Greater Dandenong Council is reviewing ways to make nominations for its annual community awards more culturally inclusive.
Councillor Sean O’Reilly, in successfully moving for the review on 11 August, said the aim was for fewer barriers for all residents to be eligible and to nominate for the Australia Day Awards.
The award categories will also be reviewed to ensure they reflected Greater Dandenong’s diverse community, he said.
For the 2025 awards, the council received 41 nominations – rebounding from a sizeable dip to 30 nominees in 2023.
The young-leader and sustainability categories garnered the most interest.
Living Treasure, volunteer of the year, arts, sportsperson and corporate citzen awards were the least popular for nominations.
Cr Rhonda Garad said worthy awardees should be judged on “demonstrated impact”, rather than excluded for not having ties with formal organisations or having long periods of service.
There were also skills not currently recognised such as entrepreneurship, digital and the ability to bring a community together, she noted.
The review will look at multilingual nomination forms and submissions.
It was also proposed to defer police and Working With Children checks on nominees until the end of the selection process, and for the council to pay for the checks.
Greater Dandenong’s annual community awards ceremony on 26 January will also be open to the public next year after strong “feedback”.
It will be combined with a citizenship ceremony.
Any changes as a result of the review are expected to be introduced in 2027.
