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First Nations community information

First Nations community information

Information, resources, policies and community contacts for and about First Nations communities in Port Phillip.

Acknowledgement

Council respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of this land, the people of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respect to their Elders, past and present. We acknowledge and uphold their continuing relationship to this land.

Registered Aboriginal Parties

The Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Act 2006 recognises Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAP) as the primary guardians, keepers and knowledge holders of Aboriginal Cultural Heritage.

The Registered Aboriginal Parties (RAPs) for the area that the City of Port Phillip covers are:

Click to view an online map that shows the areas that the RAPs cover. Note this link shows a broad Victoria view. Zooming in shows a clearer boundary.

Other First Nations organisations in the City of Port Phillip

Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council

We-akon Dilinja – a mourning reflection event

The annual We-Akon Dilinja mourning reflection is a Reconciliation partnership between the Boon Wurrung Land and Sea Council and the City of Port Phillip. This event brings the whole community together to commemorate and celebrate the rich diverse culture of the First Peoples of this land.

About the event

On 26 January 2020, City of Port Phillip supported an inaugural Australia Day event that brought the whole community together to commemorate and celebrate the rich diverse culture of the First People of this land. Essentially a nationwide first event of its kind, the We-akon Dilinja dawn ceremony was the first time an Indigenous remembrance ceremony had been held in Port Phillip on this date and recognised the efforts of Boonwurrung Ancestors and Elders to preserve their ancient cultural heritage.

The ceremony recognised the journey and experience of the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung people and language group. The service was held at Alfred Square, St Kilda, from 6 am; taking place as the sun was rising.

This ceremony was part of the City of Port Phillip’s 2020 Australia Day celebrations and was delivered in collaboration with the Boonwurrung Land and Sea Council. The event was repeated in 2021 and 2022.

Council's statement of commitment

‘The Council of the City of Port Phillip acknowledges that Indigenous Australians were the first people of this land and have survived European settlement for more than two centuries.

The City of Port Phillip values its diverse and multicultural community and encourages tolerance and respect for all.

The arrival of Europeans brought massive change to the land and to its indigenous peoples.

For its part, Port Phillip City Council acknowledges and grieves for the loss by the indigenous people of their land, their children, their health and their lives.

We acknowledge the right of indigenous Australians to live according to their own values and customs, subject to law and we commit ourselves to respecting Aboriginal sacred sites and significant places.

The Council recognises the valuable contribution to the Port Phillip region made by indigenous people and looks forward to a future of mutual respect and harmony.

The Council supports the indigenous and non-indigenous people of Australia working together for the development of a formal instrument of reconciliation.’

This statement was endorsed by the City of Port Phillip on 27 August 1997, and re-endorsed by Council in 2012 and 2017.

Plans, strategies and publications

Port Phillip has adopted and contributed to plans, strategies and publications that explore employment opportunities, build awareness and understanding, and enhance cultural and economic development for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:

We also worked with the Boonwurrung Foundation in the development of the Yalukit Willam: The River People of Port Phillip. The booklet contains a suburb-by-suburb account of historical events through the the point of view of descendants and contemporaries of the Yaluk-ut Weelam clan of the Boon Wurrung

Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation

Port Phillip Citizens for Reconciliation Inc. (PPCfR) is a voluntary, not for profit community group beginning in 1997 during a public meeting at St Kilda Town Hall. PPCfR aims to maintain local awareness of the reconciliation agenda, while promoting an understanding of the history of the First Peoples of the Port Phillip area.