Melbourne Storm has blamed a misunderstanding between the board and management for cancelling a Welcome to Country at its Anzac Day NRL match.
However, questions have been raised by the fact that the club's director Brett Ralph is a significant donor to Advance, a lobby group campaigning to end the ritual.
took place before the game between Storm and South Sydney Rabbitohs on Friday evening but without a Welcome to Country, which left an Aboriginal elder "in shock".
Wurundjeri elder Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin said she was informed on Friday afternoon by the club she was no longer required to address the crowd at AAMI Park before the match.
"After our final rehearsal we were approached by Melbourne Storm CEO Justin Rodski saying … the Board doesn't feel comfortable having a Welcome to Country because of what happened in regards to the booing of Uncle Mark Brown at the ANZAC Dawn Service," the Djirri Djirri dancers and Aunty Joy said in a statement.
"We were in shock and disbelief."
That morning,
Aunty Joy, who has performed the Welcome to Country at Melbourne events for years, said the Storm then reversed its position, apologised, and asked her to continue with her ceremony as originally planned.
Two First Nations groups were also scheduled to perform, but after the confusion they all decided to cancel their performances.
"We strongly regard this as being totally tokenistic and goes completely against their journey of reconciliation and we feel very disrespected," the statement read.
Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin AO (pictured in 2021) has performed the Welcome to Country at Melbourne events for years. Source: AAP / James Ross
"This should be a time for us all to stand together with remembrance and respect."
Aunty Joy added that she had wanted to honour her father Sapper James Henry Wandin who fought for Australia in World War One.
'Miscommunication regarding the use of Welcome to Country'
Storm Chairman Matt Tripp on Sunday released a statement blaming the cancellation on a "miscommunication of expectations regarding the use of Welcome to Country at Melbourne Storm events" between the club's board and management.
He said that the board "were not aware" that a Welcome to Country was to be performed at Friday's game.
"We had agreed at the start of the year that a Welcome to Country would be delivered at multicultural round and Indigenous Round and would always have an Acknowledgement of Country when appropriate," Tripp said.
An Indigenous woman performs during a welcome to country ceremony before a FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 soccer match. Source: AAP / Matt Turner
"By then, it was understandably too late for those who had already been informed of our earlier decision," he added.
"I know there were some disappointed groups and individuals involved and we apologise for the misunderstanding and will be meeting with them to clear this up."
Links between Melbourne Storm boss and Advance
Melbourne Storm's co-founder and director Brett Ralph is a significant donor to Advance, which helped lead the 'No' campaign during
The group also lobbies against Welcomes to Country ceremonies, saying they are divisive and a waste of taxpayers' money.
"Make no mistake: What started as a simple gesture has turned into a full-blown activist-led push to attack Australia’s history and its values," the group says on an online page titled It's Time to Stop Welcome to Country.
"Its purpose is to make you feel unwelcome in your own country."
Ralph's company JMR Management Consultancy Services gave $50,000 to Advance during the 2023-2024 financial year, Australian Electoral Commission disclosures show.
The NRL club offered no comment on Ralph's support of the lobby group on Sunday.
Advance also refused to comment on individual donors, but on Sunday said an Anzac Day commemoration was "no place" for Welcomes to Country.
"This day should be about what unites us, not what divides us," an Advance spokesman told SBS News.
"It is the day for all Australians to stand proudly with our Anzacs, our veterans and our service men and women."
More than 52,000 Australians have signed Advance's petition calling on Anthony Albanese to stop using taxpayer money to pay for Welcomes to Country.
Advance, formerly known as Advance Australia, is a conservative political lobbying group launched in 2018 that targets everyday Australians but is financed by high-profile businesspeople like Ralph.
Both the prime minister and opposition leader condemned the behaviour of right-wing extremists at the Friday dawn service.
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