Harvey Aboriginal Corporation hits back after Cr Craig Carbone calls for axing of acknowledgement of country

Harvey’s peak Indigenous organisation has hit back at a Harvey Shire councillor’s move to scrap acknowledgment of country at meetings and events, describing it as showing “a lack of understanding of Indigenous matters”. The Harvey Aboriginal Corporation has criticised Craig Carbone after he moved to having the council debate the issue at its meeting later this month. As reported last week, Cr Carbone’s decision has been influenced by the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum as well as concerns about the overuse of acknowledgement of country, including from prominent Indigenous lawyer and activist Noel Pearson. “I don’t think there’s anyone in Australia who doesn’t want better outcomes for Aboriginal people but this sense of tokenism and being made to feel guilty that you are Australian every time we hear it is starting to wear thin with the Australian public,” Cr Carbone said. In a statement, a Harvey Aboriginal Corporation spokesperson said members respected Cr Carbone’s position as an elected member, however in this instance they felt the “reasoning behind (the councillor’s) comments are irrelevant” and show a “disconnect from the community he is elected to represent”. “Cr Carbone has shown a lack of understanding of Indigenous matters and has not engaged with the local Indigenous community to discuss or find out our thoughts,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson argued October’s referendum result was only about whether Australians supported an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, while also agreeing with concerns about acknowledgment of country being overused, stating their belief that one at the start of a meeting or event is sufficient. “We support Noel’s concerns with this which Cr Carbone would know if he engaged with the local community,” they said. The Corporation highlighted the council’s current policy, voted for by Cr Carbone in 2019, only encourages the inclusion of an acknowledgement of country at the start of specific meetings and events. The council’s current policy has been in the process of being reviewed by Shire staff over the past few months, with Noongar elders not recommending any changes which would add the requirement for an acknowledgement of country to be conducted. Harvey Aboriginal Corporation members took particular issue with Cr Carbone’s comments focused on getting “proper outcomes” for Indigenous Australians, arguing: “...making issues with poor reasoning is not helping achieve better outcomes for Aboriginal people — it is doing the exact opposite”. The organisation spokesperson said they had previously extended an offer to the Shire of Harvey for in-person cultural intelligence training for Shire officers and elected members. “Following this recent apparent lack of knowledge of Indigenous matters, we once again extend this offer,” they said. “We are blessed with the acceptance, engagement and respect for Indigenous people that exists in the Harvey community, and this community does not need division caused by misinformation or lack of education.”