Following an announcement by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) that the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape has been inscribed on to the World Heritage List, University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Duncan Maskell made the following statement.
On behalf of the University of Melbourne, I’d like to congratulate the Gunditjmara people, the Gunditjmirring Aboriginal Corporation and their partners for successfully nominating the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape on to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The World Heritage Listing is a tremendous honour which recognises the historical and cultural significance of the Budj Bim landscape on Gunditjmara country dating back thousands of years. This is the first time an Indigenous-led application has been submitted and succeeded globally, and we hope it sets a precedent internationally for other groups to follow.
As an institution, we are immensely proud to be working alongside and learning from the Gunditjmara people and look forward to furthering our relationship in the years to come.
