These are draft minutes and are subject to confirmation by the Committee at its next meeting.

The confirmed minutes will replace this draft version on the website.

Meeting Name	First Nations Advisory Committee
Date	13 February 2024	Time 6:10pm
Venue	Level 12 Boardroom, 126 Church Street Parramatta + MS Teams
Attendees	Committee Members · Jayne Christian (Chairperson) · Roslyn Fogg · John Robertson · Edwina Crawford · Isaac Roberts · Councillor Phil Bradley (ex-officio) Council Staff · Sarina Solar - Community Capacity Building Lead (Convenor) · David Moutou - Group Manager Social & Community Services · Rodrigo Gutierrez - Community Capacity Building Manager · Aiyisha Donnelly – Administrative Support Officer, Community Capacity Building · Roy Laria – Team Leader Land Use Planning · Paul Kennedy – Project Officer, Strategic Land Use Planning · Kunal Aggarwal – ICT Service Desk Officer Guests · Tara Lloyd · Fiona Towney - Director of the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, Western Sydney University · Thomas Klobucar, Project Director of the Indigenous Centre of Excellence, Western Sydney University · Wayne Clark – Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, Western Sydney University
Apologies / Leave of Absence	· Bruce Gale (Deputy Chairperson) · Raelene Billedo · Julie Clarke Jones · Karen Maber – Keeping Place Officer · Councillor Bob Fitzgerald – Blacktown City Council
Secretariat	Melissa McIsaac
HPRM Reference	F2022/01409

No.	Item
1	Acknowledgement of Country The City of Parramatta Council acknowledges the Burramattagal Clan of The Dharug, the traditional owners of land of Parramatta and pays its respects to the elders past, present and emerging.
2	Apologies The Committee noted apologies from Bruce Gale, Raelene Billedo, Julie Clarke Jones, and Karen Maber.
	Note: The Chairperson amended the order of business to proceed with Agenda Item 5.
5	Comprehensive Heritage Review
Description	The Committee received a presentation from Roy Laria, Team Leader Land Use Planning, and Paul Kennedy, Project Officer Strategic Land Use Planning, regarding Council’s proposed Comprehensive Heritage Review. The Committee were informed that on 23 October 2023 Council resolved to prepare the scope for a Comprehensive Heritage Review, to be brought back to Council to for consideration to endorse the proposed program and budget. A component of the proposed scope would be to prepare an updated Aboriginal Heritage Study for Parramatta, with a view to build on Council’s existing sensitivity mapping and the previous study from 2014. Council officers will be presenting at a Councillor Workshop the outcomes of comparative research with other councils and consultation on the scope, prior to reporting to Council for endorsement. The Committee were invited to provide feedback on the proposed Aboriginal Heritage Study and the broader scope of the Comprehensive Heritage Review.
Outcome	· The Committee provided the following feedback on the prospective Comprehensive Heritage Review: · Raised concern of risk that State Government planning decisions may still override Council’s heritage guidelines, and recommended through the Comprehensive Heritage Review process for Council to pursue formal planning protections for identified heritage items, such as through amending the Local Environmental Plan and Development Control Plans. · Raised concern that significant heritage areas of the LGA fall outside of Council’s jurisdiction, which may result in planning gaps limiting the comprehensive nature of the review. Recommended to consider insights from other councils which have had a similar experience with their heritage reviews, such as Hornsby Council. Further recommended for Council to engage the relevant authorities for these areas throughout the review process, to aim to deliver consistent outcomes. Committee Members offered to provide contacts for Aboriginal advisors with the Sydney Olympic Park Authority. · Recommended to consult during the review with the local traditional owners first before other stakeholders, and to include thorough community consultation as part of the proposed project scope. · Generally supported for Council to pursue the Aboriginal Heritage Study and Comprehensive Heritage Review to ensure up-to-date information is made available. Roy Laria and Paul Kennedy retired from the meeting at 6:47pm, at the conclusion of Item 5. Fiona Towney, Thomas Klobucar, and Wayne Clark joined the meeting at 6:47pm.
	Note: The Chairperson amended the order of business to proceed with Agenda Item 6.
6	Western Sydney University Indigenous Centre of Excellence Project Update
Description	The Committee received a presentation from Fiona Towney, Director of the Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education, Thomas Klobucar, Project Director, and Wayne Clark, Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, on behalf of Western Sydney University, regarding the Indigenous Centre of Excellence project. The Committee were informed that work is underway to deliver the new facility, as an outcome of the University’s Indigenous Strategy 2020-2025. The multi-purpose facility will be built at the Parramatta South campus near Victoria Road and is being funding through WestInvest grants, with a target completion of Q2 2026. A national design competition was completed in December 2023 to select an Indigenous-lead firm, with the concept design set to be publicly released in March.
Outcome	· The Committee requested for the project team to return to present the concept design once it is publicly released. Fiona Towney, Thomas Klobucar, and Wayne Clark retired from the meeting at 7:16pm, at the conclusion of Item 6.
	Note: The Chairperson resumed the order of business to proceed with Agenda Item 3.
3	Disclosure of Interests There were no disclosures of interest made for this Advisory Committee meeting. The Committee noted that Jayne Christian, Roslyn Fogg, and John Robertson are engaged in ongoing consultancy work with Council, however there were no specific conflicts for the Agenda items.
4	Confirmation of Minutes The Minutes of the previous First Nations Advisory Committee meeting, held on 12 December 2023, were resolved by Robertson and Fogg and CARRIED.
7	Keeping Place Update
Description	The Committee noted that Karen Maber was unable to attend due to illness, and will circulate an update report on Dharug Keeping Place following the meeting.
8	Other Business
Description	Sarina Solar and Rodrigo Gutierrez requested for Committee Members to provide input on organising a launch event for Council’s First Nations Strategy. The Committee considered potential dates for the week of 25 March, and venue options. The Chairperson raised the following additional matters for Committee discussion: · The Committee requested an update on Item 7 Draft Guidelines for Dharug Circle from the previous meeting. Council officers advised that Julie Clarke Jones had been contacted to further discuss the draft guidelines with the project team, and implementation of the guidelines is on hold until further engagement can occur to resolve the concerns raised at the meeting. · The Committee noted that members Rosalyn Fogg, John Robertson, and Bruce Gale had participated in an on-site briefing for shortlisted proponents for the Riverside Theatre renewal design competition, regarding the site’s cultural significance and planning considerations. · The Committee considered Council’s naming proposal and art activation for a local laneway, and noted that Sarina Solar will circulate via email the suggested name options for comment. Aiyisha Donnelly retired from the meeting at 7:37pm during Item 8.
Outcome	· The Committee supported to aim to schedule the launch event mid-week, and for Council officers to determine if Council’s Phive Civic Room or Town Halls venues would be most suitable dependent on the number of attendees. · Rodrigo Gutierrez will circulate the event program to the Committee via email for feedback. · The Committee supported to include as an Agenda item at the April or June meeting to reflect on the Committee’s achievements during the Council term. · The Committee requested for Council’s events team to attend the April meeting to engage the Committee about planning for NAIDOC Week.
7	Next meeting date: 9 April 2024

Meeting Closed:  7:44pm