Launching our RAP

LAunching our reflect reconciliation action plan

Above: ‘Our Journey’ by artist Auntie Heather Kennedy.

“Reconciliation is an ongoing learning journey for all of us. It’s important because we are all still learning about our own history, even Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, we are learning new ways to learn about and connect with culture. It’s important we go on this journey together.” 

— Julie Coombes, proud Wurundjeri-Wilam woman, Co-Chair of our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group, Aboriginal Liaison Officer and Specialist Family Violence Advocate in the Support and Recovery Team.

Through this, our inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan, we are striving to reconcile and contribute to healing. 

We commit to the vision, principles and strategic priorities of Dhelk Dja: Safe Our Way – Strong Culture, Strong Peoples, Strong Families, the key Aboriginal-led Victorian agreement that commits Aboriginal communities, services and government to work together to ensure Aboriginal people can live free from family violence. 

We recognise that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s self-determination is synonymous with reconciliation, healing and recovery. It is the centre of safety, wellbeing and identity, and so we seek to better understand what self-determination means for First Nations Peoples who use our services and programs, and those who work or partner with us. The holistic, self-determination approaches to healing and recovery set out in the Nargneit Birrang (‘To see the river’) Framework  will be our road map to culturally safe service design and delivery.

Victorian Aboriginal communities continue to be significantly impacted by colonisation. 

The violent dispossession of land and children has caused intergenerational trauma. Stolen wages has contributed to social and economic exclusion, and successive government policies has driven disconnection from community, language and culture.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families are disproportionately affected by family violence compared to the non-Indigenous population. We recognise that as a specialist family violence service on Wurundjeri Country which has experienced significant impacts of colonisation, we have leadership role to play in reconciliation in our community, in our organisation and within our service system and sector.

We look forward to growing our existing partnerships with Community and expanding our connections to amplify our collective impact in the spirit of reconciliation.

A huge thank you to Auntie Heather Kennedy who partnered with us to create an inspirational artwork imbued with ‘Our Journey’, shown above.

Thank you to Reconciliation Australia for you leadership and support through our first RAP process.

Thank you to the RAP Working Group for your time, commitment and energy.