Acknowledgement of Country: What is it and how to organise?

An Acknowledgement of Country is a way for any person to show awareness of, and respect for, the Traditional Owners of the land where a meeting or event is held.

Throughout Australia, an Acknowledgement of Country is recommended for the start of any in-person or online conference, meeting, official opening or formal event. It can be delivered as a spoken Acknowledgement or performed via song and dance.

Who performs an Acknowledgement of Country?

Anyone can deliver an Acknowledgement of Country.

How to identify who should be acknowledged?

Victoria has a strong and proud Aboriginal history, and complex ownership and land stewardship systems stretching back many thousands of years.

To identify who to acknowledge, use this Welcome Map to enter the location of your business event. The map will bring up information about the formally recognised Traditional Owner corporation and the Traditional Owners represented for acknowledgements.

Access Welcome Map

Here are some spoken Acknowledgement of Country examples to get you started

Below is the standard blurb if you have determined who the Traditional Owners are for your place of meeting:

“Our meeting/conference is being held on the lands of the [Traditional Owner's name] people and I wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners. I would also like to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and Aboriginal Elders of other communities who may be here today.”

If Traditional Owners have not been formally identified for your place of meeting:

"We acknowledge that we are on Aboriginal land. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present and honour their continuous connection to Country and culture. We extend this acknowledgement and respect to All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples joining us today."

It’s also okay to create your own unique Acknowledgement of Country based on the situation or location.

Here is an example of an authentic Acknowledgement of Country created by Visit Victoria if you’re holding a conference or meeting in Melbourne’s central business district.

“Long before it was called Melbourne, the land that we are gathered on was called Narrm. As travellers to this place, we acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Narrm - the Wurundjeri people and surrounding Kulin nations. We pay our respects to the ancestors and Elders and extend that respect to their history and continuous connection to country. As my knowledge grows, I hope that I can learn from their practices of sustainability and resilience that guided them for over 60,000 years.”

Or ask your local Professional Conference Organiser or MCB for advice and assistance to curate a unique Acknowledgement of Country to enhance your next business event.

Consider an alternative Acknowledgement of Country delivery via song and dance

For large business events, consider delivering an Acknowledgement of Country in the form of song or dance. Use our Indigenous Supplier Guide for Business Events to identify who may be appropriate to work with, ask your Professional Conference Organiser, or contact the Melbourne Convention Bureau for assistance.

Shauntai Sheree

If you want your delegates to experience a moving, highly unique Acknowledgement of Country at the introduction of your business event, consider booking Indigenous singer, songwriter and Soprano Shauntai Sheree.

Visit Victoria and the Melbourne Convention Bureau engaged with Shauntai to deliver a very special Acknowledgement of Country sung in Wiradjuri at their staff meeting held at Melbourne’s ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in Federation Square. Visit her Artist Booking page to watch Shauntai perform this piece, written by Deborah Cheetham AO and accompanied by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.