The Aboriginal Empowerment Strategy 2021-2029 sets out how the Western Australian Government will direct its efforts towards a future in which all Aboriginal people, families and communities are empowered to live good lives and choose their own futures from a secure foundation.
The Strategy was developed in partnership with the Aboriginal Advisory Council of WA. It is the culmination of a process of reviewing what Aboriginal people have told us over many years, including through numerous reports and more recent engagement and consultation. This includes feedback received from the December 2019 discussion paper, A Path Forward: Developing the Western Australian Government’s Aboriginal Empowerment Strategy.
The Strategy outlines a high-level framework for future state government policies, plans, initiatives and programs that contribute to better outcomes for Aboriginal people, built around genuine partnerships and engagement with Aboriginal stakeholders, strong accountability, and culturally responsive ways of working. It represents a chance for new beginnings in some areas, and for consolidation and improvement of what is currently working well in others.
Strategy also sets out the State’s approach to meeting its commitments under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
What’s in the Strategy?
The Strategy consists of 10 strategic elements grouped into four themes, and a set of core principles. Together, these set the high-level direction for the WA Government, its agencies and staff to work towards achieving the Strategy’s goal.
Goal – Aboriginal people, families and communities empowered to live good lives and choose their own futures from a secure foundation.
Elements of the Strategy
Culture at the heart
- Supporting and promoting culture
- Building the public sector workforce’s cultural responsiveness
- Reshaping Government services and systems to work with culture
Building Aboriginal empowerment into how we work
- Partnerships, shared decision-making, and engagement
- Supporting Aboriginal-led solutions
- Strengthening Government accountability
Investing in foundations and futures
- Investing in building strengths, prevention and earlier intervention
- Expanding economic opportunities
Walking together
- Truth-telling
- Eliminating racism and promoting respect for Aboriginal people
Implementation
Actions to put the Strategy into effect will be set out in a series of Implementation Plans over the life of the Strategy. Implementation Planning will be led by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet.
