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Racism is not a new issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have belonged to the land we now call Australia for more than 60,000 years. Now, and throughout history, hundreds of distinct groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived here, each with their own rich culture, language, beliefs, practices, and connections to their local Country – the lands, waterways, seas and skies.

Crossing into another people’s Country required permission; once granted, the hosts would welcome visitors, offering them safe passage and the protection of their ancestors. A Welcome to Country is not ‘a welcome to Australia’, rather it is a welcome to the land within a group’s cultural boundaries, which their ancestors have cared for, and lived on, for millennia.  In our modern context, the meaning behind the Welcome to Country protocol remains the same: generosity, mutual respect, and goodwill towards visitors.

Bunurong Elder Mark Brown conducted a Welcome to Country at an Anzac Day dawn service in Naarm (Melbourne) and was subject to racist verbal attacks from some in the crowd. In an Anzac Day service in Boorloo (Perth) Noongar Elder Di Ryder was similarly subjected to heckling and racist comments while delivering a Welcome to Country. The same evening, at short notice, Melbourne Storm cancelled the planned Welcome to Country at the Anzac Day NRL match. Wurundjeri Elder, Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin, who was set to deliver the Welcome, said she was told the Storm board did not feel comfortable with the Welcome taking place.

National events, like Anzac Day and major sporting matches, carry powerful symbolism. Australians use them to tell stories of who we have been as a nation, and who we aspire to be. Acts of racism, especially at these events, are the antithesis of those aspirations. It was appalling to see such anger directed towards an act of generosity and reciprocity, and disappointing for negativity towards Welcome to Country ceremonies to be part of a major political party’s platform in the 2025 federal election.

Racism causes real harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  The experience of racism undermines mental health and social and emotional wellbeing and is linked to negative health outcomes. For Indigenous young people, who already experience much higher rates of suicide and self-harm, the damage is incalculable.

At Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing and the Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention at The University of Western Australia, we support all those who experienced acts of racism on Anzac Day during a ceremony  that is about respect and goodwill. We urge our public institutions to firmly reject racism, to stand in support of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations, and to continue to uphold Reconciliation Action Plans and conduct Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Country.

It is important to remember, only a handful of hecklers expressed hostility in Naarm, not the rest of the 50,000-strong crowd. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are not alone, but walk, together with many allies, towards social justice. In our fraught global political landscape, Australia has a vital choice to make about who we want to be. We choose the principles embodied by Welcome to Country: generosity, respect, reciprocity, and connection.

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Here are 10 ways you can be an ally to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:

  1. Stand in solidarity
    • Always support First Nations’ voices
    • Be there in good times and in bad times
  2. Stay knowledgeable
    • Know the history and context. Learn about the history of colonisation of Australia; find out more about Welcome to Country ceremonies
  3. Attend Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events throughout the year
  4. Learn about the Country and the First Nations peoples in your local area, using resources such as:
  5. Educate yourself about systemic racism, Aboriginal disadvantage and white privilege
  6. Encourage your workplace, university or school to undertake Indigenous-led cultural competency or Indigenous cultural awareness training, and support their reconciliation journey
  7. Support peak bodies and organisations which fight for the rights of First Nations peoples
  8. Support Indigenous-led local community groups, art galleries, and theatre companies. Below are just a few, find others in your area.
  9. Buy from Indigenous suppliers and businesses. Below are just a few, find others in your area.
  10. Teach those around you as you learn
    • Speak out if you hear someone say inappropriate things about First Nations peoples.
    • Talk to your children about Australia’s proud First Nations history
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