Natural Hazards Research Australia (the Centre) has published its first REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan as a commitment to strengthening First Nations reconciliation across the organisation and natural hazards research community.
The REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan – available here – was developed by the Reconciliation Working Group established in 2021 to drive, coordinate and implement the Centre’s reconciliation activities.
Developed in partnership with Reconciliation Australia, Reconciliation Action Plans enable organisations to take sustainable and meaningful steps towards First Nations self-determination. A different Reconciliation Action Plan is developed for each of the four stages of an organisation’s reconciliation journey: reflect, innovate, stretch and elevate. As this is the Centre’s first Reconciliation Action Plan, it is focused on reflection and knowledge-building. The Centre will progress through subsequent Reconciliation Action Plan stages over the next decade.
The purposes of this REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan are to:
- lay the foundations for a culturally safe research environment that centres, promotes and supports First Nations leadership and knowledge
- inform and expand the Centre’s First Nations-led processes, programs and research activities
- strengthen the Centre’s relationships with First Nations peoples and communities, especially in the research and natural hazard management sector
- explore and commit to new reconciliation-building activities within the Centre
- guide the Centre’s awareness-raising activities about the invaluable contributions and leadership potential of First Nations peoples.
A joint statement from Centre Chair Dr Katherine Woodthorpe, CEO Andrew Gissing and former CEO Dr Richard Thornton reiterates that reconciliation is an important shared responsibility.
“We have a long way to go but we are in a unique position to support and make way for First Nations communities to fulfill their obligations to Country and continue to build resilience as they have always done,” the statement says.
“We hope that our initial Reconciliation Action Plan will motivate and drive change within the wider natural hazards research and emergency management sectors.”
CEO of Reconciliation Australia, Karen Mundine, congratulated the Centre on its first Reconciliation Action Plan.
“This Reconciliation Action Plan enables Natural Hazards Research Australia to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations, equality and equity, institutional rights, unity, and historical acceptance,” she said.
The document outlines 18 key actions and 63 deliverables – based around four core pillars of relationships, respect, opportunities and governance – that are currently being implemented by Centre staff and Board members. To date, 22% of the deliverables have been completed.
The REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan’s central artwork, Manawaradhanjin ‘in our hands’, was commissioned from Leanne Brook, an Aboriginal artist living and working on Murramarang Yuin Country. The artwork illustrates a shared goal between the Centre and First Nations peoples – to nurture resilient landscapes and communities. Centre staff were able to meet Leanne in April 2022 to hear about her experiences as an Aboriginal land management expert and how this inspired her artistic direction. Her artwork has also been used with permission to create reconciliation-focused banners for Centre events, as well as in email signatures and as printed canvases.
The REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan will be formally launched at 6pm on Wednesday 12 October in Meanjin/Brisbane, the first day of the Natural Hazards Research Forum. Register here to attend.