Muswellbrook Shire Council is listening carefully to local Aboriginal community members on how Council should represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
A gathering today at the Donald Horne Building STEM Lab in Muswellbrook was an honest, robust, respectful forum for community members to discuss issues that affect them, their families, and communities, including access to services, recognition of culture and history, their lived experience, and ideas for the future.
Council will use the insights gained from today’s gathering to inform ongoing consultation with Aboriginal community members and to gain insights for planning, programs, and priorities for Indigenous communities in Muswellbrook Shire. Council’s Manager Community Services, Kim Manwarring, said the consultation was a step forward for the whole community and a powerful platform to have a say.
“This is about listening to our proud, diverse community which deserves to be heard and to be at the heart of decisions that affect them,” Ms Manwarring said.
“Hearing local Elders, young people, families and community members is a valuable opportunity for Council and Muswellbrook Shire.”
Muswellbrook Mayor Jeff Drayton said Council is committed to better representing Indigenous people across the Shire by listening first.
“We acknowledge the best way to build trust and get things right is to listen. This is about making the time to do that - an honest, respectful dialogue led by people who know their communities best,” Mayor Drayton said.
“When we listen to our first people here in Muswellbrook Shire, we learn about ourselves as a broader community. I’d thank everyone who attended for their honesty, their listening, and for putting their hand up to make our Shire a better place.”
The Indigenous Community Consultation is part of Council’s broader focus on Indigenous perspectives in local decisions, services and policies.
