Aboriginal Melbourne Major Initiatives Program
City of Melbourne
Who funded the project
The City of Melbourne, through its Aboriginal Melbourne team, is considering ways in which to ensure all Indigenous Australians living and working in Melbourne city have opportunities to be actively involved in progressing its major initiatives.
Further, it is their intent to align their decisions with the aspirations of Recognised Aboriginal Parties and their Reconciliation Action Group, while taking into account State and Commonwealth government initiatives that may have bearing on the implementation of the Aboriginal Melbourne major initiatives strategy.
Professor Kerry Arabena was engaged by the City of Melbourne to facilitate a workshop exploring what it means to govern with sovereign First Nations people. Participants included the Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne, councillors, and the Indigenous Programs Director.
Summary
The aim of this engagement was to create a safe and secure place to discuss the implementation of the major initiatives strategy and provide direction to the Indigenous Program Director’s scope of works.
and to provide opportunities for education, engagement and for sharing ideals, aspirations and opportunities
Project Aims
Utilising Innovations Theory, Professor Arabena facilitated a workshop to develop 50 questions on the topic of ‘Governing with Sovereign First Peoples’.
The Indigenous Program Director developed a paper to support and guide discussions, with facilitation creating opportunities for learning, engagement, and sharing of ideas, aspirations, and opportunities.
To support an exploratory atmosphere, active approaches to group brainstorming were utilised as opposed to the delivery of a presentation, with participants guiding the delivery through ongoing feedback.
Methodologies
The workshop provided a forum through which Councillors were able to share the opportunities and decisions before them, while considering appropriate governance mechanisms available to underpin the outcomes desired by community.
An options paper will be developed by the Director of Aboriginal Melbourne and presented to the Councillors, to provide an overview of the next 12-month scoping exercise.
Project Outcomes
Indigenous Empowerment, Implementation, Sovereignty, Respect, Relationship Building, Decision Making, Governance.