Navigate home logo

Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples & communities

We are committed to further developing our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Western Australia. Our vision is to walk alongside them to build a sustainable water future for all Western Australians. Together, we will work in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, businesses, and communities, enhancing opportunities for skill development and sustainable careers.

Our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was launched in 2006 and was developed through collaborative dialogue with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and our employees across our state. Following this, we aim to fulfil our vision into the future and have an appointed project manager who monitors and manages our progress.

As part of our commitment to provide employment opportunities, we have successfully attracted and retained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who today continue to participate and strengthen our workplace.

We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the first Australians and aim to build long term sustainable relationships based on mutual respect and trust. We believe we can only truly call ourselves a successful society until Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples participate equally in the full range of life’s opportunities.

2023-26 RAP priorities

The 2023-2026 is our third Stretch RAP which focuses on truth-telling and building respectful relationships with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This plan aims to create a sustainable water future for all Western Australians, with a strong emphasis on incorporation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices. We believe everyone in our organisation has a role to play in achieving this goal.

Each action in our refreshed plan is designed to embed cultural change in our organisation and contribute to closing the unacceptable gap in life expectancy, education and economic opportunities that currently exist between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians. Below are our key priorities:

Building an enduring and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities is core to who we are and what we do. Through these relationships, we will deepen our understanding of Aboriginal history and culture, helping us to deliver positive outcomes for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Western Australia.

Focus area: Including the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the work that we do.

Raising the visibility and recognising the contribution of Aboriginal people to Australia will help us to learn about the understandings, histories and diversity of cultures of our first people. Respectful practices help foster positive relationships and maximise opportunities for two-way learning within our organisation and with our Aboriginal stakeholders.

Focus area: To recognise the special contribution of Aboriginal people to Australia, enabling greater confidence in the actions we undertake in order to achieve the objectives of our Reconciliation Action Plan

Creating new ways of attracting, developing and retaining talent presents an opportunity for two-way learning within the organisation. This will create the building blocks for Aboriginal engagement capacity and knowledge exchange in relation to land, culture and water and through employment, training, development and mentoring opportunities.

Focus area: Create training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people within the Water Corporation.

We keep track of our progress in a few ways. We use an online tool to measure our goals, share updates with our employees and take part in the Reconciliation Australia’s ‘Impact Measurement Survey’. This helps us stay on track and inform everyone about our journey.

Related documents

Can't find what you're looking for?