Aboriginal Communities Engagement Program
Aboriginal Action Plan 2021-22
The Working Together Aboriginal Action Plan 2021 – 22 has been developed under the guidance and endorsement of the Steering Committee who meets regularly to oversee the implementation of the Working Together Program.
The plan builds on the previous Aboriginal Action Plan 2020-21 and continues to incorporate actions and deliverables across five (5) key theme areas:
- Recognition
- Representation & Inclusion
- Relationships & Collaboration
- Awareness & Education
- Resourcing
Key Features of the Working Together Aboriginal Action Plan 2021-22
Recognition
- Incorporating cultural protocols into Landcare activities
- Program branding is used for promotion to create interest, start conversations, encourage collaboration and instill a sense of pride within Aboriginal and Landcare communities
Representation & Inclusion
- Relevant information is distributed to Aboriginal contacts across NSW
- Provide advice and support to Landcare NSW on increasing Aboriginal membership and representation at the State governance level
Relationships & Collaboration
- NSW Landcare Program team members participate in ‘On Country’ Landcare activities
- Consciously integrating the Aboriginal component into the mainstream NSWLP and that LLCs, RLCs are advocate of the Aboriginal Program
Awareness & Education
- Educational materials and protocols reinforced
- Incorporate Aboriginal perspectives into Landcare activities
- Promote good news stories and models of best practice in Aboriginal engagement e.g. conferences, gatherings, awards
- Facilitate the delivery of Aboriginal Cultural Awareness activities to the broader Landcare community
Resourcing
- Investigate and identify potential sources of funding and resourcing to increase Aboriginal employment and involvement in Landcare activities, networks and projects
- Sponsor a “Connecting to Country & Culture” program for Aboriginal youth (16-25 years) to support long-term engagement in Landcare ($32,000)
- Provide a large grant (>$40,000) to up to 2 x Landcare Regions to support the delivery of Regional level Aboriginal engagement initiatives
- Provide a bursary (>$5,000 each) to the remaining 10 x Landcare regions, via the RLC or other mechanism, to support Local level Aboriginal engagement activities in the region
- Support Aboriginal involvement and attendance at the 2022 State LLS/Landcare Conference in Tweed Heads, 15-17 March 2022 ($10,000)
Aboriginal Protocols Guidelines
A set of Aboriginal Protocols Guidelines has also been developed to assist the Landcare community:
Aboriginal Protocols – Welcome to Country Acknowledgement of Country
Aboriginal Protocols – Tips & Facts
“You Can’t Ask That” Aboriginal Awareness & Protocols Webinar
On 25 November over 40 Landcarers, partners and community members participated in this free educational webinar, inspired and adapted from the very successful ABC television series.
The webinar was presented and facilitated by NSW Landcare’s Community Landcare Aboriginal Engagement Officer, Craig Aspinall, and NSW Biodiversity Conservation Trust’s Senior Aboriginal Engagement Officer, Kaleana Reyland.
The format required participants to identify their six (6) most pressing questions from a set of 33 pre-prepared questions, with the highest tallied questions given priority for responses from Craig and Kaleana within the two-hour ‘webinar’ timeframe, which was actually more like live TV! Some light entertainment was also provided in the form of some ‘live Aboriginal music trivia‘ with participants required to ‘guess the song‘.
A recording of the webinar can be downloaded here. Please note that due to large file size, please allow up to 5 minutes for the recording to load on your device
A copy of the written responses for all 33 questions can be downloaded here.
DISCLAIMER: It is important to note that the responses, views and opinions expressed by Craig Aspinall and Kaleana Reyland are their own perspectives, and do not necessarily represent the views of other Aboriginal people.
