Only a couple of decades ago the Acknowledgment of Country was mostly seen as a political act. Now it’s everywhere from playschool to parliament.<\/p>\n
“The inclusion of an Acknowledgement of Country aligns with \u2026 strategic documents and cultural protocols and comes from many years of engagement and feedback from the Palawa community,” the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
Cr Elliot said while it was not mandatory, that did not accurately reflect her experiences.<\/p>\n
“I chaired a couple of meetings and \u2026 I was told ‘no, it [the acknowledgement] couldn’t be removed’ from the agenda,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I was left in a predicament where I could either say something I did not believe in or skip over an agenda item.”<\/p>\n
When faced with this, Cr Elliot said she updated the acknowledgement to recognise “each and every Australian” and, another time, skipped it entirely.<\/p>\n
She did not receive any punishment or reprimand for doing so, though she said some of her colleagues “definitely raised their eyebrows”.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Louise Elliot says when she skipped an Acknowledgement of Country while chairing a meeting, some of her council colleagues “definitely raised their eyebrows”. (ABC News: Luke Bowden)<\/p>\n
Traditions likened to ‘Christian rituals’<\/p>\n
Cr Elliot argued the concept of Country was a “spiritual belief” for the Aboriginal community, and therefore these traditions were like religious rituals.<\/p>\n