Improving Cultural
Awareness

Where are we now?

Today, Australian businesses are increasingly engaging with First Nations social causes. This has been driven by a greater awareness of the role businesses and institutions play, particularly for initiatives such as Closing the Gap and Reconciliation Australia. Therefore, as part of creating a more just, equitable and reconciled society in Australia, it is important that Australia institutions develop their cultural awareness and connection with First Nations peoples.

Institutions in the tourism sector can also engage with thought leaders at the local, national, and international levels to learn how to connect with and empower First Nations people in tourism and build on the rights described in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). In 2012, the 191 delegates of the Pacific Asia Indigenous Tourism Conference, organised by the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance and held on the traditional lands of the Larrakia people, resolved to adopt a set of principles to guide the development of Indigenous Tourism, known as the Larrakia Declaration. The principles of the Declaration now underpin much of today’s Indigenous Tourism policy across the states and territories in Australia.

Principles to Guide the Development of Indigenous Tourism

Respect for customary law and lore, land and water, traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, cultural heritage will underpin all tourism decisions.
Indigenous Culture and the land and waters on which it is based will be protected and promoted through well-managed tourism practices and appropriate interpretation.
Indigenous peoples will determine the extent and nature and organisational arrangements for their participation in tourism and that governments and multilateral agencies will support the empowerment of Indigenous people.
That governments have a duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous peoples before undertaking decisions on public policy and programs designed to foster the development of Indigenous tourism.

As more mainstream tourism operators reflect on these principles, they can further embed them into their practices and engagement with First Nations stakeholders in Australia.

More recent focus for First Nations advocacy has been around the findings of the Referendum Council which culminated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017. The Statement called for constitutional recognition and Makarrata, meaning treaty or agreement making. These reflect the aspirations of fairness, honesty, justice, and self-determination in a relationship with government.

As part of respecting and reinforcing the living Cultures of First Nations communities, mainstream tourism operators have the ability to support the achievement of these goals through their spheres of influence. This is something operators can explore through a Reconciliation Action Plan.

Businesses of any size or industry can improve their cultural awareness and community connections in the following basic ways:

Celebrating NAIDOC Week
Celebrating Reconciliation Week
Undertaking a Reconciliation Action Plan
Including Welcome to and Acknowledgement of Country in public communications and events
Participating in cultural awareness and training programs
Learning and integrating Aboriginal places names / dual naming
Understanding and absorbing the principles and rights outlined in the 2007 United Nations Declaration for the Right of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
Understanding and absorbing the Uluru Statement from the Heart endorsed in 2017 and the findings of the Referendum Council

Who Can Help

Indigenous-led consultancies offer a range of culturally informed advisory services to take organisations to this next step, for example:[i]

Community engagement and facilitation plans
Reconciliation Action Plans
Leadership development
Qualitative research and social impact measurement
Policy and program design and evaluation
Place strategy

Below is a list of First Nations owned organisations which can help businesses grow their cultural competency and progress their reconciliation journey. Knowing that partnership requires genuine understanding and connection, it is also important to ensure cultural awareness training contains knowledge and perspectives from the local communities you are engaging with.

Operating Area

Local

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Organisation

Tribal Warrior – Social enterprise engaged in youth mentoring, facilitating employment, sharing Culture, and consulting with workplaces.

Operating Area

Local

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Organisation

Koorie Heritage Trust – Not for profit organisation engaged in cultural education programs, art collecting, and family history services.

Operating Area

Australia-wide

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Organisation

Centre for Cultural Competence Australia – Company offering cultural competency training and education, Culture and social policy consulting and RAP development.

Operating Area

Australia-wide

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Organisation

Mirri Mirri – Company offering cultural awareness, facilitation development and employment strategies.

Indigenous Good Practice Guide

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) developed an Indigenous Good Practice Guide based on key findings in their Biannual Indigenous Engagement Survey. Companies in the survey that were identified as performing well in driving sustainable achievements in engagement with Indigenous communities were characterised by:

An Executive leadership team that has committed to improving Indigenous employment outcomes backed by dedicated (targeted) human resources.
Commitment to respectful and meaningful engagement with representative Indigenous organisations in the communities in which they operate.
Cross cultural awareness and competency training delivered annually.
Network of Indigenous employees contributing to reconciliation strategies with representatives meeting with executive leadership.
Corporate champions who support Indigenous employees.
Reporting to the Board on recruitment and retention strategies including professional development to executive leadership annually.
Implemented systems and capability to track, measure and report on Reconciliation Action Plan activities.
Developed guiding principles for local engagement together with local, regional, or state based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.
Implement and review engagement plan to foster relationship and work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.
Supportive environments for the retention, progression and career development of Indigenous employees including through audit of cultural safety of the workplace.

This work to generate a culturally responsive organisation is internally focused but should be part of the journey of developing real-world ties to First Nations communities.

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BCA – Indigenous Good Practice Guide

With greater cultural competency and connection, operators are able to gain an understanding of the histories and perspectives of First Nations people, as well as recognise the pluralities contained within their communities.

The next step is to establish policies and practices around Indigenous engagement as part of the organisational fabric. Embedding cultural competency will contribute to significant improvement in relations between businesses and First Nations communities and can lead to mutually beneficial partnerships in the industry.

Improving Cultural Awareness

Principles to Guide the Development of Indigenous Tourism

Who Can Help

Operating Area

Organisation

Operating Area

Organisation

Operating Area

Organisation

Operating Area

Organisation

Indigenous Good Practice Guide

Improving Cultural
Awareness