Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures and recognising our Traditional Custodians

Identity and belonging

Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and recognising our Traditional Custodians

Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and recognising our Traditional Custodians are significant indicators of the social fabric of Canberra.

Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture

This measure shows Canberrans’ agreement that:

This is important because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are a critical part of our national identity.

Over time, the large majority of Canberrans have agreed with these statements and continue to do so.

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Line graphs, between 2019 and 2023, of the percentage of respondents who agreed, disagreed or felt neutral about 2 aspects of valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are important to Australian identity:

  • In 2023, 85.3% agreed compared to 87.8% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 7.9% were neutral compared to 6.6% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 6.8% disagreed compared to 5.6% in 2020.

They feel proud of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures:

  • In 2023, 76.2% agreed compared to 78.6% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 15.1% were neutral compared to 11.5% in 2020.
  • In 2023, 8.7% disagreed compared to 10% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population.

The descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been no changes in measure design, analysis or reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.

Engaging with Traditional Custodians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures

This measure shows the proportion of Canberrans who attended at least one event in the last year involving:

This is important because it shows whether there is growth in recognition and Acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures over time.

Between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of Canberrans who reported attending an event with a Welcome to Country by a Traditional Custodian stayed around 60%.

Attendance of events with an Acknowledgement of Country rose significantly from 75.8% to 82.0%.

People attending an event focused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples increased slightly from 31.9% in 2019 to 34.7% in 2023.

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Line graphs of percentage of respondents engaging with Traditional Custodians by attending events, ceremonies or activities in the ACT, between 2019 and 2023.

In 2023, 82% attended an event with an Acknowledgement of Country compared to 76.1% in 2020.

In 2023, 59.7% attended an event with a Welcome to Country by a Traditional Custodian compared to 56.4% in 2020.

In 2023, 34.7% attended other events, ceremonies or activities that focused on or were held by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people compared to 32.2% in 2020.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population.

The descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There has been a minor change in measure design since it was first included in the survey. In the first wave of the survey, the type of attendance was not specified. This was changed in Wave 3 to specifically ask whether events were attended in person or online. This was done to ensure that online events were included in answers, with COVID-19 lockdowns making this important. For Wave 6, the original measure was reinstated which did not specifically ask about online versus in person events. This was done as pilot testing with focus groups indicated that when asked the original wording, participants included online events in their answers, meaning they did not need to be asked about separately to prompt their inclusion in the answer.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.

Knowledge of Traditional Custodians

This measure shows the proportion of Canberrans who can name one or more of the Traditional Custodians of the ACT region. This helps us to identify the extent of engagement with respecting and understanding the first peoples of the ACT region.

Between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of ACT adults who correctly named one or more of the Traditional Custodians of the ACT region rose significantly from 74.7% to 81.7%.

Overall, the findings show growth in recognition of the Traditional Custodians of the ACT.

2022-2023: Living well in the ACT region survey, unpublished data.

2019-2021: Living well in the ACT region: The changing wellbeing of Canberrans during 2020 and 2021.

Stacked bar chart of percentage of respondents able to name one or more Traditional Custodians of the ACT area, in 2019 and 2023.

In 2023, 81.7% could name one or more of the Traditional Custodians of the ACT region compared to 74.7% in 2019.

In 2023, 18.3% could not name one or more of the Traditional Custodians of the ACT region compared to and 25.3% in 2019.

The Living Well in the ACT Region survey, conducted by the University of Canberra, aims to measure, track and understand the wellbeing of adult residents living in the Australian Capital Territory region of Australia. It examines factors known to affect wellbeing at the individual, household, community and regional level.

When generating data for the ACT, statistical weighting is used to address differences between the sample of people who respond to the survey, and the characteristics of the ACT adult population.

The descriptive statistics published here show where there are differences in wellbeing, but not what has caused those differences in wellbeing.

The University of Canberra has been conducting the survey since 2019. As of mid-2023, the survey had been conducted 6 times. Not all questions have been measured each time the survey has been conducted.

There have been no changes in measure design, analysis or reporting of this measure since it was first included in the survey.

Further information about the survey can be found at Living Well in the ACT Region or by contacting Professor Jacki Schirmer at the University of Canberra.