Aboriginal Victoria provides advice about acknowledging Country and respecting Traditional Owners.

A Welcome to Country is conducted by senior representatives from a Traditional Owner organisation that has been formally recognised by the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council as having authority to represent the Traditional Owners of that specific Country.

An Acknowledgement of Country is a statement of recognition of the Traditional Owners of the specific land on which we gather at a particular time. It is also an opportunity to acknowledge all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of the lands now known as Australia. An Acknowledgement of Country can be done by anyone and by multiple people attending the meeting or gathering.

Learn more about Aboriginal Victoria’s guidelines about when a specific Acknowledgement, or request for a Welcome to Country, is not recommended in areas where formal recognition has not occurred as it may:

• • privilege one group’s interests in Country over other groups
  • pre-empt the outcomes of formal recognition processes
  • lead to disputes between groups who have an interest in or association with Country

Explore the Online Map that allows you to find out who the formally recognised Traditional Owners are for any area or address.

Remember that it is the Traditional Owners who should be acknowledged, rather than the corporation representing the Traditional Owners.

The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council (VAHC) is a Council of Traditional Owners that is committed to strengthening pride and knowledge held by Aboriginal people across Victoria.

Registered Aboriginal Parties are those Traditional Owner organisations that have been formally recognised by the VAHC as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage for particular Country across Victoria.

We also acknowledge and pay respect to the Boon Wurrung Foundation as another Traditional Owner organisation in the region.

Maps and further information are available on the VAHC website.

If you want to arrange a Welcome to Country, contact the Registered Aboriginal Party for land on which the ceremony will take place.

Many key Aboriginal activists of the 20th century either lived in the Western suburbs of Melbourne, worked or met there. Aboriginal community members contributed to education, the arts and sport and their work created political and social change that persists today. They created networks and their legacies continue in such institutions as the Aboriginal Advancement League, the Victorian Aboriginal Childcare Agency, the Margaret Tucker hostel and the William Cooper Justice Centre.

The Bonmarart Leewik online resource brings together stories of people, places and events that have helped shape the western suburbs Aboriginal community we know today.