Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Welcome to Country in Schools

Resources

Protocols for Koorie Education

The Protocols for Koorie Education in Victorian Prima­ry and Secondary Schools outline the foundational principles, procedures and behaviours request­ed of the education sector in Victoria in order to demonstrate respect to Koorie communities in Victoria — Protocols for Koorie Education in Victorian Primary and Secondary Schools

Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated (VAEAI)

The Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Incorporated is the peak Koorie community organisation for education and training in Victoria.

Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners

The Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners protocols are published by Aboriginal Victoria.

Legislation that supports Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners and Welcome to Country

Traditional Owner Settlement Act

The Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (Vic) (the Act) describes the deep connection Victorian Traditional Owners have to the land now known as the state of Victoria.

'Aboriginal peoples have lived for more than a thousand generations in this State. They maintained complex societies with many languages, kinship systems, laws, polities and spiritualties. They enjoyed a close spiritual connection with their Country and developed sustainable economic practices for their lands, waters and natural resources.

The arrival of Europeans in this State ruptured the spiritual, political and economic order of the Aboriginal peoples. They faced the loss of their ancestral land and grave threats to their cultures, but the Aboriginal peoples have survived.'

The Act provides for an out-of-court settlement of native title and allows the Victorian Government to recognise Traditional Owners and certain rights in Crown land.

The Constitution Act

The Constitution Act 1975 (Vic) recognises the unique status of Victoria’s Traditional Owners as descendants of Australia's first peoples. The unique and irreplaceable contribution to the identity and well-being of this State by Aboriginal peoples is acknowledged.

Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act

The Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic) accepts Aboriginal people as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal cultural heritage. At a local level, Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) are the voice of Aboriginal people in the management and protection of Aboriginal cultural heritage in Victoria.

The Native Title Act

The Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) asserts the traditional rights and interests to land and waters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Under the native title claimants can make an application to the Federal Court to have their native title recognised by Australian law.