Living Positive Victoria announces its action plan for reconciliation and support for Statewide Treaty with First Peoples in Victoria
In acknowledgement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander HIV Awareness week (1-7 December), Living Positive Victoria is proud to announce its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and support for the Statewide Treaty with First Peoples in Victoria.
Our Reflect RAP sets out a framework and actions based on relationships, respect and opportunities that will enable Living Positive Victoria to increase awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and leadership in the Victorian HIV response.
As we begin our reconciliation journey, Living Positive Victoria renews its commitment to close the gap in HIV and other outcomes that exist between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people from non-indigenous and settler backgrounds. We also recongise the numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who have already made substantial contributions to the work of our organisation during its 35-year history as members, on our Board of Directors and in other advisory and volunteer roles.
Our goal is to be a culturally safe organisation and ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV in Victoria have a genuine choice in whether they access support through Aboriginal community-led services or through our HIV community-led services.
Our RAP includes concrete steps to enhance our reconciliation work. We will build, renew and maintain relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and stakeholders, including clients, members and partner organisations, maintain a reconciliation working group that includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with HIV to guide our work, and participate annually in NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week. We will also embed respect for culture and protocols, cultural awareness and anti-racism throughout our organisation and explore opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and leadership.
Critically, we will seek to build a shared understanding with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about the importance of self-determination and the voice of lived experience. Part of this work is our strong support for the Statewide Treaty, signed last month between the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria and the State of Victoria.
Treaty is a historic moment, which means that the First Peoples’ Assembly will now be a permanent representative and decision-making body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria. The Assembly will form part of a new entity, Gellung Warl, which will also include an accountability arm and a truth-telling body.
Living Positive Victoria believes that Treaty is a chance for all Victorians to acknowledge our past, heal and move forward together. As a lived experience organisation, we know the ongoing impact that meaningful involvement with people living with HIV has to strengthen our response to the epidemic. Treaty recognizes that Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people are the experts when it comes to their Country, culture and communities. It will ensure that the First Peoples of Victoria can use their local knowledge to develop and deliver practical solutions to improve health, education, housing and other outcomes. We commit to educating our communities about the benefits of Treaty and building a strong relationship with the First Peoples’ Assembly.
For more information about our Reflect RAP we encourage you to view the full plan on our website or reconciliation.org.au