Guidelines that put Country and Aboriginal culture first win planning award  

Team members accepting the award at the awards ceremony

The Western Sydney Aerotropolis will be shaped by the culture, wisdom and knowledge of local Aboriginal people, thanks to the ‘Recognise Country’ Guidelines developed by global professional services company GHD, Zion Engagement and Planning and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. Together they received the 2021 NSW Planning Institute of Australia’s (PIA) President’s Award for Planning Excellence for the guidelines.

This award recognises leading practice, leadership and overall excellence in planning disciplines across a range of sectors. The Recognise Country Guidelines support Country-centered planning and design requirements for landowners, developers and authorities. They build upon the overarching objective in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Plan to ‘Recognise Country - Acknowledge Traditional Custodians and provide opportunities to Connect with Country, Design for Country and Care for Country when planning for the Aerotropolis’. In addition, the guidelines provide practical guidance for landowners, developers and consent authorities to deliver effective outcomes for the community and for Aboriginal people in the Aerotropolis and Western Parkland City.  

GHD partnered with Aboriginal business Zion Engagement and Planning, led by Balanggarra woman Elle Davidson. Building on relationships established with Aboriginal communities over a number of years, the team were able to work with DPIE to translate the community aspirations into a new chapter in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Development Control Plan (DCP). The Recognise Country Guidelines support the implementation of the DCP requirements to ensure that industry have clear direction in responding to these pioneering new controls.

Jahni Glasby a proud descendent of the Gumbaynggirr community in the Northern NSW Coast, and a Senior Social Planning and Community Engagement Consultant, from GHD’s Indigenous Community Engagement team played an integral role in preparing the guidelines.

“It’s an honour to win this award and have our hard work and dedication to achieve better outcomes for the built environment in Western Sydney recognised. The guidelines were developed to empower the voices of Western Sydney’s Aboriginal communities and were informed by Traditional Custodians and cultural advisors,” says Jahni.

Country is central to the identity and wellbeing of Aboriginal communities. The concept of Country cannot be easily translated as the ‘environment’, as Aboriginal people understand Country as a living cultural landscape which relates not only to the cultural group and land to which they belong – it is also their place of origin in cultural, spiritual, and literal terms. 

“It was a complex and rewarding project that puts Country and Aboriginal cultural values first. We listened to the Western Sydney Aboriginal community to understand their needs. These guidelines captured what we heard and translates that into tangible outcomes for development within the Aerotropolis,” says Jahni.

“We believe these guidelines will have application beyond Western Sydney and can prompt a response to planning for any place. We look forward to a future where Country, community and culture will be seen and celebrated in the built environment,” adds Jahni.

The ‘Recognise Country’ Guidelines were on exhibition during October 2021 along with the Western Sydney Aerotropolis Phase 2 Development Control Plan (DCP) and will be finalised early in 2022.

For further information contact:

Jahni Glasby
Senior Social Planning and Community Engagement Consultant
+61 2 9239 7605
Jahni.Glasby@ghd.com