Best Practices for Addressing Racism: Why Non-Indigenous Feedback Isn’t Enough

Racism in the workplace can manifest in subtle ways, and the impact on Aboriginal employees and clients can be profound. One common pitfall is when non-Indigenous people turn to their non-Indigenous peers to validate their response to feedback on racist behaviours. This creates harmful feedback loops, where lived experiences are ignored, and harmful behaviours are reinforced.

To foster a culturally safe workplace, organisations need to prioritise the voices of those directly affected by racism and seek guidance from Aboriginal staff or cultural experts. By listening, learning, and taking action based on the perspectives of those with lived experience, organisations can break the cycle of harm and build a more inclusive and respectful environment.

If your organisation is serious about creating a culturally safe workplace, understanding these feedback dynamics is essential.

Read more

Proofreading Your Workplace: How Cultural Capability Prevents Harm

Most people wouldn’t send a report without proofreading it, so why ignore the cultural capability of your workplace? Small mistakes in how we talk about and engage with Aboriginal people may seem harmless, but they can cause real harm and create unsafe environments. Just like with grammar, cultural capability requires continuous learning and a commitment to getting it right. In this article, I explore why every organisation needs a ‘proofreader’ for their cultural capability and how this can build safer, more respectful workplaces for Aboriginal people.

Read more

Beliefs that could have led to a Yes vote: Lessons from the 2023 Referendum

Almost a year on, the 2023 referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is still a topic worth revisiting—not to analyse why people voted one way or another, but to explore what beliefs might have led to a different result. Imagine if the message had truly resonated. What values would have inspired a ‘Yes’ vote, and what can leaders learn from this for their own workplaces? In this article, I break down the beliefs that could have shifted the outcome and show how these same values can help build safer, more respectful workplaces.

Read the full article to find out what those beliefs are and how they can shape change in your organisation.

Read more

Mentoring Aboriginal Staff: How to Avoid Gaslighting and Be a Better Ally

When a young Aboriginal woman told her non-Indigenous mentor that her employer was racist, his first reaction was to explain that they weren’t. This response is common—and problematic. It's called racial gaslighting: dismissing or undermining someone’s experience of racism. By listening without defensiveness, recognising lived experience as expertise, and questioning our own biases, we can avoid this pitfall. Becoming a better ally means standing with those facing discrimination, not explaining it away. If you’re serious about building a safer and more respectful workplace, it starts with listening deeply and challenging your own assumptions.

Read more

Expanding the Understanding of Aboriginal Employment

When people think of Aboriginal employment, they often focus on recruitment and placement services. While these are important aspects, Aboriginal employment encompasses a much broader range of activities and strategies that go beyond simply filling jobs. People who work in Aboriginal employment could have experience in any or all of these areas. Understanding the full scope of Aboriginal employment can help organisations make a meaningful impact and create lasting change.

I've listed 16 areas that people might mean when they say Aboriginal employment.

Read more

Reading Recommendation: Radical Candor by Kim Scott

The ideas in this book, Radical Candor, resonated strongly with me. As I read, I realised how relevant the core framework was to my work in Aboriginal employment.

I had a very clear idea in my mind what kind of supervisor was best, but no framework - and barely any language - for what it was.

Here’s a very quick introduction to the framework and how it applies to Aboriginal employment.

Read more