The University of Wollongong (UOW) continues to act as a trailblazer in First Nations policy and strategy with the release of its Healing and Recognition Track Plan (Truth Telling for a Better Tomorrow).

After the defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum just over 12 months ago, UOW made the decision to take a new position and outlook on the long road to reconciliation.

The HART Plan says, "The impact of the referendum result itself, the process, and the lies propagated along the way speak to a need to focus on healing and truth telling on our journey to reconciliation."

Jaymee Beveridge, Vice President, Indigenous Strategy and Engagement, said: "The focus has shifted to recognition, education, and anti-racism, as sadly the need to fix and repair damage caused to First Nations communities and individuals was glaringly quantifiable as the word 'reconciliation' felt profoundly empty for staff, students, and community members." 

UOW's new approach for the next three years "is to resurrect, reinvigorate and advance our partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff and community".

Ms Beveridge – who is responsible for coordinating UOW's Indigenous education and efforts, and leading systemic change – describes the Healing and Recognition Track (HART) Plan  as "a renewal of the university's social licence".

A first of its kind

"This is the first of its kind in Australia's higher education sector and it's based on the premise of self-determination and truth telling," she said.

"In bringing the strategy together, we engaged with more than 600 stakeholders. We weren't seeking endorsement, we were seeking acceptance, and that fits in with our goal of self-determination. We want this strategy to be a lever for current and future First Nations students to see this place as culturally safe and to help educate the wider community."

The plan recognises how harmful racism is across the nation, saying UOW will go "beyond simply condemning racist behaviours – it is committed to and actively seeks to eliminate racism".

The UOW's HART is the central plan that will guide all key objectives, programs, agreements and strategies. It replaces what was the university's Reconciliation Action Plan and is in part the university's response to the referendum defeat.

Healing and truth telling

Ms Beveridge said, "In the aftermath of the Voice to Parliament referendum, UOW is prioritising healing and truth telling on our journey to reconciliation.

"For the majority of Australians the referendum... was just a blip in the events of 2023. For many others though, it was a devastating outcome that illuminated a dire need for Australia to do and be better.

"The aftermath of the referendum saw individuals, community and our local allies hurting, feeling disbelief. In the UOW's Indigenous Strategy Unit, we saw this as a responsibility and an opportunity to heal through education. With that said, we are pushing pause and taking a hiatus on developing another Reconciliation Action Plan. To reach the goals of those who have championed reconciliation for decades, we need to focus on healing and truth telling."

As UOW's Indigenous Unit assessed the outcome of the referendum, she said striving for reconciliation "was no longer our immediate priority – we knew as an educational institution we had more work to do within our sphere of influence. Our priority is our commitment to educate".

Influencing hearts and minds

Ms Beveridge said, "When the facts are shared freely, recognised wholeheartedly and truly understood about Australia's Black history and the current systemic changes, we will have the opportunity to influence hearts and minds. Our culture is beautiful, it's about the collective, the community beyond the individual. Country is central to everything we do. Country kept us focused on 'us' not the 'me' – selfless, caring and considered."

The CEO of Reconciliation Australia, Karen Mundine, praised UOW for its HART initiative. "The defeat of the Voice referendum was cause for deep reflection generally at UOW, and this reflection started with a clear-eyed evaluation of its own place in the reconciliation landscape. This led it to adjust its scope and approach to meet the aspirations of First Nations stakeholders. To do this, UOW is focussing its attention and efforts on truth telling and healing," Ms Mundine said.

"At the centre of UOW's HART Plan is a fit-for-purpose strategy to push past barriers that inhibit real and long-lasting reciprocal relationships."

Key focus areas under the new HART Plan are:

• Business – A commitment to listening, learning and engaging in partnerships with Indigenous communities to create a more just and sustainable future for all. We acknowledge and recognise the significance of expertise from within our communities and the value of embedding Indigenous ways of knowing, doing and being into our business practices.
• Cultural safety – A commitment to moving away from tokenistic endeavours and working towards creating culturally safe and inclusive learning and working environments.
• Campuses and Country – Acknowledging the role that educational institutions have played in the exclusion of Indigenous peoples, cultures and knowledges, nationally and internationally. We recognise our responsibility in addressing educational and other social inequalities that exist as a result.
• Community and industry engagement – A commitment to build relationships that are based on trust, respect, and reciprocity where consultation with Indigenous communities is at the forefront.
• Education – A commitment to creating a supportive community for our staff and students to further develop their skills, knowledge and capacity to engage with reflexive and culturally responsible learnings.
• Teaching and learning – To continue within our best endeavours to incorporate Indigenous ontologies and epistemologies in our teaching and learning practices, aiming to ensure that our graduates uphold the collective values and responsibilities of our shared histories in Australia.
• Research – For UOW to continue to strive to increase awareness by fostering public understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and in stimulating action for positive change. We aim to create a culturally and community responsive research environment that is guided by Indigenous communities.

Illawarra referendum book

Coinciding with the launch of the UOW HART Plan, the Woolyungah Indigenous Centre is continuing its project to create a book, capturing the history of the 2023 Voice referendum campaign from an Illawarra perspective.

Those involved locally in the YES campaign are being encouraged to put into words their experiences, thoughts and reflections. Photographic and video contributions will also be welcomed. 

The deadline for people wanting to contribute to the book is the end of November and anyone wanting to be involved can send their contributions to Woolyungah at wic-events@uow.ed.au