We sought your feedback about what we should prioritise in the next Reconciliation Action Plan.

Melton City Council is developing its fourth Reconciliation Action Plan 2023-2025. This plan will be developed in line with Reconciliation Australia’s Innovate level.

Once developed and signed off by Council, reporting on progress will take place every three months to the Reconciliation Advisory Committee and annually to Reconciliation Australia.

Did you know that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people make up one per cent of the population in the City of Melton, which is double the proportion of the population in Greater Melbourne (id Community, 2016)? According to the Profile of Indigenous Persons: Victorian Municipalities, 2021, approximately 2,123 Melton residents identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.

Through the Council and Wellbeing Plan 2021-25, Melton City Council has committed to:

• Contributing to reducing inequalities among Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities and to strengthening respectful relationships between all communities
• Strengthening social cohesion and sense of belonging
• Providing and promoting opportunities for the celebration and recognition of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander history and culture
• Incorporating Aboriginal culture into the built environment
• Identifying and protecting Aboriginal places of significance
• Providing leadership in reconciliation, building positive partnerships and community relationships, and supporting culturally appropriate activities, services and places.
• Providing opportunities for meaningful community engagement, especially with diverse faith and cultural groups
• Building cultural competence to understand and promote Aboriginal self-determination

The 2023-25 Reconciliation Action Plan will provide more details on how Council will deliver on these commitments.

The broader policy environment for Aboriginal communities has undergone significant change over the time Melton City Council (Council) has had Reconciliation Action Plans in place. Most recently, the Victorian Aboriginal and Local Government Strategy 2021-2026 Pathways to Stronger Partnerships has introduced self-determination plans, built on seven strategic pillars, which include actions for local government to implement and report on. These actions will be included in Melton City Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2023-2025 at the Understand level. Victorian-Aboriginal-and-Local-Government-Strategy.pdf (localgovernment.vic.gov.au)

Council understands that our residents will have different levels of awareness and understanding about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and communities, and our shared history.

We invited your thoughts and reflections on how Melton City can lead reconciliation and support self-determination efforts.