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Intro
Important foundation work and planning continues to be the focus for the Aboriginal Cultural Centre (ACC) project at the completion of the second Steering Committee meeting for this year.
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre (ACC) project requires whole-of-government efforts across a range of policy areas. A Ministerial Officers Working Group has been established to ensure an integrated and holistic approach to the planning of the Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
Reflecting the State Government’s commitment and significance of this project, the working group includes representation from the Premier’s Office and the Offices of the Ministers for Culture and the Arts; Aboriginal Affairs; Lands; and Planning and Infrastructure. The Ministerial Officers Working Group will meet regularly for the duration of the business case phase of the project.
ACC Steering Committee members and project team staff have recently participated in an Investment Logic Mapping workshop.
Investment Logic Mapping (ILM) is a project management process to define the benefits and opportunities of investment in a proposed project. The workshop generated robust discussion and thinking about the wide-ranging social and economic outcomes the ACC project can deliver for the community of Western Australia.
At this meeting, the Steering Committee endorsed establishment of the Whadjuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre Cultural Authority Sub-Committee.
The role of the Sub-Committee will be to identify project matters of cultural significance that require further consideration by the elected ACC Cultural Authority representatives and the broader Whadjuk Elders Group.
Establishment of the Sub-Committee will ensure meaningful consultation on culturally significant project matters and further strengthens the State Government’s commitment to working in partnership with Aboriginal people on projects and services that affect them and their communities.
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre project aims to progress the development of a central place of significance to empower Aboriginal people in telling their histories and demonstrating their culture.
In an opportunity to celebrate and acknowledge the connection between culture and language, Steering Committee members have been offered the opportunity to participate in language education sessions with the Noongar Language Centre.
The Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation was established in 2014, with a board of directors representing most of the Noongar clans. Funding from 2015 to 2022 was provided by the Commonwealth Government under the Indigenous Languages Support program, for establishment of the Noongar Language Centre.
A key task of the Noongar Language Centre is the recording, transcription, analysis and development of a database of the Noongar Language with the production of dictionaries, dialect dictionaries, and grammar and learning materials.
The Steering Committee approved the appointment of Infrastructure WA to the Project Control Group with ‘Observer Status’.
Infrastructure WA (IWA) is the State agency responsible for providing expert advice and assistance to the WA Government on a range of infrastructure matters. It operates in accordance with the Infrastructure Western Australia Act 2019.
IWA’s focus is the development of WA’s first 20-year State Infrastructure Strategy (Strategy) to identify needs and priorities to support WA’s growing population and economy.
Included in the Strategy (page 244) is a reference to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre which states:
‘A nationally relevant and internationally recognised flagship Aboriginal Cultural Centre for WA will provide a much-needed opportunity to showcase and celebrate WA’s world-renowned Aboriginal culture and improve cultural understanding for Western Australia and visitors to our State’.
The Sub-Committee will meet again in May 2022.
Communiques will be published following each meeting of the Aboriginal Cultural Centre Steering Committee.