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INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE
An initiative or program, implemented in conjunction with the Indigenous community that has contributed towards enriching a community or municipality, delivered through an effective or innovative approach.
Judging Criteria
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➢ Effectiveness of the initiative ➢ Evidence to demonstrate how the successful approach was adopted ➢ Transferability ➢ Outcomes achieved within the organisation and in the community ➢ Benefit to the organisation, Indigenous community and broader community
Winner
Finalists
➢ Greater Dandenong City Council / Dandenong and Districts Aborigines Co-Operative Limited, Monash Health, Casey City Council, New Directions – Mothers and Babies Services Community Connections Project
The Indigenous Heritage Visibility project was created to increase awareness and visibility of the indigenous history of Council’s bushland reserves.
The Yarra Ranges has a rich indigenous culture and heritage, being Wurundjeri tribe Country, who speak the traditional Woiwurrung language. This project aims to increase awareness of this living culture through interpreting it via signs, art installations, indigenous food gardens and visual media.
Now in its fourth year, the project has already resulted in installations of interpretative signs and art in five Council bushland reserves with a further four in progress.
The project has been successful according to anecdotal conversations with Indigenous groups, visitors and members of environmental friends of groups attending these reserves.
The Indigenous Advisory Committee has been positive and supportive in its encouragement and participation in the project. Although there were language barriers in communications between local Indigenous community members and Council staff, this was overcome by engaging Indigenous Consultant Brooke Wandin. Brooke is a member of the local Wurundjeri community, speaks Woiwurrung and lives locally so is ideally placed to ensure communication between all parties is effective, culturally respectful and that the outcomes of the project meet all needs.
The project has received funding for five years now, and will be funded on an ongoing basis to cover the maintenance and preservation of the installations that have been produced. The partnership between the community, Wurundjeri community and Council staff is strong and respectful. A joint vision to maintain and manage the installations together is in place.
The Wurundjeri narrap team (land management team) has been engaged to maintain some of the significant indigenous sites within Council reserves and Council’s Bushland team has engaged the Narrap team on an ongoing basis to work within bushland reserves.
The Wurundjeri country extends across the majority of the Melbourne area. The history is rich and well worth interpreting, exhibiting and sharing. Yarra Ranges, Nillumbik and other peri urban Councils have been in communication about this project and are using and sharing knowledge of similar projects.
The conception and implementation of this project has had far reaching effects throughout the Yarra Ranges and beyond. This project could easily be rolled out to other Councils to encourage a respectful, cultural, heritage and historical, knowledge sharing story of their local area.
This project has strengthened ties with the Traditional Owners of this land and overall engagement and trust with the Indigenous community. As various other projects are now rolled out in the Yarra Ranges, consideration for the Traditional Owners of the land and their possible concerns, are acknowledged, worked through and considered at conception.
Greater Dandenong City Council New Directions – Mothers and Babies Services Community Connections Project was established to support the Indigenous Australians’ Health Program (IAHP).
The initiative has been able to support the families at the Gathering Place to celebrate their culture and community and it was embedded with key health and wellbeing messages.
It involved developing activities to support the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal Australians within a community development model. The key outcomes included:
• Participation in First 1000 Days Australia Training with Dr Kerry Arabena
• Creating Possum Skin Cloaks with families and developing the ‘Our Hands’ published community book
• Participation in the Cooking for Bupup sessions, cooking healthy nutritional meals, while yarning with local health and wellbeing services such as Maternal & Child Health, Koorie Maternity Nurses, Monash Aboriginal Health Services, Quit Smoking programs from Dandenong & District Aborigines Co-Operative Ltd and other local supportive outreach services.
The initiative supported families to celebrate their culture and community with pride. It was developed and co designed with both Aboriginal and Non Aboriginal service providers with the intent to include families in the development of the way in which they receive health and wellbeing services.
By including families and children in the development of the activities, it created a sense of belonging and engagement which led to increased participation in activities. Whilst there were barriers, they were navigated through consultation.
The project showed how Aboriginal and Torres Strait community, health service providers and different levels of government can work in partnership in a way that is culturally respectful, safe and trusting.
The Latrobe First 1000 Days Project is the first of its kind. The project supports Aboriginal families from pregnancy to the age of two, to build a strong, deep and resilient connection to their community and culture.
It has several elements, including holding gatherings of families to connect with Elders. Additionally, a Welcome Boorai to Country Ceremony was held in August 2019. This traditional cultural practice was unique to the Latrobe Aboriginal community and was attended by over 200 people, including the broader community. It brought together 31 babies with their families and Elders to acknowledge their connection to their land.
