Welcome to Country: a sacred ritual inviting us all into deeper relationship with this ancient land
Uniting Church President Rev Charissa Suli has written a response after two deeply hurtful events related to Welcome to Country ceremonies on Friday sparked painful debate about the place of the custom in public life
April 29, 2025
Rev Charissa Suli, President of the Uniting Church in Australia
As a Pacific daughter, born here in Australia, and as President of the Uniting Church in Australia, my heart is heavy with sadness at the disrespect we have witnessed in our nation over this past long weekend.
I invite you to hear these words not as a political statement, but as a faithful call to honour the sacred stories and connections between land, people, and Spirit which have been carried by First Nations peoples for millennia.
On Friday last week, we witnessed two deeply painful events: the disrespectful interruption of Bunurong Elder Uncle Mark Brown’s Welcome to Country at the Melbourne ANZAC Day Dawn Service, and the abrupt cancellation of Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Joy Murphy’s Welcome to Country at an NRL match.
The Uniting Church in Australia stands in complete solidarity with First Nations peoples and honours the Elders who continue to offer Welcome to their ancestral Country with extraordinary generosity, even when their grace is met with disrespect and racism.
Welcome to Country is not a courtesy or a formality. It is a sacred act that affirms the sovereignty, cultures, and dignity of First Peoples. With roots in the ancient customs of First Peoples who welcomed visitors onto their lands to ensure safe passage and peaceful relationship, today it remains a gift that invites all who gather to walk humbly and respectfully.
"Whenever the profound meaning of these ancient cultural and spiritual customs are diminished, whether through ignorance, fear or public debate, a wound is reopened in the heart of this land."
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Aunty Alison Overeem, proud Palawa woman and First Nations elder in the Uniting Church, describes the Welcome to Country with these words of grace:
Welcoming people into and on country is about welcoming all into a woven shared story. It’s a welcome to all the stories that connect us. It’s empowering for all to be welcomed into the stories of the land which centre us in our call to creation, to relationship, to solidarity. It’s not for division. It’s a call to a shared vision.
As a Pacific daughter, I know that land is not merely land — it is family, life itself. This sacred connection has been cherished by First Peoples since time beyond memory.
Whenever the profound meaning of these ancient cultural and spiritual customs is diminished, whether through ignorance, fear or public debate, a wound is reopened in the heart of this land. We lose something vital within our own spirit. As an ancient call to relationship and shared responsibility, to dismiss it is to turn away from the truth that could heal us.
As a Church that has formally recognised the sovereignty of First Peoples and entered covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, we are clear: these sacred and ancient practices must be upheld and honoured. Every act of interruption, silencing and disrespect deepens the daily experience of spiritual and cultural unsafety for First Peoples on their own lands.
We give thanks for the steadfast courage of First Nations Elders, who continue to lead with wisdom, grace, and generosity. We call on the Australian community, including our national leaders, to honour and uphold Welcome to Country with the seriousness and respect it deserves. May we be a people who receive the hand of welcome with humility and gratitude.
The Uniting Church will continue to listen deeply, walk faithfully, and stand in covenant with First Peoples in the ongoing work of justice, healing and hope.
Further reading
Resources
To learn more about Welcome to Country, Covenanting, and our Church’s commitment to walking together with First Peoples, visit the Assembly's First Nations resource hub which includes:
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