ACT Health Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–18


Acknowledgment of CountryACT Health acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Ngunnawal people. ACT Health respects their continuing culture and connections to the land and the unique contributions they make to the life of this area. ACT Health also acknowledges and welcomes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are part of the community we serve.

The content of this Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) includes personal stories by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians, which are here for education purposes.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should be aware that this document may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.

AccessibilityThe ACT Government is committed to making its information, services, events and venues, accessible to as many people as possible.

If you have difficulty reading a standard printed document and would like to receive this publication in an alternative format – such as large print or audio – please telephone 13 2281 or email [email protected].

If English is not your first language and you require the translating and interpreting service – please telephone 131 450.

If you are deaf or hearing impaired and require the TTY typewriter service – please telephone (02) 13 3677, then ask for 13 2281.

Speak and listen users – phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 13 2281.

Enquiries about this publication should be directed to: Secretariat, ACT Health RAP Working Group People Strategy and Services GPO Box 825, Canberra City 2601 ACT email: [email protected]

© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, August 2015

Publication No: 15/0795

ACT Health Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–18 3

“Mura Gayar” — Pathways of the HeartThe artwork titled ‘Pathways of the Heart’ 1 was commissioned to reflect ACT Health’s role and function to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of the territory and surrounds.

The artist, Lynnice Keen completed the work in colours that reflect traditional cultures of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations:

The central band on the work reflects the ACT, inclusive of the national meeting place, individuals, organisations and community groups working in collaboration to achieve positive health outcomes

The outer aspects of the work reflects that the ACT has attracted people from all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations who have come to Canberra to make it their home, whilst retaining their heritage and cultural links to their traditional lands. The Pathways of the Heart depicted in the artwork reflect that people may make the ACT home, but they remain linked and return to their community groups and meeting places in homelands across the nation.

1 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission from the ACT Health, ACT Government, GPO Box 825, Canberra 2601 ACT.

"My name is Lynnice Letty Keen. I am passionate about my culture, people and land and have always felt a strong spiritual connection and belonging to my home.

I am named after my grandmother Letty Little nee Bell, a beautiful Ngunnawal woman who I know inspires me every time I paint. I am a very proud Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi woman and have grown up in Canberra for the majority of my life. I have two children Robbie and Leilani and my partner Brendan, is a Barkindji man from Wilcannia. My family connections span across Ngunnawal country (Canberra, Yass, Pudmans and Blakeney Creek), and Wiradjuri Country-Tumut, Brungle Mission, Wagga, Cowra, and Narrandera to Gilgandra, and Kamilaroi Country-Walgett."


United Ngunnawal Elders CouncilThe United Ngunnawal Elders Charter was endorsed in 2003 and outlines their commitment to Reconciliation and working harmoniously with all Australians. The Charter is owned by the Traditional Custodians of these lands, it has been shared with ACT Health to demonstrate the commitment to a shared understanding with the community.

The Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group was guided by, and found inspiration in the following statements in the charter:

• Our unity is a journey of healing. We have taken the first big step and along the path people will join with us (and leave) but everyone is welcome.

• We need to come together to create our future – one in which everyone has a place where they can feel proud, have dignity, and feel they belong.

• That communication is everything and we do this in a supportive way to know more about each other, our history and our culture.

• In this Journey we strive for Unity. We do this by empowering people, creating confidence, self-esteem and room for difference so we can work and laugh together, moving forward all the while.

The ACT Government recognises the Ngunnawal people as the Traditional Custodians of the ACT.2

The ACT Government’s adoption of the use of the term ‘Ngunnawal’ to identify the Traditional Custodians of the ACT was based on advice from a special meeting of Ngunnawal community members in May 2002.3

2 ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AGREEMENT 2015–18: Statement of Commitment Principle 3 ‘Acknowledging and valuing the role of the traditional custodians, through the United Ngunnawal Elders Council, as the authority of culture and heritage’

3 ACT Government Indigenous Protocols

ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2015–18On 23rd April 2015, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body (ATSIEB) and the ACT Government signed the Statement of Commitment to reconciliation and wellbeing of communities.

ACT Health is committed to providing quality life outcomes through focused and effective services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT.

The ACT Health RAP embraces the Statement of Commitment contained in the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2015–18 and recognises the importance and value of:

• Working together in a collaborative, inclusive and transparent manner.

