Mayor Sue Heins moved a Mayoral Minute to further engage with the Northern Beaches Indigenous community.
During the April Ordinary Meeting, Mayor Heins spoke on having the Northern Beaches Council Chief Executive Officer produce a report on establishing an Aboriginal Community Advisory Group.
The Group would consider culturally appropriate protocols, projects and activities such as naming land and public art, and the Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan, the formal commitment to reconciliation.
‘Council can tie itself up and waste resources in trying to communicate with various clans who live here,’ says Mayor Sue Heins. ‘It is simply about the cultural significance of our local Aboriginal history. This is not the Voice.’
When asked by Councillor Vincent De Luca whether an Aboriginal Advisory Group would have any decision-making ability, the CEO outlined that Council would need to consider the abilities of the advisory committee at a later date following the report.
An Advisory Committee, as outlined by Mayor Heins, would need to be separate from the Championing Diversity – Multicultural Inclusion Plan 2029 that was adopted by Council. The advisory committee would be involved in sensitive Indigenous issues.
The report is set to highlight the responsibilities of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council and the Aboriginal Heritage Office. The Aboriginal Advisory Committee would, in effect, correspond with those established organisations and produce further meaningful consultation.
‘It’s primarily for Council to make sure when we’re having to vote on things, we’ve already had an Aboriginal overview on whether it is culturally appropriate or not, and that it is inclusive of different points of view,’ explains Mayor Heins.
The Mayoral Minute for a report was carried 8 to 6. Those for included councillors Glanville, Grattan, Bingham, Korzy, Heins, De Luca, Robins, and Regan.
The report will be given to Council within three months.
