Now more than ever: supporting reconciliation at the Centre

I’m happy to be writing to you this National Reconciliation Week with some exciting updates on our historic and continuing support of Reconciliation at Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre).

I joined the Centre in July 2023, fortunate to have had several opportunities to work with and learn from First Nations communities in my previous roles. In October 2023, I assumed the role of Chair of the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group (RAPWG), after the amazing former Chair, Beth Patch, moved onto Fire to Flourish. I am reporting the successes and lessons learned from the Centre’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which concluded in December 2023. However, given I had only been a member of the Centre for five months, and the RAPWG for two at that stage, the credit goes to Beth and the longstanding and former members of the RAPWG listed below, not to mention the staff and researchers who were involved from the beginning. The Centre committed to achieving 63 deliverables designed to support Reconciliation when it launched its Reflect RAP in July 2022. By the end of the Reflect RAP we had fully completed 89% of these with only seven deliverables remaining partially complete.

These figures provide a glimpse, but they don’t convey the story of the great work the Centre is doing, how ambitious our Reflect RAP was and the impact of achieving many of those ambitions.

Every RAP has targets to ensure businesses are consistently seeking to engage First Nations led suppliers in their work and the Centre can be proud to claim that over the course of the Reflect RAP we committed more than $2 million to First Nations-related natural hazards research. The amount is significant but doesn’t capture the intent or the impact which is aimed at supporting the resilience of First Nations communities, recognising the leadership of First Nations community members and emergency management volunteers and workers, while recognising we have a great deal to learn about resilience from the longest living culture on the planet.

Through these projects and the Reflect RAP we have been able to support:

• the development of principles and protocols for cultural land management governance and research
• a forum in Burketown/Moungibi in Queensland to explore how to strengthen local partnership in emergency management
• laying the groundwork for a scholarship to support the inclusion of First Nations peoples in natural hazards research
• attendance of researchers and staff at the inaugural National Indigenous Disaster Resilience Summit in 2023.
• the celebration of First Nations Natural Hazards research during National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC week
• the building of our staff’s capability in cultural safety and awareness of cultural protocols through specific cultural safety training and on Country training at Corranderk on Wurundjeri Country in Victoria.

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Image: Uncle Dave (left) speaking to Centre staff at Corranderk.

It’s crucial to recognise the passion and commitment of the exceptional Reconciliation Working Group members we’ve had over the course of the Reflect RAP. We’d like to thank all people mentioned below for their time, generosity and wisdom in helping develop and deliver a RAP which has stretched the Centre’s ambitions in supporting the inclusion and rights of First Nations peoples:

• Ricky Archer (NAILSMA, now National Parks)
• Oliver Costello (Jagun Alliance and Natural Hazards Research Australia Board member)
• Tammy Small (University of Wollongong)
• Bhiamie Williamson (Fire to Flourish)
• Prof Deb Bunker (CSO, Natural Hazards Research Australia)
• Andrew Gissing (CEO, Natural Hazards Research Australia)
• Dr Kat Haynes (Natural Hazards Research Australia, now Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water NSW
• Friedo Ligthart (Natural Hazards Research Australia)
• Nick Mahony (Natural Hazards Research Australia, now Building 4.0 CRC)
• Beth Patch (Natural Hazards Research Australia and former Chair of the RAP working group, now Fire to Flourish)
• Sandra Wight (National Aerial Firefighting Centre and Natural Hazards Research Australia Board member)

We would also like to extend our thanks to all the researchers and staff that have been so dedicated in delivering the Reflect RAP.

Natural Hazards Research Australia are committed to building on the successes by:

1. Compiling a reflection on our progress against the Reflect RAP. This will be available externally and include our reflections on the successes and challenges that may be of interest to other organisations in the sector.
2. Pausing before developing our next Reconciliation Action Plan to consult with our First Nations rights-holders. The aim is to form a First Nations-led Pathways Working Group to develop a Centre First Nations Strategy. This will frame our next RAP with statements of the impact and outcome we are looking to achieve with First Nations communities
3. Continuing to pursue the remaining deliverable from the Reflect RAP. Considerable progress has been made in this regard since December 2023:
   • The Centre has now been able to update its clauses to ensure that Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) is preserved and remain with the communities we engage with.
   • We are sharing a fuller document exploring principles and protocols for cultural land management and research governance and have several ongoing projects aimed at supporting Reconciliation.

I became the Chair of the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group the Monday after the Voice referendum in October 2023. It was, and continues to be, an extremely challenging time for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues and friends.

The membership of the working group changed extensively during that time, and as a group we reflected on what Reconciliation means post-Referendum. We concluded that the Referendum had underscored the need for organisations like the Centre, which are uniquely positioned to make considerable contributions towards Reconciliation, to step up and be clear on the outcomes we are trying to achieve with First Nations peoples. This has inspired the move to develop a strategy to shape and articulate our commitments to supporting Reconciliation through our work. I believe it perfectly captures the theme of this year’s Reconciliation Week: Now More Than Ever. We will keep you informed as this work progresses.