Cairns Regional Council’s (CRC’s) Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) has been recognised for its contribution toward closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents as a finalist in the Community category of the 2014 Queensland Reconciliation Awards.
CRC’s second Reconciliation Action Plan was launched during Reconciliation Week celebrations last year, following on from the original document endorsed in late 2011.
“Our RAP is a guiding resource that enable us to introduce the principles of reconciliation into our day-to-day operations,” Mayor Bob Manning said.
“It allows us to set goals and develop strategies that will contribute to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in our community.
“As a major employer, we aim to lead by example when it comes to employment and training opportunities and cultural awareness in the workplace.
“As a local government, we are always looking to provide opportunities to residents and empower our community to make the most of these opportunities.”
Cairns Regional Council’s Reconciliation Action Plan identifies a series of objectives to improve health and wellbeing and nurture local Indigenous culture.
“Here in Cairns, we are proud to have a long and rich First Peoples culture,” Cr Manning said.
“In our region, we have Aboriginal rainforest people representative of several language and clan groups.
“But there are still challenges to be overcome. Through our RAP, we are making real changes that take us another step closer to achieving the objectives of reconciliation.”
CRC is one of just three councils in Queensland to have an active Reconciliation Action Plan.
