Deal between City of Greater Bendigo and Dja Dja Wurrung aims to improve efficiency

Yilingga Marna, which means shake hands, is a 12-month land use activity agreement which pays testament to the relationship between the city and the traditional owner group.

Group chief executive Rodney Carter said the agreement was the first of its kind in Australia and aimed to make it more efficient for the city to complete projects.

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He said it would "streamline procedures" allowing the city to deliver benefits for the community while also "supporting the healing of Dja Dja Wurrung country and Dja Dja Wurrung people".

"Land use activity agreements are largely negotiations by agreement on a specific event," Mr Carter said.

"So what the city and Djaara have decided to do is look at what we might do in a year that has a connection to land use activity agreements and bundle that all into one agreement."

Mr Carter said land use agreements could be "clunky" and "complex", and this new deal meant "council can just get on and do things for the next year that they've already planned to do".

"For our communities, not just the citizens in the City of Greater Bendigo, it might not mean much to them, but if they hear historically that Dja Dja Wurrung are sort of delaying, stopping things, that's not necessarily positive," he said.

"If we're setting those sort of hindrances aside and all people know is playgrounds, bicycle tracks are getting built, in our heart we know that our agreement has been successful and is contributing to things happening efficiently. That's amazing."

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City mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the deal was a "point in time" for Greater Bendigo and came after years of establishing a positive relationship with the Traditional Owner group.

"They've always been supportive of what we do and we're conscious of the fact we're doing it on their country so we need to be respectful as we go through," Cr Metcalf said.

She said it would remove red tape as not each individual project would need approval.

"It's an agreement for 12 months, it will be reviewed at the end," the mayor said.

"If it needs to be altered in any way that conversation will happen, but if it's working for both parties then it will continue on."

Mr Carter said both the city and Djaara could set the example for other municipalities to follow.

"When you do 'first of the kind' type of stuff, it's probably a bit uncomfortable at the start, but I believe we've got this right," he said.

"When you get it right it becomes not just empowering to us, but others might look at what our achievement is and think 'we can do that as well'.

"Consistently Dja Dja Wurrung has done that for so many activities on country in so many areas.

"We're extremely proud as a people of what we've achieved ourselves and what can be of benefit for others."

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