Angus Taylor slams ‘un-Australian’ Anzac Day booing but claims Indigenous address ‘overused’
Liberal leader Angus Taylor has spoken out against hecklers booing Welcome to Country speeches across the country on Anzac Day and expressing sympathy for their cause.
At Anzac commemorations in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, scores of attackers interrupted Welcome to Country speeches with loud boos and screams from the crowd.
Indigenous soldier Uncle Ray Minniecon was booed during the Martin Place ceremony in Sydney.
His grandfather served in the Light Horse Brigade.
Uncle Mark Brown’s Welcome to Country speech at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne was also interrupted by rowdy hecklers.
In Perth, Whadjuk Noongar elder and veteran Di Ryder was disturbed by booing from the crowd as he delivered his Welcome to Country speech at the Dawn ceremony.
Mr Taylor condemned these actions as “un-Australian” on ABC Insider on Sunday morning.
“Whatever the reason, booing at Anzac Day ceremonies is completely inappropriate and un-Australian,” Mr Taylor said.
“This should definitely not happen.”
Despite this, Mr Taylor claimed he appreciated the concerns some Australians had about the use of Welcome to Country.
“I can understand the frustration Australians feel about the overuse of Welcome to Country,” he said.
“Sometimes, I think they are often overused and their value decreases as a result.
“I would like to see it not decrease in value as I think these are used less and therefore lose value over time.”
Mr Taylor said it was up to individual organizations to decide whether to include Welcome to Country at their events, but reiterated his stance on their use.
“The general principle should be, let’s do it less often and make it more special when it happens,” he said.
RSL Victoria president Mark Schroffel supported Welcome to Country speeches at ANZAC ceremonies to promote First Nations traditions and service to country.
“We understand the separatists who left before the end of service, showing complete disrespect for veterans.
“They were blown away by the overwhelming majority of attendees applauding and supporting the causes.”
On Saturday, acting chief of staff Major General Richard Vagg said the behavior would disturb serving members of the Australian military.
“Almost every service member of staff who has served and has in the past will be disturbed by this type of behavior. This misses the point,” he told ABC News Breakfast.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles described the actions as “deeply disgraceful”.
“Saying thanks to the country is just an act of respect and what characterizes today is that it is a day of respect and booing in this way is completely contrary to that,” he told the ABC on Saturday.
The Welcome to Contemporary Country speech was coined in 1976 by Yamatji man and TV presenter Ernie Dingo and Noongar Yamatji musician Richard Walley; however, this tradition has existed in Indigenous Australian culture for millennia.
The ceremony asks Australians, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to respect their ancestors and cultural spirits, while also calling for safe passage for visitors; Its origins are tied to the abstract spiritual and cultural idea of ’country’, which includes concepts of sharing resources, sharing and protecting the environment.
More than 1,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people served in the First World War and more than 4,000 in the Second World War.
Many Native soldiers and military members were not recognized for their service after returning home and were denied access to veterans’ services.
Indigenous Australians were first recorded serving in the country’s army in the late 1800s, during the Boer War.
