Central Coast Council’s Acknowledgement of Country may change after its first meeting for the year on Tuesday, January 23.
Administrator Rik Hart is being asked to put the words “Darkinjung Country” back into the Acknowledgement.
Hart removed the words when he adopted the Acknowledgement of Country and Council’s First Nations Accord in December 2022, saying he would leave it to a new Aboriginal Advisory Committee to decide upon future reference to any particular group.
After first meeting in October 2023, the committee workshopped a new Acknowledgement of Country in December and Hart is being asked to formally adopt it.
“(One of the committee members) would like it acknowledged that Darkinjung Aboriginal Land Council is the cultural authority on the Central Coast,” the minutes say.
“He stated that Darkinjung are being shown as a development company which is untrue and this diminishes the hard work they do for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community.
“In-depth discussions and workshopping occurred and it was decided that a vote was to take place due to a divide on the Committee agreeing on Acknowledgement 1 or 2.”
Seven of the eight committee members attended the meeting.
When the draft First Nations Accord was on public exhibition early in 2022, Council conceded there were conflicting views within the local Aboriginal community regarding recognition of Traditional Ownership of local lands.
Some submissions recommended that Darkinjung be removed from the document and replaced with Guringai and Darkinoong.
Other submissions specifically noted that Darkinjung were the recognised authority on the Central Coast, and no other groups should be considered.
In response Council said: “With no registered or determined Native Title claims locally, the draft Accord acknowledges and respects the role and function of Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council, the locally established statutory body with the mandated responsibility to represent and care for the local Aboriginal community and manage local Aboriginal lands, Culture and Heritage.
“The largest group of Indigenous people within the Central Coast LGA are those who identify as being part of Darkinjung; and Darkinjung has the overwhelming support of community-controlled organisations, and the broader Indigenous community,” Council said.
The Acknowledgement of Country now is:
“We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and play.
“We pay our respects to Elders, past, present and emerging and recognise their continued connection to these lands and waterways.
“We acknowledge our shared responsibility to care for and protect our place and people.”
Hart is being asked to adopt this:
“We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, work and play.
“We pay our respects to Darkinjung country, and Elders past and present.
“We recognise the continued connection to these lands and waterways, and extend this acknowledgement to the homelands and stories of those who also call this place home.
“We recognise our future leaders and the shared responsibility to care for and protect our place and people.”
Tuesday’s meeting starts at 6.30pm at the Wyong Council chambers.
If any residents apply to address the meeting, the public forum will start at 6pm.
Merilyn Vale
it should stay the way it is.
Darkinjung Country should definitely be put back in. This is the First Nation’s area we live in and we should be proud of that.
How about we scrap it altogether!
that’s the best idea ever
We are all Australians!
Acknowledging just indigenous makes the rest of us really angry.Scrap it and concentrate on fixing our roads would be a start.
Speak for yourself! I’m proud our Council acknowledges those who looked after this land before we came along. If this makes you “really angry” you must have little else to worry about, good on you!
Leave as is and actually start practising what’s been said. Especially the care for place – leave Wamberal Beach as a beach – No Seawall.
It’s the least which should be done for the original owners of every square metre on the coast. That land wasn’t bought, it was stolen and they have never been compensated. What if someone did the same to your property — you’d be okay with that? The acknowledgement is pitiful but the very least we can do.
it’s sad that a Statutory Authority will be named in Acknowledgement of Country, to Country, rather than Country itself. While these orgs function as interfaces to facilitae projects such as development (which is certainly a divisive issue) , they should not worm their way in as substitute for acknowledging Traditional Worldviews and Values of Inclusivity.Let’s face it, it looks like a fairly cynical grab for power so that people who havent wanted to become members of an org and a bureacracy, have their rights as members of the wider Aboriginal community dissipated. i really dont know of any Council who would be so rude as to acknowledge just one Aboriginal Organisation,and pretend th e y are Acknowledgibg coubtry.