Reconciliation
Wadawurrung Traditional Owners and their Ancestors have lived and cared for this Country for thousands of generations. Council acknowledges and pays respect to the Wadawurrung peoples as the traditional custodians of this area we call the Borough of Queenscliffe. Traditionally Queenscliff was known as Nherrin-boorwoork, Point Lonsdale as Gowayn and the Bellarine as Bellawiyn.
The Borough of Queenscliffe has been developing its Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This was a process of deep listening to First Nations peoples for guidance. This document will guide our actions going forward and builds on the relationship between Council and Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation (WTOAC) and First Nations peoples. The RAP is a key deliverable in the Council Plan and the Climate Emergency Response Plan, and crucial to ensuring alignment between Council’s annual operational plans and WTOAC’s Healthy Country Plan (Paleert Tjaara Dja).
A Reflect RAP is used to lay the foundations in a workplace for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives. A Reflect RAP is an internally focused document that is a public commitment by an organisation. It is a strategic framework designed to provide workplaces with a roadmap to begin their reconciliation journey and includes mandatory actions and deliverables that workplaces are required to commit to in order to receive Reconciliation Australia’s endorsement.
In March 2024, the Borough’s Reflect RAP was endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and Council and will now take around 12 months to implement. Council will also procced with the next step in the process, which is to develop an Innovate RAP. In this next phase, Council will work with the community to develop reconciliation initiatives. An Innovate RAP requires two years for development and endorsement from Reconciliation Australia.
There are four types of RAP’s that are developed in the order of:
1. Reflect
2. Innovate
3. Stretch
4. Elevate.
The RAPs are structured around Reconciliation Australia's RAP Framework and the following four core pillars: Relationships, Respect, Opportunities, Governance. For more information on RAP Development visit Reconciliation Australia.
The Borough of Queenscliffe is committed to ensuring Council, community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will walk together on the journey of reconciliation. We hope that this work will foster respect, strengthen relationships, and develop opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
To read our Reflect RAP, click on the link below.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan
Read Council's Reconciliation Policy here. This policy is currently under review.