Mayor Emma Cole with elders and working party members.

Reconciliation plan  the ‘most aspirational’

VINCENT council has launched a new reconciliation plan it’s calling its “most aspirational”.

Launched during a workshop celebrating Noongar culture and the six seasons, the three-year plan includes a range of actions to improve employment and procurement opportunities for First Nations people and recognition of their significant sites.

Significantly, it was launched under the canopy of Hyde Park, which is a registered Aboriginal site.

Vincent will now aim to meet a target of 3 per cent Indigenous staff; it has also set a 3 per cent target for procurement from businesses who are majority-owned by Indigenous people.

Other aims of the RAP include:

• Working with partner organisations to tackle homelessness;

• Providing opportunities for elders and First Nations people to participate in truth telling and share their experiences;

• Promote awareness of the Noongar six seasons through events, public signage and information; and,

• Revive traditional names of parks.

A significant Indigenous artwork is also on the cards for a prominent spot in Vincent.

Vincent mayor Emma Cole said the RAP was “particularly powerful and important” because of the elders’ involvement.

“I would like to honour the late Aunty Margaret Culbong, a champion of Aboriginal human rights and community-controlled 

 health services, who taught me some significant history in the short but special time she spent with us at Vincent,” Ms Cole said.

“This included the fact that the City of Vincent was once part of the Perth Prohibited Area, when Noongar people were not permitted to be in our neighbourhoods without a permit, including places of Aboriginal significance.

“Aunty Margaret remembered and experienced this herself. It highlights the vital importance of truth telling and understanding the past to unlock our greatest potential for reconciliation.”