• Forming and strengthening partnerships and working with individuals, groups, and community stakeholders.

• Providing accessible and equitable services that promote the fair distribution of economic resources by aiming to improve the social, environmental, economic and cultural infrastructure of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community; and

• Acknowledging the responsibility to provide opportunities of life-long learning that develop the health, wellbeing and connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their families.


Director-General’s ForewordNicole Feely

I would like to begin by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people, the Traditional Custodians of the ACT and pay respect to their Elders past and present. I would like to pay respect to other

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are a part of this community.

In July 2010, ACT Health began the Reconciliation journey by signing the ‘Statement of Commitment’ to develop the first Reconciliation Action Plan in 2011. ACT Health has been on

this journey to a shared future and improving the health outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the ACT and surrounding region since that day in July.

As the incoming ACT Health Director-General, it is with understanding and appreciation for the commitment that ACT Health staff have shown over past years to Reconciliation that

I look forward to leading ACT Health in the continuation of our journey.

I recognise the importance of Reconciliation and the contribution we can make to strengthen our existing relationships and the difference we can make to improving health outcomes for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members. It is our responsibility as the ACT and

surrounding regions leading health care provider to embed culturally respectful practices into our day-to-day interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In this plan we are

striving to create an environment that builds confidence with the local community so that they feel confident in us as a health service provider to seek and access our health services.

We are now embarking on our next steps to Reconciliation and I am pleased to present the ACT Health Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–2018.


Our Vision for Reconciliation ACT Health will continue on the journey of healing by walking together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples so that they may enjoy a quality of life, life expectancy and health status equal to all Australians.

We are continuing our work towards reconciliation and are committed to making a difference in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health by creating a culturally proficient workforce that recognises health is not just the physical wellbeing of an individual but the social, emotional and cultural wellbeing of the whole community.

‘We, each and every one of us, want this; not only for ourselves and our families. We want this, too, for people who need it the most’ (United Ngunnawal Elders Charter 2003).


Our BusinessACT Health’s Vision is “Your health, our priority”, our values of “Care, Excellence, Collaboration and Integrity”, underpin the way we work and how we treat others. This provides a strong foundation for this Reconciliation Action Plan to help strengthen relationships, respect and opportunities with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations.

ACT Health delivers public sector health services to both ACT residents and those who live in the New South Wales surrounding region. This includes Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people from across Australia who live and work in the ACT region and the traditional local custodian nations of the ACT and close surrounds. The health services provided in the ACT reach widely into surrounding areas of NSW, with many patients from these areas accessing specialist services within the Territory.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population of the ACT is projected to be the fastest growing of the states and territories, with an average growth rate over the projection period (2001–2026) of between 2.8% and 3.1% per year.

In 2014 the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population was 5,153 however ACT Health provides health care services to a much larger cohort across the region.

ACT Health employs over 6500 people and as at December 2014, 70 employees or 1.02% have identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders.

4 Australian Bureau of Statistics – 2011 Census QuickStats

ACT Health made a commitment under the Council of Australian Governments National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous health outcomes. Our business is focused on programs aimed at extending life and diminishing health risks for the entire community. We achieve this through the provision of a broad range of health services including primary care; teaching and learning for a healthy life; health promotion; illness prevention and the management of enduring health conditions in the community; and acute care services in our hospitals.

ACT Health has built very strong partnerships with community organisations to deliver Aboriginal Medical Services including Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporation. These partnerships provide a foundation to grow services delivered via Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander operated organisations.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment within ACT Health has been supported by the ACT Health Workforce Plan 2013–2018 and the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Action Plan 2013–2018 which was launched in July 2013.

‘Working in partnerships to remove barriers to good health and building the evidence around health interventions is critical for improving the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Partnerships also provide a mechanism to effectively engage with communities on their goals and priorities for health.’5

5 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013–2023 – Partnerships


Our Reconciliation JourneyThis is ACT Health’s third Reconciliation Action Plan, following the Statement of Commitment by Director-General Dr Peggy Brown in 2010. The first ACT Health Reconciliation Action Plan 2011–2012 created the initial vision and actions for the organisation which was launched during NAIDOC week in July 2011.

