1. Acknowledgement of Country and Place

I’d like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we meet today, the Dja Dja Wurrung people of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to their Elders, both past and present.

Thank-you for your Acknowledgment of Country, with which I agree, and in the spirit of Reconciliation, I’d like to reply by also acknowledging This Place, The Bendigo Town Hall, and pay my respects to the builders, owners, past and present, and our Australian Civil Society, that made This Place possible for our meeting here today.