The APS Reconciliation Action Plan and beyond

The APS has proudly put reconciliation with Indigenous Australians at the core of the organisation over the last three years through a Reconciliation Action Plan. As the formal Plan comes to an end, the challenge is to embed the changes that have been made and continue the vital process of reconciliation with Indigenous Australians throughout the broad APS organisation.

"I am proud that I have been a part of and will continue to participate in a psychology that is concerned with social justice. I believe the APS Reconciliation Action Plan is a watershed opportunity for our profession and all people in Australia."

- Professor Pat Dudgeon FAPS, Co-Chair, APS Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group

For the last three years, the APS has been implementing an organisation-wide action plan for working towards reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culture and practices, something Reconciliation Australia encourages all organisations to do. A formal Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) process was endorsed at the 2011 National Conference, with the APS RAP launched at the following year’s conference in Perth.

The preparation of the APS RAP was overseen by a Working Group co-chaired by Indigenous psychology scholar Professor Pat Dudgeon FAPS. It was developed in close collaboration with groups such as Reconciliation Australia and the Australian Indigenous Psychologists Association, and has been actively guided by the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The APS Reconciliation Action Plan

Of particular concern to the APS has been the poor outcomes for Indigenous Australians in relation to individual and community social and emotional wellbeing. The APS particularly wanted its RAP to build respect, relationships and understanding between Indigenous and other Australians to close the gap in mental health and wellbeing, and to address the inequalities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in real, meaningful and lasting ways. The plan also needed to include an investigation of how the APS could incorporate Indigenous knowledge and practices into its governance structures and guidelines, with the intention that Indigenous cultures, values and ways of doing things became part of how the APS functions in real terms. To this end, the initial three-year RAP focused on four key areas:

1. Respectful Relationships
2. Governance
3. Cultural Competence
4. Employment and Education.

The APS has now released a final report of its formal RAP and its achievements, which assesses the progress that has been made against the actions that were set in each of these four areas. The key achievements in each area of the APS RAP, along with the broad strategies that were set for each area, are detailed in the box opposite.

Beyond the RAP: Reconciliation as a continuing process

With the formal RAP period coming to an end, the emphasis is now on continuing reconciliation as a live process into the future. Although the initial phase of the APS reconciliation journey has ended, the APS acknowledges that there is still much work to be done. The APS is committed to continuing to build mutually respectful partnerships through local reconciliation efforts in APS Branches, Colleges and Interest Groups as well as through the National Office. The new APS Indigenous Psychology Advisory Group will inform and ensure Indigenous perspectives are inherent in APS governance and decision-making processes. The Australian Indigenous Psychology Education Project will pave the way for the inclusion and expansion of Indigenous content in the psychology curriculum, and training in cultural competence and safe practice. The APS and its members will continue to provide the funds for Bendi Lango bursaries to Indigenous postgraduate psychology students to assist in further increasing the numbers of practising Indigenous psychologists in Australia.

As a driving force in the APS reconciliation project, Pat Dudgeon continues to stress that reconciliation is a two-way process. As Professor Dudgeon says of reconciliation in her introductory message in the RAP final report: “It gives us all the chance to learn, value and respect new and different forms of knowledge and interventions. It enables us to learn about how best to work in ways that will assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to heal, to feel valued and have self-esteem as a distinct cultural group, and ultimately have the best mental health and live to the best potential in their lives. It also provides an opportunity to enhance our profession through the wisdom of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and experiences.”

As well as reconciliation continuing as a process throughout the APS organisation, the hope is that the APS RAP has raised the awareness of individual APS members in relation to Aboriginal culture, history and contemporary issues and inspired them to reconciliation action in their professional and personal lives.

Full details of all of the achievements resulting from the APS Reconciliation Action Plan can be found in the final report of the APS RAP. The report gives detailed progress the APS has made, as well as future directions for the APS to continue its reconciliation journey. The report is available online at APS Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), and hard copies can be requested from the APS National Office.

We welcome your feedback about reconciliation at the APS. Please email [email protected]

Tom Allen, Senior Communications Coordinator,
APS National Office