National Reconciliation Week 2024

National Reconciliation Week is a time to learn about our nation’s history and celebrate the rich and diverse cultures and significant achievements of First Nations people. It’s about bringing people together and this year, WaterNSW celebrated First Nations cultures with an event held at our Parramatta office on Burramattagal and Wongal Country on 30 May.

WaterNSW recognises and acknowledges that First Nations people have a deep cultural, physical and spiritual connection to water and land.

Through our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), we are continuing to strengthen our relationship and partnerships with First Nations communities to further develop employment and procurement pathways, and to support the improvement of cultural, social and economic outcomes within First Nations communities.

‘Now More Than Ever’ is Reconciliation Australia's theme for National Reconciliation Week 2024 – aiming to serve as a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will, and must, continue.

We had the privilege of hearing from First Nations guest speakers reconiliation advocate Ebony Rowell, founder of Deadly Science Corey Tutt and former rugby league star and youth mentor Jeff Hardy, who shared their personal experiences of reconciliation and reminded us that now more than ever, we must continue walking together to lead change and contribute towards reconciliation.

“We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part, we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, histories, cultures and futures,” – Andrew George, CEO, WaterNSW.

These are the words of Ebony Rowell, a proud Wiradyuri woman, member of the LGBTQ+ community and Senior Strategy and Innovation Reconciliation Action Plan Officer at Reconciliation Australia.

Ebony recalls having to be adaptable and resilient throughout her life and shared three meaningful ways everyone can raise the stakes, now more than ever, and move forward together in reconciliation:

• Stay engaged, vigilant and pay attention to your surroundings and what’s unfolding in your community.
• Call out racism. It’s simply not enough to not be racist, we must commit to the principles of anti-racism. This means learning about racism and how it operates as a system.
• Stay hopeful. There are infinite ways we can ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are heard.

“It’s up to all of us to stay true to these convictions, to show up every day, so our voices continue to be heard.”

For Corey Tutt, changing the future is about inspiring a new generation of scientists and educators, fostering a culture of excellence and enthusiasm in STEM education with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Corey is a Kamilaroi man from Nowra, NSW, and founder of DeadlyScience, a not-for-profit organisation that provides STEM resources to remote schools in Australia and connects young Indigenous people with STEM professionals.

“Our First Nations people were the first innovators of this country, and they continue to innovate and bring all of us along.”

This rich knowledge has lead Corey on an inspirational mission to help students discover the wonders of the natural world and our country’s history – and has made strides, having worked with over 800 schools and community organisations across the country and reaching even more through his educational ‘DeadlyScience’ book series with Australian Geographic.

While Corey is paving the way for future generations of First Scientists using his passion for STEM, he reminds us that we all have the ability to make an impact on the lives of First Nations people in our own way.

“Each and every one of you have an opportunity to change the future and make sure (the past) doesn’t happen again.”

Our final guest speaker, Jeff Hardy, a Ualaroi man, has worked in the Indigenous space within schools, Corrective Service, Aboriginal Hostels and the Clontarf Foundation for many years.

Jeff has an abundance of lived experience, knowledge and patience and says that “there’s always a lesson in every story and experience” - an anecdote that reminds us of the importance of slowing down and taking the time to listen to those around us, especially our Elders.

There is nothing stronger than the relationships we build with the older generations, our families, peers and communities.

This National Reconciliation Week, Jeff wants us all to take away a simple message: “Now more than ever, we need you to walk with Indigenous community.”

To celebrate National Reconciliation Week, this year WaterNSW again presented a special Reconciliation award to recognise the efforts and contributions of our people towards our Reconciliation journey.

Aunty Glenda Chalker, a Dharawal woman of the Cubbitch Barta Clan, and WaterNSW RAP Committee member, presented the award.

Congratulations to our winner Hollie Divers, Talent Acquisition Lead, who was recognised for her dedication in driving First Nations employment within the organisation.

We also congratulate finalists Chad Lakin, Lead project manager, Asset Delivery; Morgan Brading, Catchment Field Supervisor and Peter Birmingham, Maintenance Team Leader Deniliquin, for their important contributions towards reconciliation.

Now more than ever, we are coming together to recognise and understand how we can keep bringing people together on our reconciliation journey.

We have much more to do, but we are committed to delivering our Innovate RAP. Some recent outcomes include:

• At our 2024 National Reconciliation Week event, we launched a dedicated reconciliation wall that stands as a reminder for us to walk together as one. The artwork proudly acknowledges the Burramattagal people, a clan of the Dharug.
• We have Cultural Heritage Field Advisors working across the state, where we are setting new benchmarks in the way we plan and deliver Aboriginal Cultural Heritage on our infrastructure projects. This is not only to meet our responsibilities under legislation, but more importantly to develop our social licence, by really going above and beyond what’s been done in the past.
• We are directly engaging with native title groups, traditional owners, and community representatives so that First Nations people have the opportunity to share their knowledge on country. This is equipping us with the understandings, learnings and approaches that we need to better engage with First Nations communities.
• Dual naming of WaterNSW offices and recreational areas in Albury and Warragamba and co-designing with Traditional Owners to ensure cultural outcomes.
• Working towards increasing our number of First Nations employees, recently increasing to 2.9%, with a goal of 3.3% in 2025.
• We are striving to make WaterNSW an employer of choice for First Nations peoples, supporting our growing Aboriginal Support Network.
• We are committed to building the cultural capabilities of our people, having recently launched new training modules in Aboriginal Cultural Awareness and Cultural Heritage Management. This is equipping our employees with the understandings, learnings and approaches that we need to better engage with First Nations communities.