City of Canterbury-Bankstown is inviting public comment on its Draft 2019-2021 City of Canterbury-Bankstown Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

The draft 2019-2021 City of Canterbury-Bankstown Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan will be on public exhibition from Monday 6 May to Thursday 6 June 2019, enabling the community to provide suggestions to further inform our final Innovation RAP. All submissions will be made public and considered by Council.

Our document was developed in partnership with the Canterbury Bankstown Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group and Reconciliation Australia, service providers, local schools, Council staff and other stakeholders throughout 2018. It is currently conditionally endorsed by Reconciliation Australia.

The 2019-2021 City of Canterbury-Bankstown Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan affirms Council's commitment to a reconciled Australia by developing strong relationships with our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

Council's vision for reconciliation is:

To create a strong, harmonious and richer community by encouraging our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander residents to share their heritage and culture with people from other cultures to ensure all of our different traditions, customs and stories are valued.

The draft 2019-2021 City of Canterbury-Bankstown Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan outlines the actions Council will take to further reconciliation over the next two years in four key areas:

• Relationships: Building positive, respectful and meaningful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, organisations communities and staff.
• Respect: Recognising the unique status of the Darug and Eora Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of this land, and actively promoting reconciliation and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and heritage throughout the Local Government Area.
• Opportunities: Contributing to closing the gap in education and employment outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Aboriginal members of the community, and supporting self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
• Governance, Tracking Progress and Reporting: Monitoring the implementation and effectiveness of the actions outlined in this Innovation RAP and identifying areas for improvement. The Innovation RAP will also be reported on annually in Council's Annual Report.

Hard copies of our draft 2019-2021 City of Canterbury-Bankstown Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan are available in Council's Service Centres and libraries.

If you would like a hard copy posted to you, please phone Christine Karam on 9789 9428.

You are encouraged to make comment by:

• Online survey (see below);
• Email - haveyoursay@cbcity.nsw.gov.au; or
• By post - addressed to Mr Matthew Stewart, General Manager, City of Canterbury Bankstown, PO Box 8, Bankstown, NSW 1885.

Innovate Reconcilation Action Plan Online Submission