Reconciliation action plan 2008—2013
We are developing a health system that respects the views, beliefs, rights, and customs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is based on our shared values of respect, acceptance, honesty, openness, patience, trust and good faith.
The Western Australian Government health system affirms our commitment to strengthening partnerships and creating new ways of working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
We value and respect
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First People, belonging to the land and sea of Australia for more than 50,000 years
- the spiritual wisdom of a culture that has survived through adversity to remain one of the oldest living cultures in the world
- the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander holistic view of health
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander views, beliefs, rights, and customs
We acknowledge past policies and injustices
against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We recognise the continued impact these events have had on the disturbing level of ill-health and disadvantage among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which is many times that of the wider community.
We acknowledge and support the Apology
to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including the Stolen Generation, for the pain and suffering caused by the shared involvement of our health system in these past policies and injustices.
We acknowledge our shared responsibility for action
to heal the wounds of past injustice and build on the positive initiatives of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations. We will improve our understanding of the impact of past actions on the present and the future.
We will enhance our awareness of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander holistic view of health that links the mental, physical, emotional, social, environmental and cultural aspects of health and wellbeing of the person, the family and the community through linkages with the land and sea
Our reconciliation action plan (RAP)
» Relationships – working together to build a stronger future
» Respect – acknowledging, understanding and valuing people
» Opportunities – reducing inequalities in health, maximising health outcomes
» Tracking progress and reporting
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Print-friendly reconciliation action plan (PDF 207KB)
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