We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people, who are the traditional owners of the land on which our office in Parkville is located. We wholeheartedly support and contribute to the process of Reconciliation.
Community broadcasting builds on traditions of connecting with each other through songlines and storytelling, practices that have been central to First Nations cultures and knowledge for millennia. We honour and celebrate First Nations cultures and history – this respect is central to how the CBF works. We believe First Nations community broadcasting is an important cultural, social and economic community asset. It amplifies Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices within and between communities and supports the expression of culture and the preservation of the 120 First Nations languages spoken across Australia.
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the oldest continuous civilisation in Australia, and the land’s first storytellers. We accept the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart – to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards a better future.
We acknowledge the impact of colonisation on First Nations people and acknowledge their significance and strength. The CBF is committed to truth-telling and whilst acknowledging the past, we elevate and celebrate First Nations culture and inspire other organisations in community broadcasting to do the same.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)
We are currently working with First Nations representatives and non-Indigenous people from across our organisation to develop our first Reconciliation Action Plan. Also included in our Working Group are representatives from Culture to Country and the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation.
Our RAP identifies meaningful actions we can undertake to create an organisation and sector more understanding and supportive of First Nations people.
We look forward to sharing our final RAP in 2025. In the meantime, to discuss our work in reconciliation or learnings so far, please contact our RAP Champion, CEO Jo Curtin.
Other resources
We encourage community broadcasters to involve First Nations broadcasters in their work, including following First Nations Engagement Protocols that are respectful of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.