The City of Greater Bendigo has announced new steps toward Indigenous reconciliation.
A report was recently delivered to Council recommending it join with representatives from the Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal Corporation and Taungurung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, and that Council nominate three Councillors to join a Community Reference Group.
The report also suggested the City develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), an internal document aiming to promote reconciliation between non-Indigenous Australians and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
More than 360 organisations have developed RAPs; this includes: various levels of government; government departments; educational institutions, not-for-profits; sporting clubs; and the corporate sector.
The development of the City’s RAP will follow the framework set out by Reconciliation Australia and will be based on the themes of respect, relationships and opportunities.
Numerous tangible benefits are reported to stem from RAPs.
In 2012, the RAP Impact Measurement Report found that 77 percent of employees that worked at an organisation with a RAP stated they were proud of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, compared to 51 percent of the general population.
This report also determined that 86 percent of RAP employees have taken action to support reconciliation, compared to 50 percent of the general population.
RAP organisations are also employing more than 18,972 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The City of Greater Bendigo’s Reconciliation Action Plan would outline how the organisation can work towards providing opportunities for increased wellbeing, building respectful relationships, and recognising culture and community.
