Borough’s reconciliation journey under way

THE Borough of Queenscliffe has started the difficult journey of reconciling with the regions First Nation people, appointing Aboriginal owned consultancy Tiiamanno to help it through the implementation of its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

A longstanding commitment from the borough and listed as a top priority from new mayor Isabelle Tolhurst, early work on the plan has started with consultants holding workshops with councillors and staff.

“As an organisation we really are at the begiinning of the journey,” Cr Tolhurst said.

“We’ve been looking at historical acceptance of the realities of our history with First Nations people, the grave mistreatment, the removal of culture, we’ve been looking at equity and equality, about institutional integrity, we’ve been really trying to understand reconciliation holistically.

“What I would say to the public is that we are at an education point, we are absolutely educating ourselves and furthering our knowledge, so that we can promote that knowledge.”

The present timeline for the process takes council through to the end of 2023, when it will assess its progress on the plan ahead of an eventual application to Reconciliation Australia for official recognition.

Council assigned $20,000 for the RAP in its 2022-23 budget, and another $20,000 for installation of Wadawurrung signage and place names across the borough.

Cr Tolhurst said the borough is also stepping up its role in helping communicate to the community its role in the Voice to Parliament campaign that will be put to a national referendum, most likely in the new year.

“Some of the big pieces that are happening at a state and federal level. Locally we’re trying to lock those things in, Treaty, Voice to Parliament…just this recognition that these things that are happening at a state and federal level are also happening at a local level.”

Cr Tolhurst recently added her name to the joint Statement of Mayors from across Australia in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the coming referendum on whether to constitutionally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through a Voice to Parliament.

“As a result of this pledge we’ll engage Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to understand how they want the referendum and Voice to be communicated,” she said.