This project brings together the aspirations of Melton Council to achieve Reconciliation outcomes and engage more directly and authentically with Traditional Owners (Wurndjeri) and Aboriginal people living within Melton Council. Through a series of collaborative discursive workshops and community consultations, key questions such as; what is needed of a community hub? Beyond the physical form how could culturally safe spaces operate (as self-determining) and be embedded throughout Melton Council.

These workshops are utilizing participatory design prompts in order to guide discussion and materialize ideas. These prompts are combined with and conducted in accordance with First Nations practices of communication and experience sharing. This project will explore how these (Western design) methods respond to and are reset by First Nations knowledges and cultural safety engagement. A parallel thread of this work, based on the feedback and ideas from TOs, ACCO’s (Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations) and First Nations participants, will be to support Melton Council into an understanding of how to respond to and engage with Aboriginal self-determination and operate within guidelines of cultural safety.