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When should I do an Acknowledgement of Country?

An Acknowledgement of Country is usually made at the commencement of a formal event, meeting, speech or school assembly as an opportunity to acknowledge, and pay respect, to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

If your organisation or school does not already give an Acknowledgement of Country, we encourage you to start sharing one before your events and meetings. You can create your own version or use one of our examples below.

Acknowledgement of Country – Example 1

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are meeting. I would also like to pay my respects to Elders both past and present and extend that respect to any Aboriginal people present here today.

Acknowledgement of Country – Example 2

Before we commence we wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, and their Elders past, present and future and welcome any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people here with us today.

We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture, the world’s oldest living culture, and the contribution they make to the life of this region and our country.

We would like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on Aboriginal land and recognise the strength, resilience and capacity of Aboriginal people.

Click here for a printable version of these Acknowledgement of Country examples.

Age Appropriate Acknowledgement of Country

Watch this short video below from Reconciliation Australia about the introduction of an Acknowledgement of Country to an early childhood learning environment and in primary schools around Australia.