Government worker shocked by Welcome to Country request

Civil servants were reportedly asked to remove their shoes and wiggle their toes during a Welcome to Country. 

Employees at Queensland‘s Department of Justice and Attorney-General office in Brisbane recently attended an awards ceremony which began with an acknowledgement of country. 

They were asked to remove their shoes, wiggle their toes and close their eyes in order to feel more in tune with the earth, reported the Courier Mail.

It reportedly raised eyebrows, with some staff questioning whether it would become a regular thing.    

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Attorney-General confirmed that an acknowledgement to country was conducted at the event.

The spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: ‘A Welcome to Country or Acknowledgement of Country is conducted at appropriate government-organised events, including awards ceremonies and conferences’.

‘They can take many forms and often differ, according to the nature of the event and the presenter. For example, a Welcome to Country can encompass singing, dancing or smoking ceremonies.’

It comes at a time of increased scrutiny of Welcome to Country performances in the corporate environment. 

Last week, an Aussie applying for a customer service role at an insurance company was left shocked after the hiring manager opened the interview with a Welcome to Country. 

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The applicant shared the ‘weird’ experience on Reddit, saying the hiring manager at the Brisbane-based company ‘took it upon himself’ to perform a Welcome to Country at the start of a ‘very small’ group interview with less than five candidates. 

‘I wanted to get others’ opinions on this as I thought it was peak Australian corporate culture,’ the candidate wrote.

‘At the time I didn’t give it a second thought but in retrospect it’s pretty weird and unnecessary.

‘I understand companies doing these for big/important meetings with higher-ups, but at a job interview it just felt pointless.’

A Welcome to Country can only be delivered by traditional owners or custodians of the land on which the event takes place.

It is usually performed by a local Aboriginal elder to acknowledge and give consent to events taking place on traditional lands.  

If a traditional owner is not available to do a Welcome to Country, an Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered instead.