Reconciliation Action Plan

About Reconciliation Action Plans

Our vision for reconciliation

Musculoskeletal Australia’s (MSK) vision for a reconciled Australia is one where First Nations Australians have equal access to health, education, employment and justice without discrimination or racism. In the context of our organisation, the quality of life of all Australians who have, or are at risk of developing, musculoskeletal conditions is improved.

Within a reconciled Australia, this will be achieved by the equity in formulating health policies and programs, the provision of healthcare services via access to relevant and culturally appropriate information and by genuine and respectful engagement and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Our ‘Innovate’ RAP

We’re very proud to have our second RAP endorsed by Reconciliation Australia in June 2023 and continue to be part of the RAP Network.

Our Innovate RAP will run for two years and outlines actions for achieving our organisation’s vision for reconciliation.

Innovate RAP commitments allow our organisation to better understand our sphere of influence and establish the best approach to advance reconciliation. We will also focus on developing and strengthening relationships with First Nations peoples and implementing strategies to empower them.

We’re again very grateful to Angela Brown for the wonderful artwork within our RAP. Angela is a Wailwan/Ngemba woman and has been the Chairperson of our Consumer Advisory Committee since October 2021. Angela is also a key member of our RAP Working Group.

We’re also grateful for the support and guidance received from the Reconciliation Australia staff in preparing our second RAP.

Click on the image to open our Innovate RAP. 

Painting story – ‘Community Journeys’ – as told by Angela Brown
Gathering place is the blue, yellow and red centrepiece representing the city communities, the communities spread out from there.The top left are the mountain communities in cooler climates, the bottom right, the desert communities.The green areas are our regional communities and the blue our coastal and river communities. The seven sisters watch over us from above and the rainbow serpent watches over us on land. We are all connected, we are all part of our communities and share one land.

Our first RAP – ‘Reflect’

We were delighted to receive the official endorsement of our first RAP in February 2022. 

Reconciliation Australia has four types of RAPs; our first RAP was at the ‘Reflect’ level, which involves scoping and developing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, deciding on our vision for reconciliation and exploring our sphere of influence.

Read our ‘Reflect’ RAP

As MSK’s former CEO, Rob Anderson, said,

‘I am very proud to present MSK’s ‘Reflect’ Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). As a consumer-focused organisation and in line with our organisational values, MSK aims to be inclusive of all peoples in all it does. Aboriginal cultures are the oldest continuing culture in the world, having survived for more than 50,000 years, and this is important to acknowledge and celebrate. It is also vital to acknowledge the learnings that come from such a rich and enduring culture – the importance and central place of community, of looking out for each other, of coming together. These learnings are more important than ever and also essential to ensure the health and wellbeing of all.’

We’re very grateful to Angela Brown for the wonderful artwork within our RAP. Angela is a Wailwan/Ngemba woman and has been the Chairperson of our Consumer Advisory Committee since October 2021. Angela is also a key member of our RAP Working Group.

We’re also grateful for the support and guidance from the Reconciliation Australia staff in preparing our ‘Reflect’ RAP.

National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and explore how we can contribute to reconciliation in Australia.

NRW always takes place between 27 May and 3 June. The dates of NRW commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey— the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision, respectively.

27 May 1967 – On this day, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.

3 June 1992 – On this day, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. This decision paved the way for Native Title.

With the assistance of Angela Brown, Chairperson of our MSK Consumer Advisory Committee and a proud Ngemba/Wailwan woman, we made a short video (approx. 7 minutes) in 2022 to give you some information regarding the importance of reconciliation.

View the MSK video about the importance of reconciliation now.