We acknowledge that we are located on the lands of the Cammeraygal people and our staff work across the lands of many Aboriginal Nations.
We acknowledge that Aboriginal people are the traditional custodians of this land. We pay our respects to elders past and present and to all Aboriginal people who walk amongst us.
We recognise Aboriginal people as the First Nations People of Australia who have lived here for more than 60,000 years. Aboriginal people are recognised as one of the oldest living continuous cultures in the world, with unique customs, traditions, kinships, languages and spiritual connections to the land and sea.
We are strongly committed to strengthening our partnership with communities to improve the physical, cultural and spiritual wellbeing of Aboriginal people. We recognise the trauma and loss as a direct outcome from colonisation experienced by Aboriginal people. Trauma and loss of this magnitude continues to have intergenerational effects still today physically, emotionally, culturally and spiritually. When harmony of these interrelations is disrupted, ill health will rise and persist.
This Statement of Commitment is an acknowledgment of remorse over past practices and policies. These have impacted on the social, emotional, physical and cultural wellbeing of Aboriginal people, families and communities.
The ACI makes a commitment to:
- embed the Aboriginal Health Impact Statement when developing, implementing and reviewing programs
- continue to develop our approach to improving experiences of working with Aboriginal people and communities
- seek diverse Aboriginal perspectives to plan and inform our work
- acknowledge and respect Aboriginal cultural identity, practices and beliefs by learning from and working in partnership with Aboriginal people and communities
- uphold and apply cultural protocols such as ‘Welcome to Country’ or ‘Acknowledgment of Country’.
This Statement of Commitment means we will prioritise building respectful relationships with Aboriginal communities to deliver sustainable health outcomes. This will support closing the health gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.