The second Reconciliation Action Plan 2012–2015 highlighted the delivery of a number of actions of the initial plan, and the key lessons learned were incorporated into meaningful actions. During the course of this RAP, ACT Health committed to provide cultural awareness training for all staff. Staff are provided with an overview of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health in the ACT by the Executive Director of Policy and Government Relations through the Staff Orientation program and an E-Learning module is also available online that contains historical and cultural information for all staff. As at January 2015, 3695 staff had completed the E-Learning module. A face-to-face workshop that is health focused and draws on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander case studies of patients and clients is currently being developed.

The 2015–2018 Stretch RAP will build upon the previous Reconciliation Action Plan, which was created to foster a cultural change in the health environment. Following reflection on our provision of cultural awareness training, ACT Health is resolved to further extend our commitment to building a culturally proficient organisation by increasing our awareness of reconciliation and encouraging conversations within ACT Health on how we can work towards cultural proficiency by enhancing our day-to-day interactions with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

To achieve this ACT Health stand committed to continue to:

• Work towards cultural proficiency within ACT Health

• Acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land, the Ngunnawal people

• Maintain our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, community organisations and leaders through a journey of reconciliation that ensures mutual benefits and efforts are shared and acknowledged

• Recognise the outstanding contribution of staff and community health service delivery organisations to reconciliation and Closing the Gap

• Understand the importance of what creating a future means to the United Ngunnawal Elders Council in its journey of healing and how this relates to Our Vision for reconciliation

• Broaden the awareness within ACT Health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, acknowledging their past, their histories, cultures, customs and traditions

• Acknowledge the diversity and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly within the ACT and surrounding region

• Recognise and contribute to annual events and celebrations of significance that are important to the cultural and spiritual wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.


Commitment to Cultural ProficiencyACT Health’s Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan provides our ongoing commitment to reconciliation by creating a framework for organisational culture that enables Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples to access services at any location within the organisation in a culturally sensitive manner.

Building the cultural proficiency of our organisation enables staff to have an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures and to incorporate that knowledge into daily practice and service provision.6 The incorporation of cultural proficiency into their day-to-day tasks, when working directly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, provides an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may be more confident to seek health services.

6 At the organisational level, cultural proficiency is an extension of cultural competence (the routine application of culturally appropriate interventions and practices) into the organisational culture. Universities Australia 2011, National Best Practice Framework for Indigenous Cultural Competency in Australian Universities page 57, Canberra ACT.


Our RAP Working GroupACT Health’s 2015–2018 RAP Working Group consists of a diverse group of people from multidisciplinary backgrounds across all areas of ACT Health, and other key organisations across the ACT, all of whom are committed to reconciliation and the development of the new Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan.

Membership also includes key partners across the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body, United Ngunnawal Elders Council, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service and Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwives.

The Working Group is committed to healing relationships through our Reconciliation Action Plan ensuring that it is coherent, comprehensive, internally consistent and honest with no duplicity.

We are committed to strong overarching principles and actions that give the plan integrity and translate into realistic goals, increased trust, ease of access, ongoing engagement and productive collaboration between ACT Health and other service providers.


Self-reflections

Roslyn Thorne

Aboriginal patient

“It is important we understand Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander cultures. That way we can bridge the gap to reconciliation.

It has to work on both sides. We’ve got to understand that we can’t always get what we think we should get. Sometimes we have

to help ourselves.”

Samantha Richardson

Hospital Assistant

“I think it is important for ACT Health to continue to recognise the heightened

needs of health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. I was

excited to see a new family room at Canberra Hospital, specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

to benefit from.”

Reconciliation in action — Cultural understanding to support health outcomes


My name is Agnes Shea and I’m a Senior Ngunnawal Elder. I was born in Oak Hill, Yass in the year 1931. My father was Vincent Bulger and my mother was Violet Bulger, nee` Freeman.

My father’s parents were Grace Bulger nee` Lewis, and my grandfather was Frank Bulger senior and my mother’s parents were Fred (bubbo) Freeman and Sarah Broughton Freeman.

Mum and Dad had eight children: four boys (Walter, Peter, Vincent and Joe) and four girls (Alice, Agnes, Kathleen and Margaret).

