Activity ideas for 1.1

Develop a formal Reconciliation Action Plan and/or commitment statement in partnership with your community that acknowledges local First Nations communities. Produce regular action plans that translate these commitments into measurable targets, activities and outcomes. Report on progress annually.

Partner with residents and council staff from First Nations backgrounds to develop welcoming protocols and practices that introduce migrants to local Indigenous heritage.

Establish a First Nations advisory committee and invite local First Nations community members to participate in other local multicultural advisory groups, committees and forums.

Co-develop a plan or strategy to build partnerships between local First Nations leaders, migrant and refugee community leaders, and local government, and agree on principles for a collaborative approach to working together.

Create opportunities for First Nations people to lead welcoming activities, such as cultural history, heritage and nature tours for new arrivals.

Develop an internal protocols guide to help council employees engage with First Nations people and become more culturally aware and responsive to their needs.

Examples

The Darebin Aboriginal Advisory Committee contributes to and monitors the implementation of the Darebin Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Action Plan. The committee provides strategic advice to Darebin City Council, supports community engagement, highlights issues and barriers affecting local Indigenous people, explains complex cultural issues, and helps the Council develop more effective relationships and partnerships with the First Nations community.

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The Parramatta Dialogues project involved a series of community conversations and cultural exchange workshops between First Nations and migrant communities in the City of Parramatta. The project aimed to strengthen mutual understanding between First Nations people and migrants in Western Sydney and build capacity for individual action towards reconciliation and welcoming.

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Dialogue sessions (separated by gender) involved evenings of professionally facilitated storytelling and conversations. Cultural exchange activities involved sessions on weaving, art, tool making, drumming and tree planting. The project was delivered by Parramatta City in partnership with anti-racism storytelling social enterprise, Our Race, and four multicultural and settlement support organisations.

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The City of Stirling’s newcomer’s guide opens with a welcome message from an Aboriginal Elder and
a map showing local Aboriginal place names and their meanings. The guide also features ‘a yarn’ with three Elders who talk about sharing their culture with newcomers, what life is like in the City, and local community groups and services.

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The Wadjak Northside Aboriginal Resource Centre in Balga is a regular stop on the City of Stirling’s newcomer tour. Participants experience a traditional Welcome to Country and learn about First Nations culture and history.

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The City of Hobart’s seasonal Bush Adventures program includes immersive outdoor activities led by Tasmanian Aboriginal organisation, Nita Education. Participants learn about Tasmania’s Aboriginal (palawa) culture and history, stories, dance, crafts and connection to Country.

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The City of Newcastle made use of virtual reality technology to travel back in time to help people experience nine local Aboriginal places before the Newcastle penal colony was established. In the video, the cultural significance and stories of each site are explained by Elders Wayila (Black Cockatoo) and Buuyaan (Bellbird) from the Awabakal and Worimi peoples.

See [04] Resources, p92 —

The Australian Capital Territory Government’s Welcome to Ngunnawal Country webpage includes a detailed history of the first inhabitants of the land, how to appropriately perform an Acknowledgement of Country and organise a Welcome to Country. It also acknowledges that after European settlement ‘government policies and the pressures of this new occupation created severe social pressures on the Ngunnawal community and neighbouring Indigenous peoples’.