Part 8/12:
The controversy isn’t limited to the opposition. Newly elected Labor MPs, during their maiden speeches, performed multiple land acknowledgments—instantiating the ubiquity and, perhaps, overreach of these practices. Several MPs acknowledged traditional owners of their electorates and of the Parliament itself, often using formulaic language that many critics argue has become routine or overly performative.
Some MPs even ventured into references to colonial history, with one Labor MP, Gabriel Menses, highlighting sites of resistance to colonialism as part of their land acknowledgment. While well-meaning, this proliferation of land acknowledgments has led to perceptions that the rituals have lost their meaningfulness and have become symbolic gestures that clutter parliamentary proceedings.