The place I was born at Oak Hill in Yass was situated where there was a stock route. Aborigine people were allowed to build humpies there and were given authority to live there (Humpies are when you go travelling, and you just build up a little shelter for the night). But we had these gunjies. They consisted of dirt floors, stringy-bark walls and galvanised iron roofs. There was an open fire for heating and cooking, there was no electricity, and no running water. We had to use 44-gallon drums to catch what water we could from the roofs. We used to have to line the house, or home we called it, with corn bags.

We weren’t allowed down town at any time, unless we were under the supervision of our parents. And we just made do with what we had.

The house that they put us in at Hollywood was a little better than the gunjies that we had over at Oak Hill. They consisted of galvanised roof and sides. But they had board floors, which was much more comfortable than the bare floor, the earth.

But we didn’t have electricity again, and we didn’t have glass windows. We had shutters which you had to push out and drop down of a night. We had an open fire and a fuel stove, which made the home a little bit more comfortable than Oak Hill. The houses were probably built by the Aboriginal Protection Board.

I must have been seven when I started school, because some couldn’t start school until seven or eight. And then you had to leave when you were fourteen. And the reason for that was to make room for the other ones coming behind you. I – and many others in my age group – only had education from first class to third class. We had to put up with that, you know. But as long as we learnt to read and write and do maths, or arithmetic as they called it in those days, we thought we gained knowledge in life. But we did have the cultural education which came from our family; our Elders and grandparents. We spoke the language. Not fluently all the time, but occasionally we could talk it with one another, and make sentences and things like that. We were just starting to do it fluently, but because of the complaints we had to abolish it.

The Elder’s Council would be mainly the grandparents, or the great grandparents if they were there then, or the mothers and fathers; whoever was in their age group as an Elder then. I think it used to be over 60, to be classed as an Elder then. And they would keep Council, and they would make decisions.

Agnes Bulger Shea

Aunty Agnes has provided this story

to allow for an understanding of the

progress in reconciliation in her lifetime and the

evolution of health services – Reconciliation is everyone’s business

Personal story


Mum’s mother, Sarah Broughton or Granny Sal as we called her, when she came over to Yass from Brungle to live – and she used to travel to three missions – Yass, Brungle and Cowra Mission – delivering babies, because the women weren’t allowed to go in to the hospital to have their babies.

She used to go by horse and sulky. So, no matter what the weather was, it didn’t make any difference; if she was needed, she’d have to go. And she was nearly always on cue with the women. She was the midwife but she trained the older women on the missions, so if something happened before she got there, they could cope with it. She used to deliver quite a lot of babies, a lot of them in Yass and Cowra and Brungle.

It was later that people were allowed to go to the hospital, thank goodness. They gave a ward down at the back of the hospital for the Aborigine women. And you couldn’t go in the front part of the hospital to go to the reception. You had to go around the back and come in the back door. I can’t understand why they put this restriction on the women, when they took them all into the same delivery room.

Then when you were allowed up after you had the baby, after so many days (because in those times it wasn’t like now, three days and you’re out) it was like fourteen days. After about eight or nine days you were allowed out of bed, and then you couldn’t walk up and join the other ladies up the other end of the hospital, because that was the white people’s place. They put a yellow line across the hallway and you couldn’t go beyond that yellow line, you had to turn around and go back.

We weren’t even allowed to lay out our family members, when they passed away. They weren’t allowed in the morgue. We had to lay them out in some friend’s room, or a relation’s room, in their home. The women would take care of them, clean them, dress them, wash them down and everything. The funeral director fellow would come up and put them in the coffin and everything, and then on the day they were buried he’d pick them up at the home. The Aborigine fellows would have to go over and dig the graves then.

So you could see how the practices and policies changed for Aborigines. Very slowly. Hollywood was a place that you survived. But we had happy times there.

So it wasn’t too bad, you know. We do say today that, if we had what they’ve got today, it would have made a lot of difference. Even if we’d had the education that’s around today, we’d do a lot more for the younger ones than what we’re doing. But the main lesson you learnt, once you could reason, was to respect; always to respect the person older than yourself, regardless of where they came from or who they were. And that respect was handed down from generation to generation.


RelationshipsBuilding respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, our clients, community partners and each other is crucial in providing quality services that meet the needs of the community. It is our responsibility as an influential organisation to promote respectful relationships, this will demonstrate that our community values diversity.

Focus Area:

ACT Health contributes to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health agenda and health workforce outcomes through the provision of respectful relationships between the organisation and the people we serve.

