Council makes new plan for reconciliation

Published: 27 May 2019

Council, as an organisation, is committing to becoming more culturally aware and to provide greater opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members.

Mayor Greg Williamson met with Traditional Owners and community leaders today to officially launch council’s new Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

The RAP will govern council’s reconciliation journey through to 2022.

Cr Williamson said it was wonderful that council was able to launch its RAP on the first day of National Reconciliation Week.

He said the Stretch RAP focused heavily on employment and training.

“As the largest employer in the region, we can make considerable inroads into reconciliation by educating and involving council staff,” Cr Williamson said.

“Cultural Awareness Training is an excellent tool for eliminating unconscious bias in the workforce and we will be rolling it out to all council staff, including face-to-face workshops for our customer service teams and leadership team,” he said.

“Council is also setting a target to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment within council to a minimum of four percent of the workforce.”

Council will work towards hitting this target by using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media to advertise jobs, offering pre-employment training to potential employees and providing professional development opportunities and mentoring for existing Indigenous staff members.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2019 is “Grounded in Truth Walk Together with Courage”. This theme encourages the sharing of stories and truth telling about Australia’s colonial history.

Council’s RAP Launch kicks off an exciting list of National Reconciliation Week events in our region.

National Reconciliation Week events:

  • CQUniversity Community Reconciliation Barbecue at Ooralea Campus – Tuesday, May 28, from noon to 1.30pm
  • Caneland Central will host a storytelling display in conjunction with the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships. The display will showcase a collection of local ATSI organisations – Monday, May 27 to Tuesday, June 4
  • Walk for Reconciliation on the Forgan Bridge – Thursday, May 30, from noon to 1pm
  • Film screening of We Don’t Need A Map at Dudley Denny City Library followed by Reconciliation Round Table discussion with local elders (followed by light refreshments) – Thursday, May 30, from 6pm to 8pm.