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Gilibanga means to Create, Make Light.

This name was gifted to us by the Darkinyung Language Group in 2022, and it holds everything we are: a Network of Blak evaluators, knowledge holders, and trusted allies, coming together to illuminate a different way forward for the evaluation sector in Australia.

We are not here to fit into existing systems.

We are here to transform them.
Gilibanga is a Blak-led national Network, co-creating a space of light by amplifying the voices and actions of First Nations evaluators who are driving systemic change for positive impact.

Our strength lies in the connectedness of our members and in the collective wisdom and leadership that emerges through trust, kinship, and shared responsibility.

We welcome allies who don’t just stand beside us, but who actively open doors, shift systems from the inside, and create real space for Blak evaluators to lead.

“Appreciation without action is not allyship”
– Tammy Baart Blak Ignited
our values

Our Purpose

We Exist to Make Light.
For too long, the Australian evaluation sector has operated in ways that marginalised First Nations voices, extracted our knowledge, and measured success by standards that failed to honour our worldviews. Our purpose is to change that: not incrementally, but systemically and transformatively.
Gilibanga exists to:

Amplify

the voice and practice of Blak evaluators in the evaluation sector, demonstrating leadership and better practice.

Build

confidence in First Nations peoples through culturally inclusive and responsive offerings, supporting them to step back into the evaluation space and lead the work going forward.

Disrupt

the current paradigm and decolonise and demystify impact measurement and evaluation practice.

We are co-creating an evaluation ecosystem built on cultural integrity, authority, and accountability: one where Indigenous ways of knowing are not just present, but leading.

This is not merely a project. It is a powerful, autonomous, self-determining movement. And it is growing.

How We Show Up

At Gilibanga, how we do our work is just as important as the work itself. Our approach is grounded in relationships, cultural responsibility, and collective care. These principles shape the way we show up, make decisions, and walk alongside each other.
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Connection

How and where we connect reflects our diversity, relationality, and geography as a collective. We centre First Nations ways of knowing, being, and doing in every interaction : with each other, and with the broader sector.
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Reciprocity

We hold a shared responsibility to contribute to thought leadership, share knowledge, insights, and connections, and bring these back to our communities and spaces. Every voice has a place here. Members actively seek to bring others along on the journey.
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Cultural Excellence and Integrity

We champion and celebrate cultural excellence in all spaces. We advocate for cultural responsiveness and bring a high level of cultural integrity and humility to our work together. Excellence is not optional : it is our standard.
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Kinship

We build and maintain effective relationships with each other, our families, our communities, and our partners : grounded always in accountability and respect. Kinship is not a concept for us. It is our foundation.
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Justice and Equity

We foster justice and equity through fair process, transparency in decision-making, and a genuine commitment to valuing all voices. We reflect on power, challenge inequity, and create space for every perspective to be heard.