PHN builds on commitment to closing the gap with launch of third Reconciliation Action Plan

The Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN (the PHN) were proud to launch their latest Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2024 to 2026 today (15 October 2024) at Robelle Parklands in Springfield Central. A Reconciliation Action Plan or RAP is a formal commitment to reconciliation.

Lucille Chalmers, CEO of Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN, spoke at the event about the PHN’s commitment to the action plan outlined in the latest RAP.

“The PHN recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities continue to experience poorer health outcomes than other Australians, and we have an important responsibility to listen and learn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the community so we can understand the best way to improve health outcomes for the community,” Ms Chalmers said.

“Our RAP is embedded across everything our organisation does and forms an important part of our organisational identity. Building on the work achieved to date, we have laid the foundation for building a more culturally aware and inclusive organisation, which will have flow-on effects for the work we do in community.”

As part of the official launch event, a Welcome to Country was performed by the Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dancers. Attendees included representatives from local organisations including Goolburri Aboriginal Health Advancement, Kambu Health, Goondir Health Services, CRAICCHs, Darlings Downs Health and West Moreton Health.

“The presence of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health sector partners reinforces the strength of the relationships between our organisations and the progress we have made on our reconciliation journey since our first RAP was launched in 2020,” Ms Chalmers said.

“Since then, we have built strong relationships, upskilled the cultural knowledge of our staff and the broader primary care workforce, and have included Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices at the heart of our decision-making processes.

“Our new Innovate RAP is the next building block to driving sustainable change to ensure cultural inclusion, fairness and recognition is realised in all our activities.

“In this spirit, our RAP is a guiding light for our ongoing path towards reconciliation, while providing clear and measurable actions to ensure we remain focused on our vision of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receiving equitable access to high-quality primary healthcare and improved health and wellbeing.

“We acknowledge that we still have a long way to go as an organisation, and the journey to reconciliation will never really be complete.”

Find out more about the PHN’s Innovate RAP: ddwmphn.com.au/InnovateRAP2024