Our reconciliation vision sees Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience strong, positive and mutually respectful relationships with CASA as a workplace and employer, aviation industry information provider, and safety authority. CASA is committed to being an innovative reconciliation leader within the Australian Government, regulatory entities, and the aviation industry; and a reference point for others who are embarking and progressing on their reconciliation journeys.
We envisage ourselves as an employer that fosters strong, positive and mutually respectful relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and members of the aviation community, and an employer of choice that creates opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within and through aviation.
We understand and appreciate that to achieve CASA’s corporate vision of ‘safe skies for all’ and our vision for reconciliation, we must acknowledge that our role as the aviation regulator takes place on Country, and we have a responsibility to support all communities for the benefit and protection of all peoples. This involves creating a workplace that provides equal opportunities for all, including members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
CASA launched its first RAP in 2015 following recognition and acknowledgement that our reconciliation journey was a critical part of creating a contemporary and inclusive safety authority. Since then, our team has diligently worked towards creating an inclusive workplace through education, promotion and embracing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, history, culture and traditions. Sharing stories and perspectives, listening and changing have been part of that journey and resulted in the development and implementation of our Cultural Protocols Guide, our Cultural Learning Strategy, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recruitment, Retention and Professional Development Strategy, and implementation of employment programs such as our involvement in the Indigenous Apprenticeship Program (IAP).
To further support our reconciliation vision, we have developed this Stretch RAP that outlines our ongoing commitment and dedication to greater inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and culture, extended existing strategies to ensure we integrate these commitments into daily business activities, and consulted widely to certify the ongoing commitment of our team.
We have made progress, but we recognise we need to do more to truly achieve this vision. We are committed to the continuation of this work, with a clear view to realising our objectives and continually stretching our vision and goals – exploring new avenues.
We are committed to implementing strategies that attract, engage, develop and retain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and providing additional support through tailored career planning and development workshops, and career coaching.
Likewise, we support and promote the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers when conducting procurement activities. We do this by advocating for the economic and social wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples using our Guidelines for the Application of the Indigenous Procurement Policy in CASA.
Through these actions, we believe we can achieve our reconciliation vision and, more importantly, create positive employment outcomes and collaborative, mutually beneficial
partnerships throughout Australia.