Pathway to engagement

Step 1: Prepare

Do your homework: Find out about the Traditional Owner groups you wish to engage with.

Visit the Traditional Owner group’s website to read their Whole of Country plans and other Traditional Owner-authored strategies or documents.

How does your project fit in with their aspirations and assertions for Country? Please note, this is not a comprehensive list.

• Barengi Gadjin Land Council - Country Plan: Growing What is Good
• Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation) - Dhelkunya Dja - Dja Dja Wurrung Country Plan
• Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation – Meerreengeeye ngakeepoorryeeyt
• Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation – Gunaikurnai - Whole-of-Country Plan
• Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation – Ngootyoong Gunditj Ngootyoong Mara South West Management Plan
• Taungurung Land & Waters Council – Taungurung buk dadbagi - Country Plan
• Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation – Paleert Tjaara Dja Lets make Country good together - Country Plan
• Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation – Whole-of-Country Plan

Step 2: Contextualise

Review the legal status and different rights of Traditional Owners under various legislation and how this might inform levels of participation.

Visit the Victorian Government’s First Peoples - State Relations website for more information on:

• Native Title Act 1993 (Cth)
• Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 (Vic)
• Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 (Vic).

Visit the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Register and Information Systems (ACHRIS) map to view Recognised Aboriginal Party boundaries.

Consider the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic). The Charter recognises the distinct cultural rights of Aboriginal people in Victoria. These are the rights to:

• enjoy their identity and culture
• maintain and use their language
• maintain their kinship ties
• maintain their distinctive spiritual, material and economic relationship with land, waters and other resources they are connected to under traditional laws and customs.

Consider how your project intersects with formally recognised Traditional Owner groups. If your project covers more than one formally recognised group, you will need to engage with each group as they self-determine.

If there isn’t a formally recognised group, engage with all Traditional Owners who assert rights and interests in that area. This may include families and groups without formal recognition, along with neighbouring groups with formal recognition.

Align with the levels of participation defined by the IAP2 Public Participation Spectrum: inform, consult, involve, collaborate and empower.

Step 3: Plan

Your processes and timelines need to allow for Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Communities to participate while balancing their priorities and capacity.

Plan ahead, Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Communities all need to be engaged early and adequately resourced to ensure genuine and meaningful participation.

Develop an engagement plan which includes your scope and purpose, resourcing, any legal obligations and how this influences engagement, participation level and evaluation. Also think about the tangible outcomes for Traditional Owners – what will this actually mean for them? How does this align to their priorities for Country?

Budget for engagement costs. Think about how, when and what you should remunerate Traditional Owners so they can participate meaningfully in your project. It’s important to discuss this with the group at the very beginning of your project.

Step 4: Engage

• Put your plans into action.
• Apply the Framework’s principles and best practice considerations.
• Ensure your engagement activities are on days, times and locations suitable for Traditional Owners. Meet on Country where possible.
• Check the meeting format and materials are culturally safe.
• Follow the principles of indigenous data sovereignty and clearly communicate how Traditional Owners' data will be used for a specific outcome. For example, if you want to use their data for a report, seek approval first.

Step 5: Evaluate

• Consider evaluation indicators for your project – how will you close the loop?
• How will you work out if the engagement went well?
• Ask for feedback – this is two-way discussion and can help you reflect and learn.
• Be honest, accept accountability and listen to feedback.
• Actively respond to or action feedback - this can strengthen the relationship between you, the Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Community.