Friday August 23, 2024
Transforming the public sector: From Indigenous values to cultural safety
Read the full report on this year’s hackathon here.
Now in its third year, IPAA ACT’s NAIDOC Week hackathon continues to explore ways to improve outcomes for First Nations staff in the public sector.
Inspired by this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud, and Proud!, the 2024 hackathon focused on how to embed a culture that fully integrates the values, wisdom, and contributions of First Nations peoples in the public sector.
Facilitated by Carlie Kelly, executive assistant to the executive manager at the ACT Community Services Directorate, over 40 participants across the Australian public sector envisioned what a cultural shift in the public sector could look like in 2040 and mapped out policies and initiatives that would support change.
Driving cultural competency through education
Education is fundamental for growing people’s awareness and understanding of Indigenous cultures, as our participants highlighted. It not only fosters respect but also empowers individuals to advocate for inclusive policies and practices. To achieve this, cultural competency must be integrated from early childhood education to professional development.
A comprehensive educational approach – encompassing on-Country learning and immersion and an understanding of the profound impacts of colonisation and intergenerational trauma – creates a strong foundation for appreciating Indigenous cultures, contributions, and lived experiences. This foundation helps all Australians walk together in cultural harmony.
Introducing Indigenous cultures to children at an early age instils respect for diverse beliefs and practices, expands their worldviews, and encourages them to challenge biases and stereotypes. Additionally, mentors play a significant role in supporting First Nations youth by guiding them through challenges and helping them overcome obstacles.
Training public sector staff, including leaders and service providers, is also crucial for building cultural competency, allowing them to support First Nations peers and engage more authentically with Indigenous communities.
Enhancing Indigenous representation and leadership
Leaders play a pivotal role in transforming workplace culture. Full integration of Indigenous values in public sector offices depends on strong cultural awareness and respect from the top, as our participants emphasised. True allies in senior leadership lay a solid foundation for fostering acceptance and understanding of Indigenous cultures throughout the organisation. Mandating cultural competency training for leaders is also relevant as it equips them with the knowledge and skills to engage effectively and meaningfully.
Moreover, significant efforts are needed to increase the number of First Nations staff and leaders, thereby amplifying Indigenous perspectives in decision-making. This involves prioritising recruitment and onboarding processes, implementing effective retention strategies, and supporting career progression that embeds Indigenous values at every level of the public service. Expanding regional opportunities is another way forward, enabling Indigenous staff to fulfill their cultural responsibilities and staying connected with their communities.
Integrating Indigenous perspectives in policy and cultivating genuine partnerships
A cultural shift in the public sector must reflect a commitment to integrating Indigenous perspectives into policies and legislation. Our participants underscored that the public sector needs to actively build authentic partnerships with First Nations communities, ensuring their involvement at every step of decision-making and providing robust support and funding for Indigenous-led initiatives. As articulated by our participants, “nothing about us, without us.”
These partnerships should also extend to the governance of land and water environments, drawing on Indigenous knowledge systems and involvement through consultation.
To cultivate genuine partnerships, it is essential to establish clear guiding principles for engaging with First Nations representatives. This approach will enable public servants to gain a deep understanding of Indigenous communities’ needs and craft policies that truly resonate with those needs.
Embedding cultural safety as societal norm
Overall, fully integrating Indigenous values means making cultural safety a societal norm rather than just an aspiration, our participants said.
This transformation requires commitment not only from public servants but across all sectors of society. It involves creating environments where Indigenous languages, traditions, and practices are accepted and used appropriately, fostering genuine engagement and reducing the cultural load on Indigenous people. It also involves strong legislation and preservation efforts to protect Indigenous practices and cultural heritage in Australia. Additionally, this cultural shift must create spaces for healing, compassion, and professional support particularly for families affected by intergenerational trauma.
Establishing an environment where cultural safety is seamlessly integrated into everyday life removes the need for superficial strategies and moves beyond a mere ‘tick and flick’ approach, achieving authentic and sustained inclusion and respect.
Such commitment not only honours the rich culture of First Nations peoples but also enriches the entire nation, ensuring that the fire of cultural pride and knowledge continues to burn brightly for future generations.