In the spirit of Reconciliation, Life Without Barriers acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of this country, and their connection to land, water and community. We pay our respect to them, their cultures and customs, and to Elders both past and present.

At Life Without Barriers we believe that reconciliation must live in the hearts and minds of all Australians. As a nation we need to work together to close the gap in life expectancy between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the rest of the population by improving cultural, spiritual, physical and emotional wellbeing.

But reconciliation is more than a belief for us – it is embedded in all of our actions and activities.

To ensure we work effectively and responsibly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and that our services meet their needs, we developed a Reconciliation Action Plan that is reviewed and refreshed each year.

The key objective of our Reconciliation Action Plan is cultural recognition in our workplaces, program development, and service design and delivery.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan also provides direction for real actions that have a positive impact on communities and individuals, and achieving measurable outcomes for the people and communities we work with, and ensures the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are heard throughout our organisation.

This includes developing in our strategy a clear vision for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in our care, a reporting framework within our governance, and clear aspirations for leadership through a community of practice. These goals reflect the views of our people and the people we support and include plans to advance the cultural competence of our employees, carers, managers and leaders.

Our first Reconciliation Action Plan was launched in July 2009, and aligns with our strategic three year planning cycle. Moving into the fourth year of our plan, the refreshed 2012–15 edition builds on our achievements to date and demonstrates our continued commitment to reconciliation in the future.

Our support for Reconciliation every day

Reconciliation is an ongoing journey that requires our constant attention to what respect, relationships and opportunities mean to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In addition to implementing activities into our daily work to support Reconciliation, LWB staff participate in activities throughout the year that demonstrate this support, including our annual National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week activities.

Our support for NAIDOC celebrations is another reminder of how we are working in partnership, and an ongoing reminder of the great contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples make to our organisation every day. This ensures we listen and respond to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – clients, carers, employees, colleagues and communities.