COUNCIL RECOGNISES NATIONAL RECONCILIATION WEEK
Dubbo Regional Council (DRC) recognised National Reconciliation Week 2025 by holding a luncheon to celebrate the creation and implementation of the organisation’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
The event was attended by RAP working party members who contributed to the development of the plan and assist in guiding its implementation, as well as Council staff that work with the group and liaise with Reconciliation Australia.
Included at the luncheon were addresses by Councillor Pam Wells and Dubbo Aboriginal Community Working Party Co-Chairperson Robert Riley, as well as a performance by the Talbragar Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation.
The RAP outlines the foundational work involved in creating long term change, building staff engagement in reconciliation, and contains key actions the organisation will undertake over the next 12 months.
Dubbo Regional Council’s Aboriginal Liaison Officer Lionel Wood said National Reconciliation Week, held from 27 May to 3 June each year, was an important date in the calendar and a perfect opportunity to celebrate the RAP.
“The week commemorates two important milestones in the reconciliation journey: the 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo Decision.
“Everybody, from individuals to organisations, has a role to play in reconciliation, and Council’s RAP gives us a good framework to collaborate more effectively with staff and community members and build beneficial relationships,” Mr Wood said.
Dubbo Aboriginal Community Working Party Co-Chairperson Robert Riley said the group had a longstanding relationship with DRC and saw the RAP as the natural next step.
“The RAP is just the next point in increasing how our Council and community work together,” Mr Riley said.
The 2025 National Reconciliation Week theme, Bridging Now to Next, reflects the ongoing connection between past, present and future and calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.
To view Council’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan visit www.dubbo.nsw.gov.au
Last Edited: 28 May 2025