UNSW encourages the host or chair of virtual meetings or events to acknowledge the Indigenous land on which they live, meet and work.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many changes in regular University activities, not least the way we conduct meetings and events. A UNSW event would normally begin with an Acknowledgement of Country and recognising the traditional owners of the land – the Bedegal people at Kensington campus, the Gadigal people at Paddington and CBD campus (both of the Eora Nation), and the Ngunnawal people at Canberra campus.
An Acknowledgement of Country is a way of showing respect for the traditional custodians of the land upon which a meeting or event is to be held. It recognises the continuing connection of Aboriginal people to Country, and is delivered by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Some examples of an Acknowledgement of Country relevant to the UNSW Kensington main campus are:
“I would like to show my respects and acknowledge the Bedegal people who are the Traditional Custodians of the Land, of Elders past and present on which this meeting takes place.”
“I would like to acknowledge the Bedegal people that are the Traditional Custodians of this land. I would also like to pay my respects to the Elders both past and present, and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who are present here today.”
UNSW encourages the host or chair of virtual meetings or events to acknowledge the Indigenous land on which they live, meet and work by beginning with an Acknowledgement of Country.
“I think it’s even more important to pay our respects in these challenging times,” said Professor Leisa Sargent, Co-Deputy Vice Chancellor EDI and Senior Deputy Dean in the Business School.
“We need to pay our deep respect to the longest living culture and for me it's also a commitment to building a brighter future together, and we need that now more than ever before.”
To find out which land you are living and working on, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies has produced this map of Indigenous Australia.
Recommended reading
The Saturday Paper: Aboriginal community health’s success with COVID-19
- Log in to post comments