Message from Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine
Reconciliation Australia welcomes Canteen Australia to the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program with the formal endorsement of its inaugural Reflect RAP.
Canteen joins a network of more than 1,100 corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.
Since 2006, RAPs have provided a framework for organisations to leverage their structures and diverse spheres of influence to support the national reconciliation movement. The program’s potential for impact is greater than ever, with over 2.3 million people now working or studying in an organisation with a RAP.
The four RAP types – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate – allow RAP partners to continuously develop and strengthen reconciliation commitments in new ways. This Reflect RAP will lay the foundations, priming the workplace for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives.
The RAP program’s strength is its framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities, allowing an organisation to strategically set its reconciliation commitments in line with its own business objectives, for the most effective outcomes. These outcomes contribute towards the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity; unity; and historical acceptance. It is critical to not only uphold all five dimensions of reconciliation, but also increase awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and leadership across all sectors of Australian society.
This Reflect RAP enables Canteen to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions. Getting these first steps right will ensure the sustainability of future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and provide meaningful impact toward Australia’s reconciliation journey.
Congratulations Canteen, welcome to the RAP program, and I look forward to following your reconciliation journey in the years to come.
Karen Mundine Chief Executive Officer Reconciliation Australia
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia as the first people and Traditional Custodians of the lands, skies, and waterways of this country. I pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made so far on our reconciliation journey, and I am pleased to present our second Reconciliation Action Plan, Canteen’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2022 - 2024.
When I look back on our RAP journey, we have honoured the intentions set out in the Reflect RAP and have taken meaningful steps towards building respectful working relationships with First Nations stakeholders to advance our reconciliation agenda. We committed through our learning, to building our knowledge and understanding of the histories and cultures of First Nations peoples. As such, all staff have now completed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competency training and this training has been embedded into our induction process for all new starters.
Front-line psychosocial staff who provide important support to our young people impacted by cancer, have been provided with further training encompassing trauma informed practice to ensure that they are equipped to provide culturally appropriate support. These activities build a strong basis from which we can move into our Innovate RAP and make progress on ensuring that we meet the needs of First Nations young people and families impacted by cancer.
Our Innovate RAP provides a framework to build on our appreciation of the resilient cultures of our First Peoples and describes the actions we will take over the next two years to advance reconciliation at Canteen. It outlines our ongoing commitment to strengthen, expand and draw on established relationships with First Nations stakeholders ensuring that First Nations cultures and voices are heard and valued. Our Research, Evaluation and Policy Team will be at the heart of this work, as we work alongside First Nations researchers to establish a best practice framework to ensure culturally appropriate service delivery.
We share our Innovate RAP with the support of our young people, employees, and Board. We recognise that reconciliation is a work in progress, work that is the responsibility of us all. I look forward to implementing our Innovate RAP as we continue this journey, and I call on everyone to be a part of Australia’s reconciliation movement.
Peter Orchard Chief Executive Officer Canteen Australia
Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land from which I write. I would also like to acknowledge all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia. I pay respect to Elders past, present and future and acknowledge their histories as the first people and Traditional Custodians of this great land.
It brings me great pride to be able to share with you the first draft of Canteen Australia’s Innovate Reconciliation Plan.
I would like to acknowledge the significant time, effort, and care that has been put into its delivery by Canteen’s staff, who have displayed a level of passion in keeping with the importance this project holds for all at the organisation.
Here at Canteen, we pride ourselves on being a purpose-driven organisation. Absolutely everything we do can and must come back to one key aim: ensuring that no young person has to go through cancer alone. All that we do flows from this pledge. As a result, when we see the inequality-driven adverse and inequitable outcomes that exist for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples affected by cancer, we as an organisation recognise that we need to do more in this space. We recognise the importance that reconciliation with Australia’s First Peoples holds in this process, and the critical need to work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and provide access to culturally responsive services.
Working in collaboration is of critical importance to Canteen, as the principles of empowerment and leadership are embedded in the soul of the organisation. Canteen simply cannot exist without the voices and guidance of the young people that we seek to support. Thus, the empowerment of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been a critical part of delivering our reconciliation efforts to this juncture and will continue to be in the future as we continuously seek to improve and grow our capacity in this area. Not only will this allow us to continue in this area but will also empower the young people we work with to better support their own peers.
The efforts outlined in ‘Our RAP Journey’, are just some of a number undertaken at Canteen, are designed to allow us an organisation to better understand the unique needs of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples affected by cancer in a culturally sensitive and more effective manner. Through the delivery of the of the Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan we pledge, as part of a broader society, to ensure that the critically important task of reconciliation is pursued with the proper respect and the commitment it deserves.
Joey Lynch Chairman of the Board Canteen Australia
