We’re excited to announce the formal endorsement of our first Reconciliation Action Plan. We began work on our Reflect RAP in 2020, and it’s been a rich experience of listening, learning and finding our way through important and at times uncomfortable conversations.
Our RAP began as an exploration into what ‘best practice’ First Nations engagement looks like in project work and has expanded into a much broader knowledge and interrogation of Australia’s history and what is it to be Australian. This process has prompted within our practice a desire to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, community, cultural values and beliefs. The initiatives outlined in our RAP provide an excellent foundation for us as a practice to explore new ways of thinking and be more inclusive in the way we work and design.
Across many of our current projects, we have sought to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders to find ways to incorporate First Nations design principles and expression into our work. Most recently, our work on the Bendigo Law Courts, University of Tasmania (UTAS) Cradle Coast, and University of Tasmania Inveresk have included a range of engagement initiatives. Through undertaking this RAP and participating in workshops with specialist intercultural Aboriginal consultants, we’ve examined our processes and looked for ways in which to improve them.