Action Responsibility Timeline Measurable Target

1. The RAP Working Group will actively monitor the RAP development, including implementation of actions and monitoring progress

RAP Working Group

Report in September 2015–2018

July 2016–2018

• The RAP Working Group will meet at least 4 times per year• Ensure a minimum of 7 identified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are represented on

the RAP Working Group• Seek external advice from Reconciliation Australia, at least once a year regarding the

implementation of the RAP and new action progress• Seek feedback from external stakeholders of the RAP Working Group at least once per year

2. Celebrate National Reconciliation Week (NRW)

All Deputy Director Generals

Executive Director Policy and Government Relations

27 May – 3 June 2016–2018

April 2016–2018

• Celebrate National Reconciliation Week by holding and supporting at least one event in each division and register on the National website

• Host ACT Health’s annual Reconciliation Recognition Awards to recognise outstanding initiative and commitment to reconciliation

• Provide information to all staff in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week encouraging participation in at least one event during National Reconciliation Week

• Invite community members and external stakeholders as guests and speakers at events



3. Strengthen our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to allow for better collaboration and understanding on the reconciliation journey

All Executive Directors

July 2017 • Encourage and support our community partners to develop their own RAP through service funding agreements

• ACT Health aligns policy and programs to Whole of Government commitments• Director General meets with Elected Body portfolio member at least 4 times per year • The DG will meet with stakeholder leaders at least annually to discuss health related issues

for the community. Stakeholders’ include United Ngunnawal Elders Council, Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service, Gugan Gulwan

• Promote the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2015–2018 by; – Featuring it on the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Portal – Inclusion in the new staff orientation presentation conducted by the Executive Director

of Policy and Government Relations – Acknowledging staff who embed their workplace practices with the five ‘ACT

Relationships Principles’ at the National Reconciliation Week (NRW) Awards• Invite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations to attend the RAP

Working Group Meetings twice per year

4. Increase awareness of reconciliation and encourage conversations within ACT Health

RAP Executive Leads

RAP Working Group

July 2015

March 2015–2018Report in September 2016 & 2018

• Establish the RAP Working Group as RAP ambassadors to promote reconciliation within ACT Health, the community and other ACT Government Directorates

• A RAP badge is worn by all members of the RAP Working Group & Executive Directors Council• Provide a copy of the RAP to all staff, including new staff members• Conduct annual community consultation workshops• Conduct annual RAP information sessions for all staff• Seek and incorporate feedback on the RAP from all staff – via the Reconciliation Australia

Barometer Survey

5. Increase awareness of the impact of ACT Health policies and procedures on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples


September 2016–2018

July 2016

• Meet with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander key stakeholders and external partners to provide updates and information around policy change at least twice per year

• Develop a policy analysis tool to ensure that policies being reviewed or developed to reflect our commitment to reconciliation

• Promote the use of ACT Health’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Impact Statement


RespectUnderstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, connection to land and histories is an important way our staff and community partners show respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Acknowledging the past and affirming respect is central to reconciliation and creating an environment in which all cultures are celebrated.

Focus Area:

ACT Health demonstrates respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations through providing services that recognise the cultural identity of individuals, engagement and listening to community needs and celebrating events of cultural significance.


1. Work towards cultural proficiency by providing a high quality, culturally appropriate and holistic healthcare service


July 2016

August 2015–2018

• Develop an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumer, carer and family feedback mechanism that reports annually on engaging with ACT Health services1

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health is included in one of the topics at the Canberra Health Annual Research Meeting (CHARM) conference

2. Provide cultural awareness training and development for staff – engaging employees in cultural learning


Executive Director Policy and Government Relations and Executive Director People Strategy Services

July 2016

September 2017

July 2016

July 2016December 2015

• Require all permanent staff to complete Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness training within 12 months of commencement

• Develop and offer a refresher training course and require all staff to complete their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness training every 3 years

• Expand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural awareness training to include face to face cultural immersion workshops for executives or staff who have completed basic cultural awareness training

• Provide training, which increases the cultural competence of clinical supervisors• Educate and mandate all staff to use the Guide for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Terminology including the use of the term Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples• Promote participation in cultural history tours of the Ngunnawal region with Ngunnawal

