Curtin University has confirmed its commitment to leading national reconciliation action in the education sector by today launching its Elevate RAP endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.
An Elevate RAP – the highest level within Reconciliation Australia’s Workplace RAP Framework – is for organisations that have a proven track record of embedding effective RAP initiatives in their workplace.
Curtin’s Reconciliation Action Plan 2018-2020: Facilitating Diversity and Inclusion, developed in association with Reconciliation Australia, is the University’s third RAP.
Curtin University Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said Curtin’s RAP journey had helped the University to think more strategically about how the entire Curtin community – not just particular groups or areas – could advance reconciliation.
“This is critical because the spirit of reconciliation needs to live in the very fabric of our organisation, owned and championed by us all,” Professor Terry said.
“We are very proud of the contribution we have made to building a culture that values and respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culture and heritage both within the University and beyond. The University’s Elevate RAP enables us to serve as a role model for other organisations starting out on their own reconciliation journey and will help guide us in leading the way to advance reconciliation locally, nationally and internationally.”
Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine commended Curtin as a dedicated supporter of reconciliation for many years, after joining the program in 2008 as the first Australian teaching and research institution to develop and implement its own RAP.
“In that time, Curtin has contributed significantly to the promotion of the five dimensions of reconciliation: historical acceptance, equality and equity, unity, institutional integrity, and race relations,” Ms Mundine said.
“By raising the bar of its RAP ambitions, Curtin continues to lead national reconciliation action in the education sector. On behalf of Reconciliation Australia, I congratulate Curtin on adopting its Elevate RAP, and look forward to following the University’s future achievements.”
The cultural and leadership cornerstones of Curtin’s Elevate RAP 2018-2020 are to:
- embed the university’s cultural capability framework university-wide through course content and on-country learning and development opportunities for students, staff and Curtin learners globally;
- progress the innovative bush learning space at Nowanup in partnership with Gondwana Link;
- enable the global exchange of knowledge and experiences between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and First Nation peoples around the world; and
- lead in the reconciliation and recognition of First Peoples.
Curtin’s Elevate RAP 2018-2020 was launched by Professor Terry at a function on the University’s Bentley Campus on 30 November 2018.
The Elevate RAP can be viewed online here.
