Port Hedland council hopeful Roger Higgins calls for acknowledgement of country to be canned at council

Former Port Hedland council hopeful Roger Higgins has called on the local council to can the acknowledgement of country at council meetings for the second time this year. Attending the June 25 meeting, the former two-time council candidate and local dentist used public question time to ask council to remove the Acknowledgement of Country from the start of council meetings moving forward. “Why do we continue to pay homage at the start of the council meeting to a group of people who’ve no authority whatsoever? When then will this meaningless protocol be abandoned?” he said. “It’s a work in progress. Thank you, Roger,” Port Hedland mayor Peter Carter responded. It marks the second time this year that Mr Higgins has called on the council to cancel the acknowledgement of country. He also advocated for the move at the April council meeting. “I would like to ask the mayor why is it that whenever he opens meetings here, he continues to pay homage to a group of people that have no authority over any of us here?” he said. “Why are we not acknowledging the authority of the King and the Governor-General with respect to Australia? “Why do we continue this practice of paying homage to a group of people who have no authority here whatsoever?” The question was taken on notice with a response from council being provided at the May meeting. “Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners at Item 2 of the meeting agenda is set by Council Policy 1/017 Order of Business for Council and Committee Meetings,” the Town response stated. “Action 2.1 Town of Port Hedland Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2016-2019 and outcome 1.1 of the draft Ngalikuru Kuma-Marri Plan support the use of ‘Welcome’ and ‘Acknowledgement’ statements at all Council formal events.” It comes after a number of local councils across the country looked at removing their respective acknowledgement of country before council meetings after the Voice referendum was defeated last year. Shire of Harvey councillor Craig Carbone presented a motion to axe various Aboriginal gestures designed to foster reconciliation in November, labelling them “tokenistic” and “virtue signalling”. Two South Australian councils also voted to scrap regular acknowledgements of country and remove them from official correspondence earlier this year.