A year after the failed Voice referendum, the value of recognizing country ceremonies is once again widely debated in Australia.
But no one expected such a ceremony to be performed by a delegation from the Australian government in Azerbaijan, 13,230 kilometers from Sydney, which has been called ‘a complete farce’.
Most Australians probably couldn’t find Azerbaijan on a map – it’s a former Soviet republic, partly in Asia and partly in Europe – but that stopped Representative Dr. Clare Anderson does not like to perform a recognition of the country there in an almost empty room.
Speaking at the 2024 UN Climate Conference in the oil and gas-rich country, she first welcomed delegates “to the opening panel session of the Australian Pavilion”.
‘My name is Clare Anderson and I am group director of sustainability performance at (sustainability solutions company) Worley. I’m very happy to be here today,” she began.
But from then on it must have been very confusing for the public when Dr. Anderson started with an acknowledgment of the country.
“To begin with – even though we are not on Australian soil – I would still like to begin by recognizing the Traditional Owners of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands and paying my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging countries,” she said.
While those who heard the words in the Azerbaijani capital Baku were stunned, many of those who watched the conference online in Australia, where they might mean something, were furious and bewildered.
A year after the failed Voice referendum, the value of recognizing land ceremonies is once again widely debated in Australia (photo).
Dr. Clare Anderson (pictured) delivered an acknowledgment of the country at a conference in Azerbaijan
“Why are Australian government officials welcoming the country to Azerbaijan,” Coalition Senator Matt Canavan asked on X.
His response was mild compared to that of former Liberal and United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly.
“What a complete farce – here’s a video of the ‘Australian Pavilion’ at the Baku climate w***fest – funded by Australian taxpayers,” Mr Kelly captioned the footage.
Mr Kelly also spoke about the very low attendance at the session.
“Imagine having to pay all that money to build an exhibition stand, flying a delegation halfway around the world, setting up video facilities to record it all – and having five people there,” he wrote.
“Although we are not on Australian land, I would like to start by recognizing the Traditional Owners of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands,” said Dr Anderson (pictured centre)
Katherine Deves (pictured), who ran unsuccessfully for the Liberal Party in the 2022 federal election, spoke for many with her reaction to the recognition of a country 13,230 km away
“I wonder if this would pass if we had an Australian DOGE,” Mr Kelly added, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency that Donald Trump is about to create when he returns as president on January 20 the USA
Businessman and conservative commentator Matt Barrie also weighed in.
“Welcome to the country… to Baku,” he tweeted, along with a smiley face emoji.
Another commenter agreed with Mr. Kelly about the cost and the ceremony that took place before the reading.
“I wish they would respect the original owners of the money paid for this,” they wrote.
Another suggested a way in which Australian delegates in Baku could help stop global warming.
“Cancel the return flight, the credit cards and reject. That will save a lot of the planet and our money,” they suggested.
Katherine Deves, a one-time Liberal candidate who unsuccessfully ran for former Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s seat of Warringah on Sydney’s northern beaches in the 2022 federal election, denounced the incident.
‘Australia is an outpost. No one cares (about recognition of the land in Azerbaijan),” she wrote.