Inclusion is a word often found on company websites, in organisational values, and corporate strategies. But when examined beyond branding and lip service, what does true inclusion really look like? Moving past slogans and symbolic gestures requires a deep, authentic commitment to systemic change, especially when it comes to cultural inclusion and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement.
Shifting from Representation to Participation
Representation is a necessary starting point, but not the end goal. Too often, diversity strategies stop at ensuring there are a few visible faces of difference in a room, without ensuring those individuals have power, voice, or decision-making influence.
True inclusion goes beyond hiring metrics. It creates structures of participation where marginalised voices are actively involved in shaping policies, culture, and operations. This means:
- Inviting Indigenous people to co-design strategies, not just to be consulted after the fact.
- Embedding Indigenous knowledge into curriculum, corporate learning, and policymaking.
- Ensuring representation exists at all organisational levels, not just in entry-level or advisory roles.
Understanding Cultural Safety in Practice
Inclusion cannot happen in culturally unsafe environments. Prioritising cultural safety means embedding respectful practices and ensuring that workplaces uphold dignity and equity. This requires:
- Ongoing cultural competency training for staff and leadership.
- Understanding the historical and ongoing impacts of colonisation and systemic disadvantage.
- Providing mechanisms for accountability, feedback, and redress when harm occurs.
Organisations must take time to listen, reflect, and adapt—not from a place of guilt, but from a place of responsibility and growth.
Embedding Inclusion in Everyday Operations
Inclusive workplaces treat diversity as a core operational consideration, not an add-on. This means examining and redesigning practices across:
- Procurement: Are Indigenous-owned businesses included in supplier networks?
- Communications: Are materials reviewed for inclusive language and representation?
- Policy and strategy: Are Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) living documents, actively shaping business priorities?
This approach avoids tokenism and ensures inclusion is felt day-to-day, not just celebrated on specific dates like NAIDOC Week.
Navigating Power, Not Just Policies
One of the most overlooked aspects of inclusion is power. Who makes the decisions? Whose knowledge is valued? Inclusion efforts must focus on decolonising institutional power structures, which often unconsciously reinforce the dominant culture’s norms.
Progressive organisations are those willing to reframe authority, knowledge and leadership in more culturally responsive ways. This includes recognising Indigenous governance models, privileging oral histories and storytelling, and engaging in truth-telling processes with sincerity.
Walking the Talk Through Partnerships
It’s not enough to say the right things; organisations need allies and experts who can guide them through the complexity of inclusive transformation. This is where partnerships with Indigenous-led organisations can be transformational.
For example, engaging with YarnnUp – indigenous consulting and cultural awareness services allows institutions to deepen their cultural understanding and embed meaningful change. Such partnerships provide the necessary frameworks, training, and support to move beyond compliance into real connection.
Moving From Words to Meaningful Change
True inclusion is not an event, a policy, or a box to be ticked. It is an ongoing journey of listening, learning, and restructuring. For organisations across corporate, government, and education sectors, now is the time to act—not with slogans, but with substance. Because in the end, it’s not what you say about inclusion that matters, but what you’re willing to change.
