Jacinta Price Welcome to Country
While Welcome to Country and Acknowledgment of country has existed for many years in Australia’s
history, they have become a rapidly politicised debate during the 2025 election cycle in the aftermath
of the voice referendum. Concerns have been raised about when and how is it appropriate for these
ceremonies and acknowledgments to take place. Contributing to the debate in an opinion piece that
was published in the Brisbane Times on December 18th, 2024, titled “Welcome to Country isn’t for
every occasion, Good on you Melbourne Storm”, Jacinta Price contends in a reflective yet
authoritative tone that the public’s response to the M.S decision to limit Welcome to Country was
unreasonable. Appealing to an audience of Australian adults with views spanning from moderate to
progressive, Jacinta ultimately aims to encourage her audience to reflect on how they reacted
towards the Melbourne Storm’s decision and consider adapting to a more balanced approving
perspective.
Jacinta argues that the public’s reaction to the Melbourne Storm decision was immature and
unnecessary. She supports this claim by first framing the change as something sensible, not extreme.
The concessive conjunction ‘But hardly controversial’ is incorporated to imply the idea that the
decision made should not be something big, suggesting that there is no problem to it. This logically
guides the moderate to progressive audience to feel as though that the public’s response should not
have been to overreactive. Though the use of this technique, Jacinta is positioning her viewers to
think more rationally rather than quickly jumping into unwarranted conclusions. Further supporting
this claim, the following structure mimics how she believes others argue. By utilizing hyperbolic
phrasing such as “You are racist,” she exaggerates the implied accusations in a sarcastic tone,
suggesting to her audience how this sort of reaction feels extreme and highlighting what she believes
as irrational thinking. Incorporating this sort of emotional language, she is positioning her audience
to reflect on how unproductive and emotionally charged this debate can become. Paired with this,
she describes how such reactions an be ‘infantile,’ paralleling them to childish behaviour, and
advocating the need for a more mature and balanced discussion. Further supporting this claim, her
symbolic imagery of her colourful outfit, that is not in black and white, this represents Jacinta
suggesting an open-minded discussion and rather rejects irrational thinking. She positions herself as
as someone who embraces nuanced and complexity. The visual is aimed to encourage the audience
who has progressive values, that as a result they are positioned to do the same which is embracing
nuance. At this point, the audience is encouraged to believe that Jacinta’s contention is a valid
response to how the public reacted to the Melbourne Storm’s decision, and how she suggests that
they should think more rationally before jumping to unnecessary conclusions.
After guiding the audience to reflect on how the public’s reaction to the Melbourne storm was
unreasonable, Jacinta then goes to argue how the overuse of these ceremonies’ risks weakening its
meaning. To support this emotional appeal of her argument based on disappointment and
frustration, the author utilizes low modality such ‘perhaps’ to soften her claim, appealing as
someone thoughtful and open minded to make it sound like exploratory rather forceful. This is
inviting her audience to reflect rather than resist. Moreover, she personifies ‘grey’ as a teacher, as a
symbol of nuance, aiming to encourage to her viewers that limiting the ceremonies brings out more
of their meaning and legitimacy without completely erasing it. Supporting her mature and rational
thinking through the colorful visual of her outfit, this further encourages her audience to feel the
same way. In conjunction with this, her shift in a more authoritative and confident tone, Jacinta
utilizes imperative form ‘cease with the activism’ to advocate this as a solution to the problem. This
positions Jacinta as some one assertive as it creates a sense of urgency and control. The indented
effect challenges performative behavior and encourages her audience towards a solution that she
believes is more authentic and real for the Indigenous culture. So, by emphasizing these ceremonies
as something repetitive, Jacinta encourages her audience to feel as though that this ongoing problem
will weaken the meaning of these Acknowledgments and suggests for nuanced solutions.
Ultimately, Jacinta insists the real and meaningful Indigenous recognition lies in tangible support, not
just symbolic performances. To support this argument about real Indigenous support, Jacinta
employs a rhetorical question in the form of phrases like “what exactly is the recognition that we
want?” aimed to encourage her audience who priories Indigenous empowerment, to critically think
about helpful solutions to further support the marginalized Indigenous Australians who face high
rates of sexual and domestic violence. This positions Jacinta as someone caring who truly wants what
is best for Australia, suggesting to her audience that she is someone confident when it comes to
solving problems with real solutions. Alongside with this, Jacinta urgers her audience to shift their
attention on addressing the disadvantaged. To support this claim, she structures her piece by first
critiquing the public’s reaction to Melbourne Storm’s decision, then shifts the piece by drawing
attention to the ongoing struggles that many marginalized Australians face. The authorial intended
effect of this progression was to encourage her viewers to shift their energy on unnecessary debates
to actual support that can help support underprivileged Indigenous Australians, arguing that real
recognition lies in practical empowerment rather than symbolic performance. Ultimately, she ends
her piece with a positioning strategy through her phrase ‘the kind of Australia we can be’, as she
seeks to build a relationship with those who may not even share the same viewpoint but priorities
the same value and thus inviting them to create an emotional bond together. At this point, Jacinta is
encouraging her viewers to invest the same amount of energy on to a bigger Indigenous problem,
not just ceremonial debates.