LISTEN TO
Bakit pinagdedebatehan ang Welcome to Country?
SBS Filipino
21/03/202507:13
Isang Freedom of Information Request na isinagawa ng Coalition ang nagbunyag ng halos $450,000 na ginastos ng 21 na kagawaran ng pederal na gobyerno sa loob ng dalawang taon.
Ang paggastos na ito ay matinding kinondena ng Shadow Minister para sa mga Indigenous Affairs at Government Efficiency na si Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
"Spending over half a million dollars on Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremonies by government departments is not an appropriate use of taxpayer funds when they deliver no discernible benefit to marginalised Indigenous Australians," sinabi niya sa SBS Examines.
Sinabi ng Shadow Minister na ang Coalition ay "laging malinaw" sa kanilang pangako na bawasan ang pag-aaksaya ng gobyerno sa pamamagitan ng "pag-aalis ng paggastos na hindi nagdudulot ng resulta" at nakatuon sila sa mga hakbang na makikinabang ang mga Indigenous Australians.
"In a context where government spending is contributing to the high inflation and cost of living crisis, Australians deserve their money to be used responsibly and efficiently by government," aniya.
Inakusahan niya ang gobyerno ng pagiging "abala" sa "ideology and tokenism".
Sumagot naman si Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy sa mga pahayag ng Senadora.
"While the Albanese Government is focused on Closing the Gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and driving economic empowerment for First Nations people, the opposition is focused on culture wars about Welcome to Country," dagdag niya.
"If Peter Dutton and the Coalition think culture wars are going to pay down Liberal debt, they are out of their depth."
READ MORE
What does Welcome to Country mean?
Ang akademiko at manunulat na si Professor Marcia Langton ay naniniwala na ang usapin tungkol sa Welcome to Country ay nagiging sanhi ng mga "hindi magandang labanan sa kultura."
"I don't understand why this was reported as a scandal of some sort. . . . .There’s more than a hint of racism in this. It’s okay for Australians to go to ANZAC Day ceremonies but it’s not okay to go to Welcome to Country ceremonies," saad niya.
"Frankly, I find this flurry of scandal making in the media about an FOI . . . to be a beat up in the veil of the ugly culture wars."
Samantalang sinabi ni Indigenous Affairs commentator na si Dr. Anthony Dillon na ang Welcome to Country ay ginagamit bilang isang "political football."
"Some politicians out there grab onto something and make it a hot issue, a political football in that sense . . . the Welcome to Country is an easy thing for people who are fed up with Indigenous politics and affairs," sabi niya.
Kung ikaw ay nabahala sa nilalaman nito, tawagan ang National Aboriginal at Torres Strait Islander Crisis Hotline sa 13YARN sa numerong 13 92 76.
LISTEN TO
SBS Examines: Maling impormasyon, Racism at Referendum
SBS Filipino
29/10/202407:32
📢 Where to Catch SBS Filipino
🔊 On Air – Tune in to SBS Filipino on and and TV Channel 302 from 10 AM to 11 AM AEST daily.
📲 Catch up episodes and stories – Visit or stream on , , , and
