Reconciliation Action Plan
Our Reconciliation Journey
Our purpose is accessible justice – to create a system, place, and space to ensure a safety net of best practice legal advice, education, and advocacy in our specialist fields. We can only authentically work to achieve this if we honestly acknowledge our history and engage in reconciliation.
Circle Green is committed to an ongoing process of reconciliation. Our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan is the first step in formalising our reconciliation journey.
With this RAP, we look forward to developing an emerging understanding of our role in progressing reconciliation in Australia, developing relationships, and deepening our knowledge to lay the foundation for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives.
During our first year of operation (2020), we placed an Acknowledgement of Country as a preamble to our Constitution. 2021 was a significant year of establishment and consolidation for our new organisation: we reviewed and strengthened how we work and what we offer the community. Circle Green registered with Reconciliation Australia to begin the Reflect RAP in Kambarang, the season of birth and we reflected on and shared the Uluru Statement from the Heart across the organisation.
Artwork: ‘Our Connections’ Melissa Spillman (Woods)
As part of our Strategic Plan 2022-2025, Circle Green seeks to actively contribute to reconciliation in Australia by implementing the Circle Green RAP. In April 2022, we established a RAP Working Group (RWG) to guide the development and lead the implementation of our RAP. The RWG consists of board members and legal and non-legal staff across various departments and service areas. Our RWG members are deeply committed to creating and embedding this RAP in our workplace.
While developing our RAP, we have taken some initial steps toward reconciliation:
- We recognised and participated in several Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community initiatives and events, including during NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week.
- We developed and implemented an internal policy allowing employees the flexibility to work on the 26 January public holiday in lieu of an alternative date.
- We arranged training for staff and volunteers on how to deliver an authentic Acknowledgement of Country with Acknowledge This!
- RAP updates are a standing item in all management meetings.
- Online Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Awareness training is provided to all staff and volunteers as part of their induction process.
- We ensure an Acknowledgement of Country is delivered before all training, events, and meetings and incorporate a Welcome to Country into all major events such as conferences.
Partners & Our Current Activities
Circle Green has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations since our establishment. In 2022, we collaborated with the Aboriginal Family Law Service (WA), advocating for a dedicated Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People in Western Australia.
We are currently working in partnership with the Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia (ALSWA) on our Workplace Respect Project, which aims to deliver legal services and community education to reduce the prevalence and impact of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination in Western Australia. We are recruiting an Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer to engage and build relationships within the community, increase First Nations engagement with the project, and strengthen our organisational capacity to ensure access, equity, and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a culturally appropriate way.
We will continue to reflect on how we can meaningfully contribute to reconciliation, enhance our awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and traditions, and create and maintain a more respectful and culturally competent workplace.
We look forward to strengthening our current relationships and developing and maintaining strong, meaningful partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations through implementing our RAP.