Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country Guide

The City of Ballarat’s vision is to promote unity, respect, and understanding by walking together with Traditional Owners and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our community.

In celebrating and pursuing reconciliation and self-determination, The City of Ballarat plays an integral role in working with Traditional Owners, the Ballarat and District Aboriginal Cooperative leaders and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members to deliver positive and enriching outcomes for all across the municipality and our broad sphere of influence.

This Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country Guide has been developed by the City of Ballarat to support staff and the Ballarat community to better understand and respectfully acknowledge place, history and First Peoples in meaningful ways. The purpose of the Guide is to support alignment with local cultural protocols when organising a Welcome to Country or delivering your own Acknowledgement of Country.

This guide will assist in the planning of an event (whether it be a Council meeting, a forum, a briefing session or a major workshop or conference) where members of the public, Traditional Owners, representatives of governments and the media may be present.