By George Christensen
They told you it was ancient. Timeless. Sacred. Beyond question. But the facts tell a very different story.
The modern Welcome to Country industry, in the form that Australians now see at sporting matches, council meetings, corporate lunches and public ceremonies, is not some unchanged tradition stretching back thousands of years. Its current public-event format traces back to the 1970s and was later popularised through the arts scene in the 1980s. And yet, millions of Australians have been pressured into believing this is a permanent civic obligation rather than a recent custom.
And now you are paying for it.
Across 21 federal departments, taxpayers were slugged more than $452,000 for 300 ceremonies over two years. Individual listed fees for a Welcome to Country ceremony can run from a few hundred dollars to well over $2,000 once smoking ceremonies, travel and extras are added. Ask yourself a simple question: has any of this spending measurably improved housing, health, safety or education outcomes in struggling Indigenous communities?
Of course not.
This is the heart of the frustration ordinary Australians feel. Real disadvantage remains. Remote communities still need practical help. Families still need safety and opportunity. Yet the political class keeps funding symbolism while pretending symbolism is action.
And then comes Anzac Day.
The one day that should unite Australians in shared remembrance has become another battleground. Booing, heckling, arguments over protocols, public anger. Why? Because people know instinctively that remembrance of the fallen should not be turned into another ideological performance.
Respect is one thing. Compulsion is another.
No one opposes genuine respect for Indigenous Australians. But many are rejecting the endless ritualisation of public life, where every event must begin with scripted gestures to satisfy bureaucrats, consultants and activists.
Australians are a fair people. We believe in unity. We believe in practical help. We believe in honouring our past without manufacturing division in the present.
It is time to end the taxpayer-funded excess, stop welcoming Australians to their own country, and put the money into outcomes that actually change lives.
If you agree, speak up. Share the infographic above on Facebook, send it to your mates, and help spread the truth that the establishment does not want discussed. Demand unity over symbolism, substance over theatre, and country over bureaucracy.
Until next time, God bless you, your family and nation.