The project was developed following an eight week co design that brought together a Latrobe team to investigate the issues that were affecting Aboriginal children and families in their first 1000 days of life. Family violence and a disconnection from culture were the two main factors identified as causing Aboriginal children to be placed in out of home care through child protective services.
The First 1000 Days Project was designed with the local Aboriginal community and continually connected with local Elders and families to implement the project. It was important to establish a strong presence of Elders at the monthly gatherings. They have not only guided the work, but have been involved in the evaluation process, and encouraged the community to participate in the weekly gatherings and the Welcome Boorai to Country. This approach resulted in buy in, participation and enthusiasm among the local community.
The Brimbank Indigenous Community Leadership program provided an opportunity for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members to strengthen their community leadership skills through an increased understanding of Local Government and opportunities to work constructively with Council and the community to bring about positive change.
The program, and the First Nations Women's Leadership through Art program were delivered as part of the broader Brimbank Community Leadership program. The programs provided the opportunity to build on the existing leadership capacity of Brimbank’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and to connect with the group, as well as strengthen cultural awareness.
Building trust with the communities took time and effort. As community business needed to be considered the program was planned to be flexible and accommodating. It also took into account some Council and community matters that needed to be addressed. The training was delivered by a reputable, recognised trainer as recommended by the community. At the completion of the program, participants were included in the Brimbank Leadership Alumni where they had the opportunity to participate in networking activities and stay connected.
Council will continue to look for ways to provide opportunities within Council's programs and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities through employment and professional development, economic and business opportunities, community development and to ensure all programs and services are culturally safe.
These programs understand and recognise that meaningful engagement with the Traditional Custodians, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will strengthen relationships that will be the foundation of the reconciliation policy framework.
During National Reconciliation Week in 2019, more than 70 Hepburn Shire staff and community members boarded buses to join Adjunct Professor Barry Golding and Dja Dja Wurrung Elder, Uncle Ricky Nelson on a one day bus tour titled Grounded in Truth – Reading the Country at Contact Tour around the Hepburn Shire.
Participants experienced a range of important sites in the Dja Dja Wurrung landscape where there is evidence of contact from the late 1830s between the peoples of the Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal Nation and the invading pastoralists, including Captain John Hepburn, after whom the Shire is named.
National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures, achievements and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The theme for National Reconciliation Week in 2019 was Grounded In Truth – Walk Together With Courage. A key objective of the ‘Reading the Country on Contact’ tour was for the truth telling of Australia’s colonial history.
This event brought together Hepburn Shire staff, Councillors and the community to share in the collection of stories that make up the shared history of the Shire.
Hepburn Shire Council’s vision is to promote unity, respect and understanding between the Dja Dja Wurrung clan and other community members. Council envisages that a process of reconciliation begins when we as a community become informed about our history.
Ballarat City Council, working in strong partnership with the Koori Engagement Action Group, hosted the Ballarat Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Portrait and Story Telling Project. The project was inspired by the 2018 NAIDOC theme “Because of Her, We Can” in celebration of the essential role women play as significant role models in their local community.
The project aimed to unite organisations and people irrespective of their skin colour, to work towards reconciliation, sharing, empowering and celebrating the women and girls who live among us and who continue to contribute to our community in their own quiet and unique ways.
Council works in strong partnership with the local Aboriginal community through the Koorie Engagement Action Group (KEAG) and other Indigenous organisations. This project was raised during the KEAG meeting and a sub committee was formed comprising
Council staff, Aboriginal and non Indigenous women who further consulted other First Nation Peoples, brainstormed ideas and ways to make this project engaging and meaningful.
A reminder to Council's commitment to its Reconciliation Action Plan and Council’s guidelines, this project brought Indigenous, non Indigenous communities, local organisations including Council’s different departments together and provided rich opportunities for mutual sharing, understanding and reconciliation.
It also triggered an empowering experience for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women to embark and share their journeys, personal stories and advice; inspiring others and allowing women to take time out of their daily routines for themselves as an act of self-care, which too often women ignore due to the multiple commitments they fulfil.
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Baw Baw Shire Council congratulates
Tanarly Hood
Finalist, Young Achiever category
A Baw Baw Shire Council career goes beyond business as usual. Our thriving and engaged culture-first workplace is built on the passion and talent of people who proudly deliver vital services and exciting projects to a community they care about.
At Baw Baw Shire Council, we invite our people to tackle projects that keep them inspired. We encourage the exploration of new ideas. We support the enhancement of building on current skills and developing new ones.
