

Different Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations have never been one uniform culture, so there was never one identical ceremony conducted everywhere. Contemporary Welcomes also vary according to the Country, the Traditional Owner and the occasion.

Does every event need one?

A Welcome to Country is generally most appropriate for significant or formal events. An Acknowledgement may be more proportionate for smaller or routine gatherings.

The decision should be intentional.
Why is the organisation inviting a Traditional Owner?
How does the Welcome connect with the event?
Has enough time been allowed for respectful engagement?
Is the organisation treating the speaker as a cultural authority rather than a ceremonial addition?

What if the Welcome becomes confronting or political?

A Welcome belongs to the Traditional Owner delivering it. It is not ordinarily a corporate script.

Event organisers can discuss timing, format and practical arrangements, but should not assume they can control the cultural message. A speaker may refer to history, sovereignty or contemporary concerns because these matters are connected with Country.

Feeling uncomfortable does not automatically mean that something inappropriate has occurred. Leaders can prepare audiences to listen respectfully and remain calm if difficult issues are raised.

Who is allowed to deliver a Welcome?

A Welcome can only be delivered by a Traditional Owner of the Country where the gathering is taking place, or by someone who has permission from those Traditional Owners.

Being Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander does not automatically give a person authority to welcome others to every Country. A First Nations person visiting another Country would generally give an Acknowledgement rather than welcome people to land that is not their own.

One framework for responding

There are many possible questions, but workplaces do not need a separate memorised rebuttal for every one.

Evolve Communities’ R3 framework – Reflect, Relate and Reconcile – offers one practical way to respond across difficult conversations.

The aim is not to win an argument, shame someone or force agreement. It is to pause, understand what may sit behind the question, find a point of connection and offer context that helps the conversation move forward.

What are you hearing?

Which question about Acknowledgement of Country or Welcome to Country do you hear most often in your workplace?

Have you heard others that are not included here?

Reply or share them with us. The questions people are asking – openly or quietly – are an important starting point for building greater understanding and confidence.

Understanding Country: Beyond Cultural Protocols

Understanding Country helps cultural protocols make sense. In Evolve Communities’ Understanding Country webinar, we move beyond the words and explore what Country can teach us about belonging, relationships, responsibility and connection.

The session also gives participants a welcoming place to ask difficult questions and practise responding with confidence, curiosity and respect.