The Victorian Government has set off on the road to Australia’s first-ever Treaty legislation. Already it has found that many Victorians feel they known little about their State’s Aboriginal heritage or Aboriginal affairs in general. That lack of knowledge is an obstacle and exacerbating it is that Victorians also don’t feel comfortable asking questions for fear of offending or appearing ignorant.
Clemenger BBDO Melbourne has created the answer to both of these problems, a campaign, and a platform, called Deadly Questions. On the campaign website, Victorians can people can ask questions, anonymously if they wish, and these questions will be answered by Aboriginal Victorians – responding via text or video. The platform also opens up a conversation between non-Aboriginal Victorians and the Victorian Aboriginal community at a pivotal moment in the State’s history.
To launch the campaign, some famous Aboriginal names have signed up to answer questions. These include musician, Adam Briggs; elders, Aunty Pam Pederson and Aunty Joy Murphy; and Uncle Kevin Coombs OAM.
Outdoor, social and digital advertising features some starter-questions designed to get people thinking about what they might like to ask.
Josh Smith, executive director at Aboriginal Victoria and a Dunghutti man, stated, “For us, and for Aboriginal Victorians, this campaign represents hope. Hope for change. Hope for recognition. And importantly, hope that we can move forward as a State and as a nation united.
“Never before has there been a forum like this to provide a deep understanding of Aboriginal cultures, and we look forward to joining Victorians in a conversation that needs to be had.”
Evan Roberts, executive creative director at Clemenger BBDO Melbourne, added, “This country has a long way to go to get to Treaty, but by creating an environment to talk about the issues that currently divide us we hope to unify Victorians in support of one.”
Deadly Questions launched on Sunday, June 3, across TV, OOH, the Deadly Questions website and social.
