Acknowledging the strength and resilience of First Nations’ people during Reconciliation Week, and every week

National Reconciliation Week, a time to celebrate Australia's First Nations’ history and culture and explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia, and take action to support healing, self-determination and justice.

As an organisation that focuses on protecting the rights of Victorians and representing those who need it the most, our vision for reconciliation in Australia is that we have a fair and just society where everyone is equal.

One way we do this is through our Reconciliation Action Plan which sets out the steps we will take to improve our service response for First Nations’ people in Victoria.

Update on the progress of our Reconciliation Action Plan

We recently received our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP2) evaluation report, from Karen Milward Consulting Services, which is an independent evaluation assessing the effectiveness and appropriateness of RAP2.

In the coming weeks we will be briefing and sharing the recommendations with staff and key stakeholders. The evaluation is part of a wider First Nations Services Review which also includes formal evaluation of our Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer (ACEO) Program, and two projects which review our current service delivery to First Nations clients: the Legal Help Aboriginal Access Project and Talkin’ Up project.

Together, we expect these pieces of work to provide an evidence base that will empower us to make client-led and data-informed decisions about the possible development of a third RAP (or appropriate alternative framework), future service delivery design, opportunities for collaboration with and support of Aboriginal Legal Services and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations, and adequate funding allocations.

More information

Read about our Reconciliation Action Plan