Council wins Good Design Award

Australia’s annual Good Design Awards program is one of the oldest and most prestigious international design awards in the world, promoting excellence in design and innovation since 1958. It is recognised by the World Design Organization (WDO) as Australia’s peak international design endorsement program.

Council’s Our Languages Matter program of workshops, to encourage greater use of Aboriginal language in place naming, has been awarded a prestigious ‘Tick’ trophy at an award ceremony on Thursday 11 July.

The purpose of the workshops, developed with ThinkPlace and presented with Geographic Names Victoria, is to provide opportunities for Traditional Owners to promote the importance of local Aboriginal languages in the naming of roads, geographic features and localities. Importantly, participants from Local and State Government will be supported to explore ways for establishing strong professional relationships with Traditional Owners to enable future collaborative naming activities.

"Our cultural heritage is best understood through demonstrating respect for Traditional Owners – our knowledge, our skills, our appreciation of our heritage. The practicing of our culture and traditions makes us stronger and this strength offers all Victorians opportunities to value, understand and celebrate the unique cultural heritage we care for on behalf of all of us.”

Rodney Carter, Chairperson

Council strives for Aboriginal people to speak for, and with, their cultural heritage. Using language in place naming is an important contribution to reclamation and use of Aboriginal languages by Aboriginal Victorians. Traditional Owner managed Language and Country are fundamental to Council’s purpose and to these workshops.

“This is a project that applies co-design approaches to a sensitive and complex topic, and the adoption of visual techniques to work around language challenges. The Jury appreciated the connection between participation and positive impact for the communities involved - creating value through both process and outcome. It's heartening to see both social impact and the potential for economic advancement. Well done.”

Good Design Award Judges