FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE

Glen Eira City Council

Our Climate Emergency Response Strategy 2021-2025 – Dhumbali Wurrungi-biik Parbin-ata

The collaboration between the Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council and Glen Eira City Council to inform the development of ‘Our Climate Emergency Response Strategy 2021-2025 | Dhumbali Wurrungibiik Parbin-ata’ was a key turning point for Council, the community, and First Nations people in the municipality. For the first time, First Nations’ perspectives were embedded into a tier-one Council strategy in Glen Eira, committing the organisation to explore how First Nations knowledge of climate could inform its response to the climate emergency, developing processes for the two organisations to develop subsequent plans and strategies.

The partnership sought to develop a genuinely collaborative relationship where First Nations people are empowered, included, and supported to contribute to the development and delivery of climate emergency plans and strategies. The collaboration built a shared approach to environmental management, where First Nations perspectives have been given equal weight, with cross-cultural ways of working developed. The partnership led to improved outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the community through education, leadership, and capacity building. The second goal was to improve the council’s climate emergency response through a weaving of diverse knowledge systems to inform how to best adapt to a changing climate.

MERRI-BEK CITY COUNCIL RENAMING CITY COUNCIL PROJECT TEAM

Renaming Moreland City Council

Merri-bek is the new name of the former Moreland City Council, with the council having partnered with Wurundjeri Elders to design and deliver a successful name change process in 2022 after research uncovered that “Moreland” had origins associated with global slavery and local dispossession.

The council worked closely alongside the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation, the registered Aboriginal Party formally representing Traditional Owners, to facilitate a respectful and meaningful name change process. The process was part of the council honouring a commitment to reconciliation and recognising Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the area.

Three options were presented for community consultation with over 6,300 responses received. Among Jerrang meaning “leaf of tree,” and Wa-dam-buk meaning “renew,” the ultimate decision came to adopting the name Merri-bek meaning “rocky country.”

Community engagement was extensive given the diversity of opinions, media attention, and competing advocacy campaigns in the community. The council set aside a budget for this engagement to address concerns, from public information sessions and stakeholder discussions to multi-platform surveys and submission processes. To ensure the full spectrum of the community was involved, the council reached out to senior citizen groups, youth ambassadors, early years educators, interfaith community leaders, service provider networks, advisory committees, and CALD community groups.