Coalition Aims to Cut ‘Welcome to Country’ Spending

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Senator Jacinta Price address the media during a press conference in Brisbane, Australia on Oct. 14, 2023. AAP Image/Jono Searle

The Coalition’s newly appointed Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, has vowed to review federal spending on Welcome to Country ceremonies as part of a broader plan to tackle what she calls the Albanese government’s “reckless” spending.

Her comments come in the wake of new data revealing nearly half a million dollars spent on the ceremonies in just two years.

“If the Coalition is successful at the next election, we will stop the waste and ensure our spending aligns with the priorities of everyday Australians,” Price told The Epoch Times.

Price argued that the government’s priorities should focus on practical outcomes rather than symbolic gestures, pointing to the $450 million spent on the Voice referendum as a key example of what she considers wasteful spending.

Price Criticises Labor’s Wasteful Spending

Price’s remarks came just days after her appointment as Shadow Minister for Government Efficiency within the Coalition.

She described the Albanese government’s spending as inefficient, citing a $347 billion increase in government spending since Labor came to power.

“Australia has suffered a devastating amount of government waste under the Albanese Labor government,” she said.

Price highlighted several other examples including the $450 million spent on the Voice referendum, the ineffective role of the First Nations Ambassador, and the creation of 36,000 new public service positions in Canberra.

Labor Defends Spending on Welcome to Country Ceremonies

Earlier this month, the Albanese Labor government defended its spending on Aboriginal Welcome to Country ceremonies, dismissing the federal opposition’s criticism as an attempt to stir up a “culture war.”

These ceremonies, which are performed by Indigenous groups at the beginning of formal events, often include singing, dancing, smoking ceremonies, or speeches.

When approached for comment, the Prime Minister’s office directed The Epoch Times to earlier statements by Mark Butler, the Minister for Health, who accused the opposition of focusing on culture wars instead of addressing inflation and the ongoing cost-of-living pressures affecting households.

FOI Records Show Growing Costs for Ceremonies

Freedom of Information (FOI) records, obtained by Shadow Government Waste Reduction Spokesman James Stevens, revealed that government agencies spent $452,953 on Welcome to Country ceremonies during the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 financial years.

The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet alone allocated $41,801 for 33 such ceremonies.

Each ceremony costs an average of $1,266, with a duration of approximately 5 to 15 minutes, amounting to about $100 per minute for an Aboriginal representative.

Stevens criticised the government’s spending, stating that, “while there is a place for traditional Welcome to Country ceremonies, taxpayers should not be forking out half a million dollars for them.”

He also pointed out that, when combined with the substantial spending by state and local governments, the total cost of these ceremonies is quickly approaching a multimillion-dollar industry.