Establishing a flagship Aboriginal Cultural Centre with statewide significance has been identified as a major cultural infrastructure need for Western Australia (WA) to empower Aboriginal people.
Working in partnership with Aboriginal communities, the State Government has commenced planning for a central place of significance to empower First Nations people in sharing their stories, history and demonstrating culture.
The statewide centre will become a powerful symbol of truth telling, justice, healing, and reconciliation, creating a culturally safe place for Aboriginal people in the State’s capital city.
To be located on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk Noongar people in Boorloo (Perth), the centre will celebrate the ongoing connections to the Derbarl Yerrigan (Swan River) and honour 65,000+ years of continuous living Aboriginal culture from across Western Australia.
Aboriginal Cultural Centre
The centre will provide spaces for art, performance, education, research, community and commercial activities and will become a significant tourism drawcard, inspiring visitors to explore all regions of the State to experience first-hand the unique Aboriginal cultural offerings available on Country.
The centre will also play a role in the economic empowerment of Aboriginal people through the growth of cultural industries and tourism sectors, creating employment and training opportunities.
To help realise this vision, a joint funding commitment of $104 million from the State Government and the Commonwealth Government is progressing the planning, engagement and design for the centre. This will ensure all communities have the opportunity to contribute to the centre's development.
Strength in community self-determination at annual event.
As the project team celebrates National Reconciliation Week, we are reminded of the centre’s ambitions to become a powerful conduit towards reconciliation in Western Australia.
Experienced Aboriginal community members announced to join project’s Steering Committee.
Hundreds turn out to Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Summit, held at the Perth Convention Centre in Boorloo (Perth).
A significant piece of work that has been undertaken this year is the engagement outreach with Aboriginal people and communities across Western Australia.
The culture shared at this important ceremony shows why it is so vital that we have a place where we can celebrate and learn more about the diversity of Aboriginal culture and heritage.
On 15 August, the Premier the Hon Mark McGowan together with the Whadjuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre Cultural Authority representatives, announced the Terrace Road carpark as the location for the Aboriginal Cultural Centre for Western Australia.
In 2023, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre (ACC) project will expand its membership of the Steering Committee to include suitably experienced Aboriginal leaders from regional Western Australia.
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre for Western Australia project marked another milestone today with a cleansing ceremony of the Terrace Road site prior to the start of ground investigation works.
The centre’s cultural framework grounds the project in the cycle of its host Country on Whadjuk Noongar boodja by aligning planning and development with the Noongar 6 seasons.
We are currently in the birth phase, or Kambarang, which is the birth of the project where the ideas, narratives and themes start to shape place.
The 6 seasons framework outlines each phase of the project’s development which is connected to Noongar boodja (Country) seasons and life cycle.
Source: 6 seasons framework, intellectual property of Dr Richard Walley OAM.
As we move into the Kambarang phase we will be expanding engagement across WA with Aboriginal people and communities, traditional knowledge holders as well as language, art, and cultural centres.
This will provide an opportunity to update the wider Aboriginal community on the project and ensure all communities can contribute to the centre's planning and development.
We look forward to partnering with you to help shape the vision, functions and scope of the statewide Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
The Aboriginal Cultural Centre presents an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Aboriginal cultures and communities across WA on a state, national and international platform.
An Aboriginal engagement strategy has been developed to guide meaningful engagement with Aboriginal people for this project.
The project's Steering Committee meets monthly and has strong representation from the Aboriginal community.
If you would like further information regarding the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, please contact the project team via email at ACC@dlgsc.wa.gov.au or call 61 8 9492 9890.