After eight years, the Lower Eyre Council will no longer open official meetings or council-led events with an Acknowledgment of Country.
At its latest monthly meeting, councillors voted FOUR to TWO in favour of a motion to drop the statement from future proceedings.
The motion was brought forward by Councillor Neville Tresize, who argued that community feedback suggested the acknowledgement had lost its original significance, and questioned its ongoing necessity.
Mayor Jo-Anne Quigley and Councillor Isaac Taylor voted against the change, but their attempts to retain the culturally significant tradition was unsuccesful.
The decision took immediate effect, with no Acknowledgment read during yesterday’s special council meeting.
An Acknowledgement of Country is a public statement of respect the recognises the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land on which a meeting or event takes place, and is considered to be a key step towards reconciliation.
Supporters say the statement helps challenge historical omissions by acknowledging that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have an ongoing connection to the land that goes back thousands of years.
Some critics, however, argue the acknowledgement has become tokenistic. The coalition-aligned Institute of Public Affairs also claims the simple greeting is divisive and overdone.
