Our Reconciliation Action Plan
As a leading health service in Australia, we are committed to ensuring our services contribute to the “Close the Gap” targets to improve both health outcomes and access to health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The RFDS Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is the strategic framework that drives strong relationships, respect and opportunities with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters. It is our roadmap to embed reconciliation to become ‘business as usual’ in all areas of our organization.
Through our reconciliation journey we strive for a culture of unity, equity and respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians. Our vision for reconciliation is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to have access to culturally safe health services and to experience better health outcomes as a result.
This will be achieved by working in close partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities and ensuring all our staff embark on a journey of cultural learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories. We are committed to creating a culturally safe workplace that fosters a deep understanding of the ongoing impact of dispossession, colonisation and genocide.
In July 2020, CEOs and Federation Board agreed to the development of a new National RFDS RAP to be launched in 2021. This will be the third RAP for the RFDS and will demonstrate a renewed commitment to further embed reconciliation throughout our organisation over the next three years, taking a revised approach to actions we have not been able to achieve to date.
We acknowledge and pay respect to the traditional owners of the lands on which we work and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and the community. We feel privileged to engage with such diverse and rich cultures and we hope to deepen our understandings and our relationships with First Nations people around the country as part of our ongoing reconciliation journey.
