Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
Acknowledgement of Country
We acknowledge First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners of the lands and waterways of Australia that we now share.
We acknowledge their unique cultural and spiritual connections to the lands and waters, honouring their wisdom, strength and resilience as the world’s oldest living cultures.
We pay respects to the Elders who play a vital role in fostering a fair and just society for all Australians.
Our commitment to reconciliation
In 2025, we launched our Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan 2025 - 2028 (Stretch RAP)
The Stretch RAP is the next chapter of our reconciliation journey. It has been shaped from the feedback received at the Ngumbe Bianga Guuyung yarning circles held across The Salvation Army in 2024. The Stretch RAP details the actions The Salvation Army will take over a 3-year period to truly embed reconciliation initiatives into our ways of working. The Stretch RAP follows the previous Innovate RAP.
In December 2020, we launched our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2020 - 2022 (RAP) to strengthen respect, relationships and opportunities with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Key outcomes included:
- Deepening our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, lived experiences and traditions.
- Strengthening community relationships through engagement and empowerment initiatives
- Improving cultural safety across our workforce
- Increasing recruitment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team members
- Strong uptake of cultural competency training
Reconciliation action plan
We envision a future where reconciliation is deeply rooted in social justice, cultural safety and truth-telling.
Recruitment and retention working group
As part of our commitment to reconciliation, we have a well-established working group that supports continuous improvement of our process and policies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates.
Career Trackers
We are proud to partner with Career Trackers to provide opportunities for First Nations university students to participate in multi-year internships.
Recognition of our work
We are honoured to be the 2023 SEEK STAR Award winner for Best Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative, recognising the impact of our First Nations recruitment and retention efforts.