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Respect Victoria’s mandate is to drive prevention of family violence and violence against women in Victoria. This must encompass violence against those most impacted and marginalised by systems of oppression.
As well as leading transformational social change, we are collaborative in our approach to leadership; we value, respect and champion the leadership role of others. Preventing violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples works best when led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Respect Victoria recognises that expertise comes in many forms, and we value diverse perspectives and ways of knowing that can enrich primary prevention. We understand that solidarity with First Nations peoples and organisations is essential to advance reconciliation and strengthen primary prevention in Victoria. We will call out the drivers of violence against First Nations women and communities, and amplify the voices of ACCOs, and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partner organisations.
Respect Victoria will act with courage and humility to understand our place in the ongoing story of colonisation. We commit to continuing to invest the time and resources necessary to being a culturally safe workplace, partner organisation and leader in primary prevention. We will build the cultural competence of our team to ensure that we don’t contribute to the “colonial load” on First Nations employees and partners.
Action 1: Establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations
| Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Meet with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations to develop guiding principles for future engagement. | Mar 2025 | Director, Communications & Community Change |
| Develop and implement an engagement plan to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations. | Jun 2025 | Director, Communications & Community Change |
Action 2: Build relationships through celebrating National Reconciliation Week (NRW)
| Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Circulate Reconciliation Australia’s NRW resources and reconciliation materials to our staff. | 27 May - 3 Jun 2025, 2026 | Coordinator, Prevention Practice |
| RAP Working Group members to participate in an external NRW event. | 27 May - 3 Jun 2025, 2026 | Coordinator, Prevention Practice |
| Encourage and support staff and senior leaders to participate in at least one external event to recognise and celebrate NRW. | 27 May - 3 Jun 2025, 2026 | Coordinator, Prevention Practice |
| Organise at least one NRW event each year. | 27 May - 3 Jun 2025, 2026 | Coordinator, Prevention Practice |
| Register all our NRW events on Reconciliation Australia’s NRW website. | May 2025, 2026 | Strategic Advisor |
| Review HR policies and procedures to remove barriers to employees participating in National Reconciliation Week. | Apr 2025, 2026 | People & Culture Manager Director People Governance & Operations |
Action 3: Promote reconciliation through our sphere of influence
| Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Develop and implement a team engagement strategy to further build awareness and understanding of reconciliation across our workforce. | Jun 2025 | Coordinator, Evaluation and Evidence |
| Communicate our commitment to reconciliation publicly. | Jun 2025, 2026 | Social Media Coordinator |
| Explore opportunities to positively influence our external stakeholders to drive reconciliation outcomes. | Jun 2025 | Manager, Prevention Policy and Influence |
| Collaborate with RAP organisations and other like-minded organisations to develop innovative approaches to advance reconciliation. | Mar 2025 | Strategic Advisor |
| Provide at least two opportunities a year for our team to hear from guest speakers on topics related to reconciliation. | Jun 2025, 2026 | Director People, Governance and Operations & Strategic Advisor |
| Investigate opportunities to raise awareness of our RAP and its implementation through existing meeting structures and communications channels, including CEO and People Update emails. | Jun 2025, 2026 | Director People, Governance and Operations & Strategic Advisor |
Action 4: Promote positive race relations through anti-discrimination strategies
| Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Conduct a review of people and culture policies and procedures to identify existing anti-discrimination provisions, and future needs. | Mar 2025 | People & Culture Manager |
| Contribute to reviews of Whole of Victorian Government policies and communicate existing anti-discrimination policies for our organisation. | Jun 2025 | People & Culture Manager |
| Engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and/or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisors to consult on our anti-discrimination policy. | Mar 2025 | People & Culture Manager |
| Educate our team, including senior leaders, on the effects of racism. | Jun 2025 | People & Culture Manager |
Definitions
- Cultural load: “The load placed knowingly and unknowingly on First Nations peoples by Settlers and Institutions. It includes biases, assumptions, expectations and entitlement held by Settlers.” - Reframing “Cultural Load.” Weenthunga Health Network, 16 November 2023.