Moment Australian official performs acknowledgement of country in AZERBAIJAN during climate change conference: ‘Farce’

A year on from the failed Voice referendum, the value of acknowledgement of country ceremonies are again being widely debated in Australia. 

But no one expected such a ceremony would be performed by an Australian government delegation in the Azerbaijan, 13,230km from Sydney, which has been dubbed ‘a complete farce’.

Most Australians probably couldn’t find Azerbaijan on a map – it’s a former Soviet republic, partly in Asia and partly in Europe – but that didn’t stop delegate Dr Clare Anderson from performing an acknowledgement of country there to a near empty-room. 

Speaking at the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference in the oil and gas rich country, she first welcomed the delegates ‘to the opening panel session of the Australian Pavilion’. 

‘My name is Clare Anderson and I’m the group director of sustainability performance at (sustainability solutions company) Worley. I’m very delighted to be here today,’ she began.

But from there, it must have been very confusing for the audience as Dr Anderson launched into an acknowledgement to country.

‘To start – whilst we’re not on Australian land – I’d still like to start with acknowledging the traditional owners of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging,’ she said.

If those hearing the words in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku were baffled, many of those watching the conference online in Australia – where they might actually mean something – were outraged and baffled.

Dr Clare Anderson (pictured) performed an acknowledgement of country at a conference in Azerbaijan

‘Why are Australian government officials doing a welcome to country in Azerbaijan,’ Coalition senator Matt Canavan asked on X.

His response was mild compared to that of former Liberal and United Australia Party MP Craig Kelly.

‘What a complete farce – here’s a video from the “Australian Pavilion” at the climate w***fest at Baku – funded by Australian taxpayers,’ Mr Kelly captioned the footage

Mr Kelly also weighed in on the very sparse attendance at the session.

‘Imagine, all that coin to pay for constructing an exhibition stand, flying a delegation half way around world, setting up video facilities to record it all – and they get five people to attend, he wrote.

‘Whilst we’re not on Australian land – I’d still like to start with acknowledging the traditional owners of Australia and the Torres Strait Islands, Dr Anderson (pictured centre) said

Katherine Deves (pictured), who ran unsuccessfully for the Liberal Party in the 2022 federal election, spoke for many with her response to the acknowledgement of country 13,230km away

‘I wonder if this would pass muster if we had an Australian D.O.G.E,’ Mr Kelly added, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency that Donald Trump is about to create when he returns to office as US President on January 20.

Businessman and conservative commentator Matt Barrie also weighed in. 

‘Welcome to country… in Baku’, he tweeted, along with a smiley face emoji. 

Another commenter agreed with Mr Kelly over the cost and the ceremony performed before the talk.

‘I wish they respected the original owners of the money that paid for this,’ they wrote.

Another suggested a way on how the Australian delegates in Baku could help stop global warming.

‘Cancel the return flight, the credit cards and disavow. That will save lots of planet and our money,’ they suggested. 

Katherine Deves, a one-time Liberal candidate who unsuccessfully ran for former prime minister Tony Abbott’s seat of Warringah on Sydney’s northern beaches in the 2022 federal election, also slammed the incident.

‘Australia is an outpost. No one cares (about acknowledgement of country in  Azerbaijan),’ she wrote.