Indigenous communities

Frankston City Council Reconciliation Action Plan

Frankston City Council have worked with our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander community and traditional owners to enhance social, economic and environmental outcomes and maintain engagement with community and stakeholders and provide cultural support and advice in the development and implementation of the Reconciliation Action Plan to ensure alignment with community expectations and needs.

For more information, download the Frankston Reconciliation Plan 2022-2023(PDF, 3MB). 

Frankston City Council employs an estimated 1044 people, with all Council departments playing a role in implementing our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Council works with many external stakeholders, including:

• Individuals
• Families
• Kinship networks
• Community groups
• Gathering places (Nairm Marr Djambana)
• Bunurong Land and Sea Council’s
• Wurundjeri Land Council 
• Aboriginal Community Development Broker
• First Peoples-State Relations Group 
• Department of Premier & Cabinet 
• State Government.  

The exact number of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff is unknown to Council. New employees can indicate if they identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person (or both). Council is committed to building its understanding of First Nations staff by implementing our current Reconciliation Action Plan.

Frankston City Council Reconciliation Advisory Committee

A representative Reconciliation Reference Group oversee the development and implementation of the Reconciliation Action Plan.

Office locations and geo-political reach

Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Traditional Land Owners

An Acknowledgement of Country should be given at formal events, forums and functions such as Government and Local Government meetings, conferences, school assemblies, concerts, board meetings, and official openings. The first speaker at an event or function (following the welcome or in the absence of a welcome) should give the Acknowledgment of Country. Subsequent speakers may also give an acknowledgement.

An Acknowledgement of Country recognises that Victoria has a strong and proud Aboriginal history and complex ownership and land stewardship systems stretching back many thousands of years. It pays respect to the Traditional Owners.

Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (the Bunurong)

The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council (VAHC) appointed the Bunurong as a Registered Aboriginal Party (RAP) for the area which covers Frankston City in 2017. If organising a Welcome to Country for an event or function within Frankston City, it is advisable to contact the Bunurong. If you are making an Acknowledgement of Country within Frankston City, you should acknowledge the Bunurong people. 

Example language:  

'Our meeting/conference/workshop is being held on the traditional lands [or country] of the [Traditional Owner group's name] people and I wish to acknowledge them as Traditional Owners.

I would also like to pay my respects to their Elders, past and present, and the Elders from other communities who may be here today.’

Cultural Heritage

The traditional owners of land in and around Frankston are the Bunurong people. The country of the traditional owners extends from Werribee Creek to the Tarwin River and Wilson's Promontory. The traditional owners are one of 30 tribes which still occupy Victoria.

Life was seasonal, with the availability of different plants and animals varying throughout the year. The Frankston foreshore and Kananook Creek area provided an ideal place to fish and hunt, as it had seafood, saltwater plants, and freshwater fish and eels. The Kananook Creek also provided drinking water, encouraged animals to the area and nourished other plants and trees.

The traditional culture of Indigenous people is resilient. It is characterised by strong recognition and valuing of the roles of elders and traditional customs, such as reciprocity and a shared vision of community. The strength and resilience of the Indigenous culture provide a sound basis for developing a long-term sustainable community.

The 2016 census identified 1274 Indigenous people living in Frankston City. However, there may be many more Indigenous people who did not identify themselves as Aboriginal or Torres Straight Islanders in the census.

National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee

NAIDOC Week is also when the Indigenous community can celebrate their survival and continuation of their culture and invite the wider community to share in these celebrations.

For more information visit naidoc.org.au.

Nairm Marr Djambana (Aboriginal Gathering Place)

Nairm Marr Djambana (Gathering by the Bay) is a place to conduct Aboriginal health, cultural, recreation and social activities. It is a meeting place to provide opportunities to further advance and improve the health of Aboriginal people of all genders and ages. Nairm Marr Djambana has its own incorporated committee that coordinates all activities and operations of the facility.

Chisholm TAFE donated two portable buildings to Frankston City Council, which allocated the buildings for the Gathering Place site. The Gathering Place is located on the north-western corner of Jubilee Park, Frankston off Nursery Avenue.

Nairm Marr Djambana:

• Provides a social / community meeting place and sense of hope and belonging
• Encourages environmental. spiritual and emotional healing
• Provides opportunities for education and training
• Promotes healthy lifestyle choices
• Cares for the land and environment
• Facilitates information / distributes resources
• Promotes recreation and leisure
• Provides social benefit to the whole community
• Identifies the gaps in service provision
• Builds support / network and strengthen the community.

For more information, please visit Djambana.org.au and the Nairm Marr Djambana Facebook page.

National Sorry Day and Mabo Day

National Sorry Day

The National Sorry Day theme in 2023 is to “be a voice for generations”. It urges our community to use our words and actions to create a fairer and more equitable society for all Australians.

National Sorry Day is a chance for us, as a community, to come together and acknowledge the experiences of the Stolen Generations and their families and communities. The term “Stolen Generations” refers to Indigenous Australians who were forcibly taken from their families and communities. This practice caused immense trauma and pain still felt today, generations later.

This day highlights the importance of acknowledging the past atrocities committed against Indigenous Australians. It encourages us to actively work towards healing and reconciliation.

The first National Sorry Day was held on 26 May 1998, one year after the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament. The report is the result of a government inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20^th century.

National Reconciliation Week

Celebrated across Australia each year between 27 May and 3 June, National Reconciliation Week commemorates two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey. These are:

• The anniversary of the successful 1967 referendum
• The High Court Mabo decision which acknowledged the traditional rights of Indigenous people to their land and waters, and paved the way for native title in Australia.

The week is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us can join the national reconciliation effort.

Council is continuing to provide staff Cultural Awareness Training courses. These offer staff the skills they need to understand, work and flourish in and with cultures other than their own. It allows Council employees to build productive and responsive relationships with Aboriginal communities which is an important strategy enabling the understanding of local Aboriginal issues, culture and ways of doing business.