National Reconciliation Week

During NAIDOC Week, many Indigenous women are assigned unpaid work. New research shows how prevalent this is in the workplace

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
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Events like NAIDOC Week see employers across the country leaning on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

Key Points: 
  • Events like NAIDOC Week see employers across the country leaning on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
  • They are expected to plan and organise cultural events and experiences, which is rarely reflected in their job description or pay packet.
  • The Make us Count report, which we co-authored, found this is not just limited to NAIDOC Week.

Aboriginal unpaid labour is nothing new

    • Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru author and academic Dr Jackie Huggins, has written about unpaid domestic service provided by Aboriginal women and girls.
    • Huggins goes on to say the report reveals little has changed and Aboriginal women are still expected to perform unpaid labour.

It’s not ‘cultural load’

    • Ngadjuri and Bundjalung academic Kelly Menzel has argued workplaces often misuse the term “cultural load”.
    • This term is often used to describe the additional unpaid work expected of people because they are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander – like organising NAIDOC week events or educating non-Indigenous staff.
    • Overburdening Aboriginal women with unreasonable workloads not part of their job description is not reflective of cultural responsibilities or cultural load.

What the ‘Make us Count’ research found

    • One participant stated, in terms of recruitment and promotion opportunities, that “Aboriginal women are the bottom of the pecking order”.
    • The Make Us Count research found managers in the Victorian public sector failed to act on reports of bullying, harassment and racism.
    • Aboriginal transgender women and gender diverse people, as well as Aboriginal queer women, were invited to participate in this research.
    • Madi Day received funding from the Commission for Gender Equity in the Public Sector's Research Grants Round 2022- Victoria State Government.
    • Bronwyn Carlson received funding from the Commission for Gender Equity in the Public Sector's Research Grants Round 2022- Victoria State Government.

The Voice alone won't solve the issues facing Indigenous people. Everyone has to do that work

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
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This may be why many Australians are expressing hope the Voice to Parliament is going to solve such problems.

Key Points: 
  • This may be why many Australians are expressing hope the Voice to Parliament is going to solve such problems.
  • Indigenous leaders, scholars, activists and community members have spent decades suggesting solutions to inequities in this country, which still haven’t been implemented.
  • Read more:
    Attention managers: if you expect First Nations' staff to do all your 'Indigenous stuff', this isn't support – it's racism

Indigenous people have already offered solutions

    • And expecting an Indigenous “Voice” to be a fix-all for inequities brought about by the colonial project is unrealistic and problematic.
    • As Indigenous academics have pointed out, often issues placed under Closing the Gap targets are lost in the list.
    • Indigenous leaders, communities and organisations have led research focusing on racism, Indigenous deaths in custody, the Stolen Generations, and the harm caused by the Northern Territory intervention.

What will be different this time?

    • The Voice to Parliament could potentially represent the views of Indigenous communities and hopefully assist in informing policy and legal decisions that impact our lives.
    • But the Voice to Parliament cannot solve the deeply entrenched racism and bigotry in Australian society, media, and institutions.
    • And expecting it to do so is assigning the role and responsibility of addressing racism to the people experiencing it.

Even if we get the Voice, non-Indigenous people still need to ‘do the work’


    After I asked my students who is responsible for reconciliation work we discussed the kind of work that needs to be done by all non-Indigenous peoples to address the ongoing damage of colonisation. This (ongoing) work requires everyone to:
    • We cannot rely on one strategy to “solve” the racial divide in Australia.
    • The issues Indigenous People face need to be addressed now instead of passively waiting to see if we get the Voice to Parliament.

Sims Limited Launches Second RAP during National Reconciliation Week 2023

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, June 1, 2023
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Sims Limited (ASX: SGM), a global leader in sustainability and an enabler of the circular economy, today announced the launch of its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) – its first Innovate RAP .

Key Points: 
  • Sims Limited (ASX: SGM), a global leader in sustainability and an enabler of the circular economy, today announced the launch of its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) – its first Innovate RAP .
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230531006066/en/
    Sims Limited Innovate Reconciliation Plan (Graphic: Business Wire)
    Sims Limited’s Innovate RAP is endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and reflects an evolution of the company’s progress in the Reconciliation movement.
  • “As a company whose history in Australia goes back more than 100 years, we recognise Sims Limited has a role to play in contributing to Reconciliation, and we are proud to launch our next set of commitments during Reconciliation Week ,” said Alistair Field, chief executive officer and managing director at Sims Limited.
  • To read and download the Sims Limited Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, visit simsltd.com/DEI .