The draft Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Engagement Guide has been developed by Ipswich City Council as a tool to assist with initiating and improving engagement between council, our Traditional Owners and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.
Council has three objectives in developing and adopting the engagement guide:
1. Improve awareness and understanding of First Nations culture and protocols across Ipswich
2. Undertake culturally responsive engagement which achieves meaningful outcomes
3. Establish the endorsed Representative Engagement Groups identified in the Indigenous Accord 2020-2025.
This draft engagement guide is council's initial proposal to achieve these objectives. The contents are drafted as a starting point for community consultation and engagement.
How to use these tabs
There are four main sections in the Draft Engagement Guide.
Click on each of the tabs to read more about a section.
You can also read the full Engagement Guide in the Document Library above.
You can provide your feedback in the survey above.
- There are questions in the survey specific to each section.
- You can also refer back to the section information in these tabs while doing the survey.
Section 1
This section discusses ceremonies, protocols and cultural awareness.
The ceremonies include:
- Welcome to Country
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Traditional dancing and cultural performances
The cultural awareness includes:
- Culturally sensitive, secret, or sacred information
- Family and kinship
- Elders
- Men's and Women's business
- Smoking ceremonies
- Sorry business
- Representation of deceased people
- Photography, filming and obtaining consent
The terminology, acronyms and definitions includes:
- Acceptable terminology
- Inappropriate terminology
- Annual events
The section about flags includes:
- Australian Aboriginal flag
- Torres Strait Islander flag
Read more about Section 1: Ceremonies, Protocols and Cultural Awareness
Section 2
This section discusses governance and council's responsibilities.
Relevant legislation and compliance includes:
- Native Title Act 1993
- Cultural Heritage Act 2003
- Burra Charter: The Australia ICOMOS Charter for Places of Cultural Significance 1999
- Signing of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2009
- International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1975
- Human Rights Act 2019
Relevant council policies and strategies include:
- iFuture Corporate Plan 2021-2026
- Indigenous Accord Policy 2022 and Indigenous Accord 2020-2025
- Native Title (Future Acts) and Cultural Heritage Administrative Directive
- Arts and Cultural Strategy 2018 - 2023
- Natural Environment Policy 2022 and Natural Environment Strategy 2023
- Ipswich Planning Scheme (under development)
- Community Engagement Policy 2022
Read more about Section 2: Governance - council's Responsibilities
Section 3
This section discusses culturally responsive engagement practices.
- Commitment to culturally responsive engagement
- Outcomes of culturally responsive engagement
- Approach to culturally responsive engagement
Scheduled engagement with the Representative Engagement Groups include:
- Understanding and establishing cultural protocols
- Appropriate timeframes
- Relationships and communication
- Dealing with disputes
- Closing the loop
Engagement between councillors and the community.
Read more about Section 3: Culturally responsive engagement
Section 4
This section discusses proposed Representative Engagement Groups.
The background is the Indigenous Accord which is Council's strategic framework for reconciliation and community governance with Traditional Owners and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Representative Engagement Groups include:
- Native Title and Cultural Heritage Advisory Group
- Traditional Owner Representative Steering Committee
- Indigenous Elders Group
- Ipswich Accord Working Group
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employee Working Group
Read more about Section 4: Representative Engagement Groups
