Swinburne’s Reconciliation Action Plan achieves ‘Elevate’ status

Swinburne has become the first university in the country to attain 'Elevate' status for its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2017 - 2019, the highest level of endorsement granted by Reconciliation Australia.

“Through implementing an Elevate RAP, Swinburne joins an elite group of organisations that have gone above and beyond ‘business as usual’ to embed reconciliation in core business practices and decision-making at the highest level,” said CEO of Reconciliation Australia, Justin Mohamed.

Swinburne is now amongst 3 per cent of organisations across Australia to have their RAP upgraded to 'Elevate' status.

Swinburne Vice-Chancellor Professor Linda Kristjanson AO is proud of the achievements that Swinburne has accomplished in this area.

“We have made significant steps towards improving our engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through developing programs that deliver real outcomes,” said Professor Kristjanson.  

The 'Elevate' recognition follows the success of Swinburne’s RAP 2014 – 2016 which implemented a number of initiatives related to the education and employment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Outcomes from the RAP 2014 – 2016 include:

• Establishment of two significant annual public lectures in 2016: the Reconciliation Lecture and the Barak-Wonga Oration
• Doors 2 Jobs program, supporting Indigenous employment, awarded the 2016 Business/ Higher Education Round Table Best Community Engagement Award
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competency Learning Pathway introduced in 2016 to educate staff about reconciliation and Indigenous issues

Swinburne Executive Director of Reconciliation Strategy and Leadership, and the RAP project leader, Professor Andrew Gunstone, said the RAP 2017 – 2019 would concentrate on seven key interrelated areas: governance, culture, Indigenous staff, Indigenous students, engagement, teaching and learning, and research.

To read the complete RAP, see: Reconciliation Action Plan 2017 - 2019 

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