Jefa Greenaway - Shifting beyond decorative stereotypes

In this episode, Nicole Eadie and Daniel Moore speak with Jefa Greenaway, founding Director of Greenaway Architects. With over three decades of experience championing Indigenous-led design, Jefa has shaped some of Australia's most significant projects and co-authored the International Indigenous Design Charter, a landmark framework for equity and Country-centred design. Our conversation explores what Indigenous design equity means in practice and how it can shape the built environment with authenticity and respect for Country. Jefa reflects on his leadership roles across cultural, educational, and infrastructure projects, including the North East Link, the UTS National First Nations College, and the Koorie Heritage Trust, and shares insights on the responsibilities of collaboration, competition procurement, and the growing call for Indigenous representation in public tenders. He discusses the challenges of cultural load, the risks of tokenism, and the importance of shifting beyond decorative stereotypes towards genuine co-design that meets the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Jefa's perspective highlights the balance between practical realities of procurement and construction and the deeper responsibility architects have to embed cultural knowledge, equity, and design excellence. Our sponsor Brickworks also produces architecture podcasts hosted by Tim Ross. You can find 'The Art of Living', 'Architects Abroad, and 'The Power of Two', at brickworks.com.au or your favourite podcast platform. If you'd like to show your support please rate, review, and

You can listen to Jefa Greenaway - Shifting beyond decorative stereotypes online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Jefa Greenaway - Shifting beyond decorative stereotypes is an episode from Hearing Architecture by Daniel Moore.

This episode is 54:48 long.

This episode was published on Sep 4, 2025.

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