This week is National Reconciliation Week – a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
The City was one of the first organisations in Australia to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan. We wanted to ensure we maintain and bolster strong, respectful relationships with local communities and to drive reconciliation across the organisation and the local area.
Our previous Reconciliation Action Plan 2020–2024 served us well. Under that plan, we all achieved a range of tangible and practical actions, we:
- Launched our first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce strategy and employed a dedicated Workforce Advisor which has helped to increase and retain our First Nations workforce.
- Developed the cultural awareness strategy with training mandated for all staff, and already I’ve heard many people say how good it is.
- Renovated the beautiful Local Aboriginal Knowledge and Culture Centre at 119 Redfern Street, which has become a new space for communities to gather, share knowledge and practice culture. And we have begun working with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel on making the best use of another important community space at 107 Redfern Street.
- Unveiled bara, our Monument for the Eora, by artist Judy Watson, which stands tall in the Botanic Gardens overlooking the Harbour. And we began delivering Yananurala, a 9km Harbour Walk celebrating Aboriginal sites, culture and heritage. Lucy Simpson’s series of giant oyster sculptures are currently in production.
- Introduced Calling Country, a now an established part of New Year’s Eve celebrations displaying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture to an estimated 1 billion people worldwide.
- Began a review of the City’s symbols and emblems, which includes commissioned historians and other specialists to propose innovative ways to recontextualise our colonial statues.
- And we introduced a new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collaboration fund, a program of grants to support projects that meet the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the local area.
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We know that to be successful, our new Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan needed to be Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander informed and led. So the production of the plan involved communities early.
Under the new Plan we will increase our spending with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses; increase the City’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, its professional development and retention; and increase the cultural learning of all employees. We will also continue raising awareness and visibility of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights.
The City’s new Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan aims to deepen our engagements and partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in an environment of trust and mutual respect.
It will help keep us accountable to our commitments under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Closing the Gap priority reforms, and Sustainable Sydney 2030–2050 Continuing the Vision.
