Rodney Carter

Rodney Carter is a descendant of Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta people and resides at Bendigo in Central Victoria. He currently works for his people, the Dja Dja Wurrung as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation trading as ‘DJAARA’ and the subsidiary company Dja Dja Wurrung Enterprises Pty Ltd trading though its trusts ‘DJANDAK’, ‘DUMAWUL’ and ‘DJAKITJ’ and holds the Chairperson position of the Company Board which he began in before being employed with the Dja Dja Wurrung.

A defining moment for Rodney was as Signatory and Claimant negotiating the Dja Dja Wurrung people's native title settlement which resulted in a Recognition and Settlement Agreement in 2013 under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010, culminating over a decade long journey of discussions and negotiations with the State of Victoria.

Two passions Rodney has are first, his peoples’ life ways and second, through biodiversity strategy to give real connection to cultural heritage as evidence of peoples’ presence in landscapes. Sadly the villages, home and farms of his people have been razed to the ground by newcomers to our homelands but today the Djarra are re-building their lives again as leaders in Central Victoria to the benefit of not only his people but all visitors and those that choose to live here at Djandak.

Rodney is a member of the Loddon Campaspe Regional Partneships Committee since its inception and he also holds a position on the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council because he strongly believes that Victorian Aboriginal people are those best placed to manage their own history, places and materials for the benefit of all Victorians.
Rodney was Chairperson until August 2021 and was previous Chairperson of the Council over 2012, 2013 and 2014 and his current 3-year appointment as a Council member will end on September 2024. He is currently the Secretay’s nominee for the Dhelkuya Dja Land Management Board for implementation of the Dja Dja Wurrung Joint Management Plan for the 6 Aborginal Titled L:ands in the care of his people. He has recently been elected to the Victorian First Peoples Assembly for Treaty and has been appointed Co-Chair of its Elders Voice.

The Dja Dja Wurrung are a member to the Federation of Victorian Traditional Owners Coporations and he served as its Chairperson though 2018-2022. He has also Chaired a number of State Project Control Groups for the Victorian Traditional Owner Cultural Burning Strategy 2019, Victorian Traditional Owner Game Management Strategy 2020, Victorian Native Foods and Botanicals Strategy 2021, member of CEO’s and Secretarys group for the Victorian Enviroments Forum as part of the Victorian Biodiversity Strategy 2037, the Water for Victoria Plan 2016 member. Having many years’ experience working across ‘Arts based’ activities, through the Victorian Department of the Arts, the Museums Victoria and its venues, a notable achievement was working also as a Development Manager for the construction and the opening of the Melbourne Museum and became the innaugral Bunjilaka Aborginal Centre Manager.