Reconciliation

SA Health recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first Australians and we celebrate Aboriginal culture and heritage. SA Health acknowledges how historical colonisation has impacted on the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal people.

SA Health is committed to strengthening existing, and building new, relationships with Aboriginal people and communities, and engaging Aboriginal people in decision making processes for matters that affect their lived experiences in the community and through the health system.

SA Health is striving to create culturally responsive, systemic changes to ensure equality for Aboriginal people across all facets of life.

Statement of Reconciliation 

In 1999 SA Health became the first government agency nationally, to produce a Statement of Reconciliation. The statement was renewed in 2008 and 2014. In 2020 the Minister for Health and Wellbeing and the Chief Executive of SA Health re-committed to the Statement of Reconciliation (PDF 7.22MB), commissioning new Aboriginal artwork (PDF 379KB) to embody SA Health’s commitment and partnerships in Reconciliation for health. The Statement is distributed throughout the agency as a policy directive.

SA Health is proud to have a long association with two key Aboriginal stakeholders: the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia (AHCSA) and the Council of Aboriginal Elders SA (CAESA), in the development and renewal of the Statement.

Reconciliation Action Plans

The Department for Health and Wellbeing has produced a Reconciliation Action Plan specific to the Department. Each Local Health Network is in the process of developing their own region-specific Reconciliation Action Plan. The Plans outline how Reconciliation will be implemented, monitored and reported.

National Reconciliation Week

Each year between 27 May and 3 June Australia celebrates National Reconciliation Week (NRW). NRW celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians and marks important historical events in the reconciliation process.

  • 27 May: the anniversary of the 1967 referendum which led to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being included in the Australian census; and enabling the Commonwealth Government to make laws for Aboriginal people; and
  • 3 June: the anniversary of the High Court of Australia's historic Mabo decision in Native Title.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2020 is ‘In This Together’.

SA Health Reconciliation email signature block (JPG 58KB).