Elders to RAP Ambassadors and other ACT Health staff



3. Encourage employees to use and promote protocols for Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country


Senior Manager of Ministerial and Government Relations and Communications and Marketing

Deputy Director General Health Infrastructure and Planning

July 2016

September 2015

September 2015

• Develop and promote a key list of contacts for organising a Welcome to Country• Promote awareness of Standard Operating Procedure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Cultural Protocols for Events• Develop standardised meeting agenda templates to include Acknowledgement of Country• Conduct Acknowledgement of Country at all public events and at appropriate internal meetings• All executive staff are to provide a response to a Welcome to Country• Arrange for a Ngunnawal Elder to give a Welcome to Country address at significant

community events• Display Acknowledgement of Country posters in all ACT Health meeting rooms• Acknowledgement of Country stickers are available for staff identity passes• Increase awareness of staff signature block to Acknowledge the Ngunnawal peoples as the

Traditional Custodians of the ACT

4. Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to engage with their culture and community through significant cultural events such as National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week events

Executive Director People Strategy and Services

July 2016–2018 • Support and provide opportunities for all staff participation in local National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) Week events

• Contact our local NAIDOC Week Committee to discuss mutually-beneficial opportunities• Host ACT Health’s Annual NAIDOC Awards to recognise outstanding initiative and

commitment to reconciliation• Send an all staff email informing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff of cultural

leave entitlements• Notify staff, promote and celebrate significant events in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander calendar

5. Provide culturally welcoming environments for staff and community

Deputy Director General Health Infrastructure and Planning

September 2015

September 2016

• Display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags, ACT flag & Australian flag at key ACT Health healthcare sites

• Display artwork in entrances to new ACT Health buildings, produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists

• Feature, in compliance with ACT Health Policy for Naming Rooms and Spaces, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language when choosing names for meeting rooms and meeting spaces in ACT Health buildings and display an explanation of their meaning


Opportunities Increasing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians to work together within ACT Health and externally is important to our directorate. Our workplace will be one in which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples want to work and engage with our health services.

Focus Area:

Provide specific programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, employees and businesses that support education, training, development and business opportunities in the health care sector.


1. ACT Government has committed to annual increases of the percentage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We will increase the recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to ACT Health and explore pathways to attract new skilled employees

Executive Directors Policy and Government Relations and People Strategy and Services


July 2018

June 2015–2018

July 2017

• Implement the actions within the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Action Plan 2013–2018 – Key focus area Employment and Recruitment

• ACT Health will adopt an annual growth rate target of 10% for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment. A commitment has been made to increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment from 70 employees, as at December 2014, to a minimum of 108 employees in June 2018

• Advertise identified and special measures positions in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander media, community and employment networks to attract applicants

• Develop a statement to provide information to applicants on ACT Health being a culturally inclusive and aware workplace

• Increase opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to apply for all ACT Health positions

2. Increase the retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and the development of career pathways for ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees; including a mentoring program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruits




July 2017

July 2015–2018

July 2015–2018

• Implement the actions within the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workforce Action Plan 2013–2018 – Key focus area Support and Development Opportunities, including pathways into ACT Health Leadership training

• A retention rate baseline of no less than 90% of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees’ headcount is established. The rate will maintain alignment with the general employee retention rate

• Engage in the ACT Government Indigenous Careers Pathways programs and monitor the number of people who are employed via these pathways and retention rates

• Increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified staff attending Staff Selection training by 10%

• The ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Support Network to meet at least 3 times per year to provide support to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health workforce. Number of meetings and outcomes are detailed in annual report

• Encourage and support ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to attend the ACT Public Service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Network meetings

• Conduct exit interviews to address any issues arising with retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees



Provide training to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff accessing Professional Development opportunities


July 2016–2018 • ACT Health facilitate and organise mentors and mentor training for the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff Network with a minimum of 20% of network participants receiving the training annually

• ACT Health will update Selection Panel training to encourage and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff representation on selection panels wherever possible. This will be reported annually to the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Network

• ACT Health will promote participation annually in Community Volunteering, up to 3 days per year as provided in the Enterprise Agreements, and monitor participation through the internal monitoring process (Chris21)

• Promote and encourage staff attendance to the Employment Inclusion Seminars that occur every month, some of the sessions will provide information and mechanisms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment, Selection and Employment including both internal and external support that is available to support both Staff and Management

