When “Welcome” Feels Like Exclusion

There was outrage this ANZAC Day. Wall-to-wall condemnation. Politicians lining up to denounce the crowd.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: they’re yelling at the wrong people. Because what happened at the dawn services in Sydney and Melbourne didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s been building for years.

And if they’re honest—really honest—they know it.

At the centre of the storm was the now-routine “Welcome to Country.” Once rare. Now everywhere. Sporting events. Council meetings. Even airline flights. What began as a gesture has become a ritual. And not just any ritual—a compulsory one.

As highlights, even critics like Peta Credlin—hardly someone given to theatrics—say the message from the public is clear: We’ve had enough.

Let’s be clear. This isn’t about disrespecting Indigenous Australians. It’s about something else entirely. It’s about being repeatedly told—subtly or not—that you are a guest in your own country. That the land beneath your feet belongs to someone else. That your place here is conditional.

And on ANZAC Day of all days—that message lands badly. Very badly. Because ANZAC Day is supposed to be one thing: A moment of unity. A day where Australians stand together—not divided by race, not separated into categories—but united in remembrance.

People didn’t gather at dawn to be lectured about land ownership. They gathered to honour sacrifice.To remember those who fought and died for this country.

And that’s where this went wrong. Badly wrong.

As the Peta Credlin's editorial points out, some of the Welcome to Country speeches at official services barely mentioned the ANZACs at all. No reference to sacrifice. No reference to veterans. Just a message about land, ancestry, and ownership.

That’s not a welcome. That’s a political statement. And people noticed.

Now, would I have booed? No. And many who felt the same frustration didn’t either.

But here’s the point the outrage brigade refuses to accept: People weren’t booing individuals.They were booing the system that put them there.

The politicians who made it mandatory. The creeping politicisation of everything—including our most sacred national day.

And here’s the real kicker. When the Welcome to Country is short, respectful, and relevant—there’s no backlash. We saw that at the MCG. We saw it at other events.

Short. Simple. No lecture. No problem.

But when it becomes long, political, and inserted everywhere? That’s when the goodwill evaporates. Fast.

There’s also a deeper frustration at play.

Australians were asked about the Voice. They answered. And yet, many feel the agenda didn’t stop—it just changed form. Treaties. symbolism. endless acknowledgements.

So when politicians now clutch their pearls and demand respect…

People are asking a simple question: Where was the respect for our vote?

Here’s the reality. You can’t force unity. You can’t mandate respect. And you certainly can’t lecture people into silence.

Push too hard—and eventually, people push back. That’s what ANZAC Day was. Not a triumph. Not something to celebrate. But a warning.

And unless our political class starts listening—really listening—that reaction won’t fade.

It will grow.

Watch the full editorial here: