Commonwealth government departments have been accused of fuelling a “multi-million-dollar industry” for Welcome to Country ceremonies after tax payers were slugged with a $450,000 bill for the protocols.

Documents obtained from the Opposition under Freedom of Information requests revealed 300 Welcome to Country ceremonies had been performed across 21 government departments over the 2022-23 and 2023-24 financial years, totalling to $452,953.

Cost breakdowns revealed on average $1266 was spent per ceremony, with some of the highest-spending departments the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet ($41,801), the Australian Institute of Sport ($47,003), the National Indigenous Australians Agency ($60,342).

Although Opposition government waste spokesman James Stevens said there was “a place” for the ceremonies, he said the events had become a “multi-million-dollar industry,” given the “enormous amounts” spent by state and local governments.

“Welcomes to Country should be genuine and authentic, not a lucrative income stream at the taxpayers’ expense,” he said.

“Spending millions on ‘welcome’ ceremonies does nothing to address the challenges facing indigenous Australians.

“This money could be better spent on delivering real solutions to indigenous communities.”

Nationals Leader David Littleproud echoed his concerns, stating the ceremonies had become “more about the money than the meaning”.

“I think what we need to do is put them in their right place, and I think they have a significant place in our society, but it should be for major events where Australia is on the international stage here in Australia or where we’re celebrating one of our biggest sporting events or cultural events,” he said.

“That’s where we should have Welcome to Countries, but for departments to be spending that sort of money on Welcome to Country during the last two years is obscene, and there’s better use of that money, particularly in shifting the dial and closing the gap rather than having Welcome to Countries.”

The latest revelation from the Opposition follows Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s vow that if the Coalition were returned to government, he as prime minister would not conduct press conferences in front of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags because he believed they were “dividing our country unnecessarily”.

However, a spokesperson for the federal government said current provisions are the same to what was in place under the previous government, adding that decisions to conduct Welcome to Country ceremonies were made by individual departments.

“These arrangements have been in place for many years - including under previous governments,” they said.

“We expect departments to make decisions that are value for money - and to be accountable for those decisions.”