Reconciliation Performance Report

[Start transcript]

AUDIO: Upbeat music starts.

VISUAL: RMIT University logo.

VISUAL: Stacey Campton standing in front of two small trees.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Stacey Campton. Director, Indigenous Engagement.

[Stacey Campton]

Wominjeka. My name is Stacey Campton, I'm the Director of Indigenous Engagement within the office of Indigenous Engagement and Education.

We are very pleased to be able to have an acknowledgement that respects, not only the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of the Kulin nation, but also says a lot about how far the university has come in its reconciliation journey.

VISUAL: Martin Bean seated in an office.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Martin Bean, CBE. Vice-Chancellor and President.

[Martin Bean]

I'd like to thank you for your commitment to RMIT's first Reconciliation Action Plan. At the end of 2018, we have completed 93% of our RAP actions and that's absolutely fantastic progress. I can feel the passion in RMIT's community as we walk this journey together. It makes me proud and incredibly hopeful. While we continue to lead the way, let's look back on some of our achievements so far.

VISUAL: Kate Koch standing against a backdrop of wood panels.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Kate Koch. Chief Financial Officer, Action Area 1, Management Governance and Leadership.

[Kate Koch]

Our Indigenous senior leadership at RMIT was enhanced with the appointment of Mark McMillan as Deputy Pro-Vice Chancellor of Indigenous Education. More recently, Professor McMillan was elected as Chair of the Academic Board. In addition to this, our team has a strong network of reconciliation champions, or our leaders on campus.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Action Area 1 completed 100% of their actions.

Moving forward, we are really excited to be working on a sustainable Reconciliation Investment Framework. This framework will further embed reconciliation into our work here at RMIT.

VISUAL: Paul Gough sitting in an office setting.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Paul Gough. Pro-Vice Chancellor, College of Design and Social Context. Action Area 2, Learning and Teaching.

[Paul Gough]

Our reconciliation action plan has transformed the way we view learning and teaching at RMIT. That's why we've established cultural training and professional development programs that engage with our Indigenous history. And in RAP one, more than 2300 staff members completed cultural awareness training.

TEXT ON SCREEN: 2018 Pulse Survey Stats: We had 13 percentage point increase in staff Indigenous awareness and understanding.

And as we move into our second reconciliation plan, Dhumbah Goorowa, our commitment to continuing our journey of staff professional development, in addition to incorporating new teaching and learning models that reflect Indigenous knowledges.

VISUAL: Calum Drummond standing outside in front of a building.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Calum Drummond. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research and Innovation. Action Area 3, Ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research.

[Calum Drummond]

At RMIT, we value the importance of research and innovation, and it is so exciting to see our first Indigenous pre-and post-doctoral research fellows appointed in 2018.

VISUAL: Peter Coloe standing outside in front of a building.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Peter Coloe. Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Science, Engineering and Health. Action Area 3, Ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research.

[Peter Coloe]

We are committed to empowering the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers, and we look forward to establishing a research internship for Indigenous students and supervisors.

TEXT ON SCREEN: We will appoint three Indigenous predoctoral fellows and one Vice Chancellor's Indigenous Research Fellow.

This extended program of support will provide more professional development opportunities and resources for Indigenous researchers at RMIT.

VISUAL: Dionne Higgins seated in office setting.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Dionne Higgins. Chief Operating Officer. Action Area 4, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff Participation and Success.

[Dionne Higgins]

Our main goal in RAP one was to enhance career opportunities for our students and our staff. And I'm so pleased to say, that we are making great progress in line with our commitments in our most recently launched Enterprise Agreement, and Universities Australia strategy. We are making great progress and although we're not quite there yet, we are on track to reach our targets by 2020.

VISUAL: Belinda Tynan standing in front of picture frame and a window.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Belinda Tynan. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education. Action Area 5, Student Access and Retention.

[Belinda Tynan]

Over the past two years, we've had a focus on two areas, the first one, working collaboratively with Negara Williams to support all of our Indigenous students and ensure they meet their goals and their aspirations.

TEXT ON SCREEN: An additional 20 Indigenous business creation scholarships were created to provide training to support the establishment of a small business enterprise.

And secondly, supporting our Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Education Engagement and rolling out Bunjil giri, which we are all very proud of. As Deputy Vice Chancellor Education, I'm very pleased and excited to be supporting our second RAP two, Dhumbah Goorowa.

VISUAL: Julie Cogin standing in front of a wood panelled wall and a window.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Julie Cogin. Pro Vice-Chancellor, College of Business.

[Julie Cogin]

Increasing the resources available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students is a main focus of our action area. During the past two years, we have uplifted support for outreach programs and school visits, as well as opportunities available to reduce barriers for students to attend RMIT. Our reconciliation champions and facilitators are ready to act on Dhumbah Goorowa and have recruited additional facilitators to increase our capacity to accomplish our goals.

VISUAL: Melissa Sweetland standing against a backdrop of wood panels.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Melissa Sweetland. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Engagement. Action Area 6, Community Engagement.

[Melissa Sweetland]

We are also a member of Australia's largest national directory of verified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses Supply Nation, which will enhance our ability to increase our industry engagement with Indigenous owned and operated businesses.

VISUAL: Rachel Holthouse standing against a backdrop of wood panels.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Rachel Holthouse. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Global Development. Action Area 6, Community Engagement.

[Rachel Holthouse]

I am excited by our reconciliation journey. And last year we saw more participation, coordination and involvement with reconciliation week.

TEXT ON SCREEN: The Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country are now embedded as a practice at significant University events, including, orientations, conferences, graduations, exhibitions, openings, Strategy Week events and important internal committees such as Council and Academic Board.

Our Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country, we proudly recognise as a university responsibility.

VISUAL: Mark McMillan standing against a backdrop of wood panels.

TEXT ON SCREEN: Mark McMillan. Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Education and Engagement, and Chair, RMIT Academic Board.

[Mark McMillan]

And what does reconciliation mean for us as a global university? Where we actually shape the world, not just where we shape Melbourne? But when we shape that world and what does reconciliation, as a global university, provide us? It's the ability to know place, wherever we are. And the sets of relationships that sit through and with place that we understand best through activities of reconciliation. And when we think about what that means for the future and future generations, it means that there is the opportunity to actually not only think of a shared future, but to be in a shared future.

VISUAL: RMIT University logo.

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