Acknowledgement of Country

CareFlight recognises that we travel and work on the lands of various First Nations peoples, acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of this land, and is committed to reconciliation among all Australians.

Our Reconciliation Journey

CareFlight began our reconciliation journey in 2016, focusing on further developing and strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, engaging staff and stakeholders in reconciliation, and developing and piloting innovative strategies to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Explore our journey below.

CareFlight’s Innovate RAP focuses on further developing and strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our Reconciliation Action Plan

Pathway approach

CareFlight has developed a coherent approach to employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our approach seeks to identify a pathway to develop a pool of early career members of our team in tandem with other First Nations identified positions with an appropriate support framework to optimise the success of the program.

2016

  • Commitment by CareFlight Board of Directors and Management team to consider reconciliation in all aspects of the business
  • Identified the need to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)
  • Community Relations Manager position created to drive reconciliation process
  • Cross-cultural awareness training was introduced for CareFlight team members
  • Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group (RAPWG) was formed and includes staff and local stakeholder representatives

2017

  • Inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan released on 15 February 2017 with a series of staff and community engagement events
  • Community Visit Program commenced to visit communities to maintain and strengthen relationships at a non-mission speed

2018

  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Development and Employment Strategy created, with objective to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees across CareFlight
  • RAPWG and our Community Relations Manager worked to build relationships with Traditional Owner groups and other organisations to develop protocols for Welcome to Country, Smoking Ceremonies and permission to visit country
  • Naming ceremony for aircraft Garramilla / City of Darwin with Larrakia leaders in Darwin
  • Language appropriate signage for airstrips developed and review of collateral to ensure it delivers effective communication to the communities we work with

2019

CareFlight NT General Manager, Philip Roberts, and CareFlight CEO, Mick Frewen, with Jawoyn Association Chairperson, Lisa Mumbin, at CareFlight’s Aircraft Naming Ceremony in Katherine.
  • Participated in community NAIDOC events and hosted our inaugural CareFlight Open Day in Darwin as a part of the NAIDOC calendar of events.
  • Naming ceremony for aircraft Pamjang Peyintin – Maj Nguluk / Town of Katherine with Jawoyn leaders in Katherine.
  • The 2019 ‘Casablanca’ Hangar Ball offered goods, services, artwork and support donated by local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations.

2020

  • CareFlight entered the second phase of our reconciliation journey with the launch of our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan on 17 February 2020 at our Darwin operation
  • The CareFlight Board, management and team members joined with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and community members to celebrate this launch

Mentoring and support

CareFlight already provides mentoring and support to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team members. An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CareFlight team member also acts as a “buddy” for new employees to ease the transition.