3. Promote ACT Health as a culturally proficient and safe workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by effectively marketing to secondary schools, universities, Canberra Institute of Technology and at career and community events

Executive Director

People Strategy and Services

July 2016 • To identify and encourage work experience opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students ACT Health will work with ACT Education and Training Directorate’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Student Education unit and other secondary schools in the ACT to develop and support student placements

• Identify Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and education providers to collaborate with and establish new partnerships that are of mutual benefit to ACT Health and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

• ACT Health collaborates with Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development Directorate (CMTEDD) on the Inclusion Pathway Strategies program, increasing ACT Health participation by 10% in current initiatives; Graduate Program and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeship Program

• Increase participation in the ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian School Based Apprenticeship (ASBA) program by 100%

• ACT Health will provide for all students accessing these programs mentoring and workplace support and ongoing staff development



4. Increase supplier diversity and the procurement of goods and services from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses

Executive Director Business and Infrastructure

July 2016–2018 • Review the ACT Health Procurement Guidelines and Policy to guide the procurement of goods/services from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses

• Access services available through Supply Nation• Establish a process whereby procurement from Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander

enterprises can be identified with a view to providing a baseline measure against which increasing targets can be set

• Ensure community organisations and services contracted to provide services on behalf of ACT Health will incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Procurement objectives into their Service Partnership Agreements

• Establish at least one new relationship with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander business. ACT Health is establishing a baseline for funding to support this initiative and will endeavour to build one new business relationship each year of this RAP

5. Emphasise the importance of reconciliation for people applying for funding or grants


July 2018 • Review Funding Agreements and Grant Applications for initiatives that contribute to reconciliation activities

• Implement in Service Funding Agreements and Grant Applications a requirement for community initiatives to contribute to reconciliation and improving local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health outcomes

• Direct funding is provided for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student scholarships

6. Increase awareness of and engagement with reconciliation outside ACT Health


Executive Director Health Improvement Branch

July 2016–2018 • Maintain the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Portal and report on the usage• Maintain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health presence on the ACT Health intranet

with an annual review• Produce effective social marketing and health promotion resources that are culturally

sensitive and appropriate for use by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations• Promote the RAP Program to other ACT Government organisations and external stakeholders


Sarah Sanderson

Sarah shared her story as an ASBA student to support young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

to choose a health career pathway

" In year 11, my school approached Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to see if they were interested in completing an Australian School

Based Apprenticeship (ASBA). This meant to me that not only when I finished college I would achieve my Year 12 Certificate I would also receive

a Certificate II in Business for the successful completion of the ASBA traineeship program. I thought this was an amazing opportunity, as I want employment in Health when I complete school. It was daunting when I first started, but it soon became clear to me that the people I worked with were here to help and support me through this. There was insight into the ACT Government and the technical side of the Workforce Policy and Planning Unit, I now understand what it is like to do administration work and this ASBA helped me earn a little bit of money while I was still focusing on my study at school. The opportunities I came across were amazing and they have given me the direction and support

to pursue my nursing career when I finish school."


Monitoring and ReportingAction Responsibility Timeline Measurable Target

1. Provide an annual report to Reconciliation Australia

RAP Working Group


• Complete and submit the RAP Impact Measurement Questionnaire to Reconciliation Australia annually

2. Review RAP noting achievements and key learning’s with input from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders

RAP Working Group


• Provide regular updates on the progress of the RAP to;• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Coordination Group• Executive Directors Council bi-annually• Ministerial communication where identified opportunities arise• The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heath portal and ACT Health intranet (HUB) bi-annually• All actions are implemented within the given timeframes• The plan will be endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and will be published on Reconciliation

Australia website• The plan will be launched publicly and on ACT Health websites

3. Develop new Reconciliation Action Plan

RAP Working Group

July 2018 • Develop new 3 year Reconciliation Action Plan (2018–2021) for ACT Health in consultation with Reconciliation Australia


ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health StatusIt is well documented that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples typically have lower life expectancy and experience poorer health across a range of indicators compared with other Australians.

The ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population is unusual, in that it is generally healthier, better educated and wealthier than peer communities in other States and Territories. However, they are still disadvantaged in comparison with the rest of the ACT population. Dispossession from lands and cultures is a significant issue for ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

A snapshot from the ACT Chief Health Officer’s Report 2014

ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:

• Make up 1.5% (5185) of the ACTs population

• Total catchment population for the ACT is 17,568

• Living in the ACT have a separation rate from hospital is nearly twice that of other ACT residents

• Have six times higher rates of smoking during pregnancy than other ACT residents

• Were hospitalised for chronic kidney disease or diabetes at around four times the rate of other ACT residents

• Were hospitalised for circulatory disease at twice the rate of other ACT residents

• Had significantly more potentially preventable hospital admissions than other ACT residents

• Were twice as likely to have a low birth-weight baby than other ACT residents

• Living in the ACT, had a weekly income nearly twice that of their national counterparts, however significantly less than other ACT residents

• Over the age of 15 with more than 3 chronic health conditions is 46%

• Report not eating adequate intake of vegetables by almost all of the population

• Use of tobacco is significantly higher than other ACT residents

• Over 15 years, report using alcohol on a daily basis by 72.5% of ACT

• Report a significantly higher number of students using an illicit substance than other ACT residents

• Residents were hospitalised at 1.4 times the rate of other ACT residents

• Most common presenting diagnosis is injury and poisoning.


References

United Ngunnawal Elders Charter 2003 https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhcs.act.gov.au%2F__data%2Fassets%2Fword_doc%2F0003%2F72426%2FUnited_Ngunnawal_Elders_Charter.doc

ACT Government Indigenous Protocolshttp://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/atsia/indigenous-protocols

ACT Healthhttp://www.health.act.gov.au/

Australian Bureau of Statistics – 2011 Census QuickStatshttp://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/quickstats?opendocument&navpos=220

Council of Australian Governments National Partnership Agreement on Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomeshttp://www.federalfinancialrelations.gov.au/content/npa/health_indigenous/ctg-health-outcomes/national_partnership.pdf

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Plan 2013 – 2023http://www.health.gov.au/natsihp

United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peopleshttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/ DRIPS_en.pdf

ACT Health Workforce Plan 2013–2018http://inhealth/PPR/Policy%20and%20Plans%20Register/Workforce%20Plan%202013–2018.pdf

ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Action Plan 2013–2018http://inhealth/PPR/Policy%20and%20Plans%20Register/Aboriginal%20and%20Torres%20Strait%20Islander%20Health%20Workforce%20Action%20Plan%202013–2018.pdf

Health Directorate Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–2018http://health.act.gov.au/our-services/aboriginal-torres-strait-islander-health/reconciliation-action-plan

Cultural Proficiency https://www.universitiesaustralia.edu.au/uni-participation-quality/Indigenous-Higher-Education/Indigenous-Cultural-Compet

ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Bodyhttp://atsieb.com.au/

http://atsieb.com.au/media-publications• ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2015–2018

• AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderElectedBodyStrategicPlan2012–2017

• AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderElectedBodyCommunityPriorities2014–2017

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards – Standard 2 – Partnering with Consumershttp://inhealth/NSQHSS/partnerwconsumer/default.aspx

ACT Government – Community Services Directorate – Committeeshttp://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/atsia/committees• ACTPublicServiceIndigenousNetwork(ACTPSIN)• AboriginalandTorresStraitIslanderElectedBody(ATSIEB)

• UnitedNgunnawalEldersCouncil(UNES)

Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service http://www.winnunga.org.au/

Congress of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nurses and Midwiveshttp://catsinam.org.au/

Gugan Gulwan Youth Aboriginal Corporationhttp://gugan-gulwan.com.au/

Reconciliation Australiahttps://www.reconciliation.org.au/

National Reconciliation Weekhttp://www.reconciliation.org.au/nrw/

National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC)http://www.naidoc.org.au/


Policy and Protocols

• ACT Health Policy and Clinical Guidance Register

• ACT Health Guide Engaging and Consulting with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities in the ACT 2015

• ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocol for Events Policy

• ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Protocol for Events Standard Operating Procedure

• ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Impact Statement 2015

• ACT Health Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Client Identification Policy

• ACT Health Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander names used in the naming of ACT Health, rooms and spaces Standard Operating Procedure.

1 National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards – Standard 2 Partnering with Consumers

ACT Health Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–18

Documents

Transcript of ACT Health Reconciliation Action Plan 2015–18