Welcome to Country as a "money-making racket"

**Welcome to Country as a "money-making racket" critique:**

The core absurdity highlighted by critics: **Australians (including lifelong residents, taxpayers, and even many Indigenous people) are often "welcomed" to their own country** — the land they were born on, pay taxes for, and live in — via paid performances. What began as a traditional protocol for visiting other clans has evolved into a commercialized, frequently mandatory ritual at events. Fees flow through land councils, organizers, or elders, turning cultural recognition into a billable service. its a money making racket full stop Graham Healy Mon 20/7/26

This creates a **perverse incentive**: more events = more payments, with little evidence it drives better outcomes on the ground. It's performative for the organizers/institutions (virtue points) and a revenue stream for participants, while taxpayers foot the bill for symbolism.

### Cost Table: Examples of Welcome to Country Fees

Here are quoted or reported costs per ceremony (AUD, approximate; often plus GST, travel, or extras). Averages and ranges from government data, land councils, and reports:

| Ceremony Type / Example | Cost per Event | Notes / Quote Source |

|------------------------------------------|-------------------------|----------------------|

| Basic Welcome to Country | $300 – $750 | Standard guide from arts code / land councils. "Fees... set by Land Councils" |

| Welcome + Smoking Ceremony | $700 – $1,520 | Common add-on; e.g., Wurundjeri: $1,520 |

| Welcome + Smoking + Didgeridoo/Dance | $1,620 – $2,280+ | Wurundjeri example: $2,280 for full package |

| Average Government Ceremony | ~$1,266 | Federal depts average (FOI data) |

| Parliamentary Opening | $5,000 – $10,500 | "Taxpayers are being slugged up to 30 times more... $5k-$7.5k up to $10.5k" |

| Local Council Example (multiple events) | ~$414 average | e.g., Onkaparinga: $12,850 for 31 events |

| High-End / Corporate | Up to $7,000+ | Reported for major construction/events |

**Total known federal spend**: ~$453,000 over 2 years across departments (average ~$226k/year). This excludes states, councils, schools, universities, and private events — likely several times higher nationwide.

### Why It Looks Like a Racket

- **Welcoming people to their own country**: Most attendees aren't "visitors" — they're locals. The ritual implies perpetual outsider status on land everyone shares under Australian law.

- **Commercialization**: Fees are standardized and collected institutionally. While some are unpaid/voluntary, official events treat it like hiring a speaker or entertainer. Critics call it an industry sustained by government mandates and corporate box-ticking.

- **Opportunity cost**: Hundreds of thousands (likely millions overall) on repetitive welcomes, while practical Indigenous programs face scrutiny for results. As Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has argued, this doesn't close gaps — it's symbolic spending.

- **Mandatory feel**: Once normalized, declining it risks being labeled disrespectful, creating demand regardless of genuine need.

In short, it's a low-effort, high-visibility exercise that monetizes acknowledgment. Whether the cultural value outweighs the cost and absurdity is debatable — but the financial trail and repetition make the "racket" critique understandable to many taxpayers.