QTU RAP endorsed
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 126 No 8, 12 November 2021, page no.22
The QTU’s new Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) has been endorsed by the country’s peak reconciliation body, Reconciliation Australia (RA), and will be formally launched at the QTU’s Union Reps Conference in March 2022.
The Innovate RAP is the second of the four stages of RA’s RAP Framework – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate – allowing organisations to continuously develop their reconciliation commitments.
The Innovate RAP runs for two years, and outlines actions for achieving the QTU’s vision for reconciliation, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of our sphere of influence, and establish the best approach to advance reconciliation. The plan focuses on 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.
Our RAP has been developed by our members and QTU staff on behalf of our members and our organisation. We are proud of our democratic Union. We have facilitated the development of our Innovate RAP through the QTU’s RAP Working Group, in active consultation with Gandu Jarjum and our Executive. Our RAP champion is Cresta Richardson, QTU President.
While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have made face-to-face meetings impossible, the introduction of Zoom meetings has afforded a broader range of people the opportunity to attend, including more members of Gandu Jarjum. Some key outcomes of these meetings, including progressing the development of our Innovate RAP, were the naming of the QTU’s Biennial Conference as Our Meeting Place, the embedding of the Sorry Business protocol into all QTU meetings, and the inaugural Dr. Evelyn Scott Memorial Lecture, which will become an annual event.
The QTU’s vision for reconciliation is a society that respects, protects and promotes the rights of all, and in which First Nations peoples and other Australians live and work together with mutual respect and understanding, free from discrimination and harassment. As the Union for Queensland state schools and TAFE teachers and education leaders, we recognise the unique role our schools and educational institutions have in achieving this vision.
The Queensland Teachers’ Union seeks to make visible the activism, the leadership, and the voices of First Nations members within the education community and our Union.
The QTU believes that reconciliation is everybody’s business. We believe that, as educators, our members are well placed to leading reconciliation within their schools and with their communities. As a Union, we choose to embrace practices that promote reconciliation, recognising the wrongs of the past and giving voice to the achievements of today. We commit to sharing and honouring ways of knowing and doing that belong to First Nations peoples. In doing so, we remain mindful of the deep impact of structural racism that is embedded in our curriculum, systems and dominant cultural practices.
As an organisation, we are committed to social justice and therefore to policies and, importantly, processes that enact reconciliation. By growing established relationships and developing new ones with First Nations peoples, we demonstrate solidarity and respect. Together we stand united in continuing the struggle for justice, promoting cross-cultural learning; providing opportunities for professional development; sharing and working together for a better future for all Queensland students, school communities, educational workplaces and organisations.