Why is this important?
Traditional Owners are Aboriginal people who have ongoing traditional and cultural connections to country.
Aboriginal people in Victoria were dispossessed of their traditional lands and often forced off their country onto missions and reserves following European settlement of Victoria. Many Aboriginal people do not live on their traditional lands today, however that does not diminish the rights or responsibilities of Traditional Owners to their country.
Traditional Owners have unique rights to their country and in some cases statutory authority in relation to land and natural resource management and heritage, stemming from Native Title and cultural heritage legislation.
Some Traditional Owner groups have been appointed as Registered Aboriginal Parties by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council. Registered Aboriginal Parties have specific legal responsibilities to protect and manage cultural heritage under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Read more – link to Aboriginal Victoria’s website).
Some Traditional Owner groups have negotiated Native Title Agreements with State and Federal Governments, giving them a unique but limited set of rights on their Country. The Victorian Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 is the legislation now used to negotiate Agreements between Victorian Traditional Owner groups and the State Government.
There are important customs and protocols that should be observed to show respect for Traditional Owners and their country. These include Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country.
For information about formally Recognised Traditional Owners for Local Government Areas please see the Welcomes and Acknowledgements Protocol on the Aboriginal Victoria website. This features an interactive map showing the boundaries of the formally Recognised Traditional Owners throughout Victoria and who to contact to organise a Welcome to Country or who to refer to when Acknowledging Traditional Owners.
What can your council do?
Councils can recognise and respect Traditional Owners in a number of ways:
- Develop protocols for Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country in partnership with the Traditional Owners (Read more – link to Aboriginal Victoria’s website);
- Invite Traditional Owners to attend official functions and participate in council activities and events;
- Promote respect and recognition of Traditional Owners through acknowledgement on municipal signs and on/in council buildings;
- If a Registered Aboriginal Party has been appointed for your municipality, establish a working relationship with them about the management and protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage (see ‘Relationships with Registered Aboriginal Parties’);
- Include Traditional Owners in decision making processes that impact on land and natural resource management;
- Include Traditional Owners in the provision of Aboriginal cultural awareness training;
- Formalise council’s relationship with Traditional Owners through an Agreement, Memorandum of Understanding, protocol or similar.
Case Study
Welcome to Country Professional Development
Based on the themes, meanings and cultural practices detailed in Aunty Joy Murphy’s book Welcome to Country, Darebin City Council held a Professional Development session in 2017 for Early Years and Primary educators.
The session provided educators with valuable cultural education tools to increase cultural safety within their services and empower the younger members of the community with an appreciation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
Over 180 early years and primary school staff attended the event and the overwhelming response was that they appreciated gaining a deeper understanding of the Welcome to Country (Tanderrum) ceremony and felt more comfortable incorporating aspects of Aboriginal culture into their teaching.
Last Updated: April 9, 2021 at 2:20 pm
