I've been reading the 2021 State of Reconciliation in Australia Report [from Reconciliation Australia],' FACEM Liz Mowatt says.
'Its theme is "Moving From Safe to Brave", which I think fits in quite nicely with the National Reconciliation Week 2021 theme – "More Than A Word. Reconciliation Takes Action".'
'Reconciliation does take action, and we do need to be brave to take the action required.'
She says she this year's theme seems intrinsic to the very core of emergency physicians.
'This is a concept we can relate to. Being brave, taking action. In many ways it's what we do all the time.'
Liz is co-chair of the College's Reconciliation Action Plan Steering Group, a role she shares with Jacqui Gibson-Roos, a member of the Board and a longstanding community representative for the College and many other health organisations.
'I am in awe of Jacqui, how she juggles the multiple appointments she holds with her many other responsibilities and her enduring advocacy to improving services and conditions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I am very thankful to her for the friendship, inspiration and support she has shown me in the journey of Reconciliation.'
Liz says it is important to recognise the contribution of community representatives.
'They take on the incredibly challenging task of representing the needs of community to organisations that may be very unfamiliar to them.'
She says community representatives are a wonderful bridge to begin to access and understand the work that must be done for reconciliation.
'A lot of people are not necessarily familiar with the history in Australia, or don't have a grasp on what exactly reconciliation means for this country.
'Coming from that place, it can be hard to know what to do, where to start. But you can look to community representatives. They are already doing this work.'
Liz believes this year's Reconciliation Week theme can also help to bridge the understanding.
'What action you take will depend entirely on where you are starting from.
'The actions I take might be different from what others do. You might be at the start: considering reconciliation and understanding the importance of cultural safety in healt care. In that case you could begin by reflecting on your own values and biases, both conscious and unconscious. This is the way we start to expand our world view.
'That's an action. It's a big action. It's important to reflect on who we are, to discover what is our own culture and what are our beliefs. Looking at ourselves is the first action we should take.'
Liz encourages people to look online to find resources.
'As well as the excellent resources that ACEM has to offer, Reconciliation Australia has some great resources, as does the LIME Network, and the Lowitja Institute.
'AHPRA have also recently released several resources that are relevant to the reconciliation process as it relates to health care. Jacqui and I would specifically like to recommend this AHPRA recording for everyone to watch during National Reconciliation Week.
'Many Indigenous leaders are active on social media. You can seek them out – follow them. Hear them. Read their work. Try Indigenous X as a jump-in point. Educate yourself on the frontier wars. There are so many resources freely available.'
She says for those who are already actively educating themselves in topics relevant to reconciliation to start looking at look at what is happening in their own department.
'Write a policy, but write it in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples. Reach out to the local Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and review the local processes for the referral and discharge of patients.'
'If your department is already doing some of these things, check out the ACEM Al Spilman Award for Culturally Safe Emergency Departments.
'There is only one mandatory criteria you must meet before applying – your work must be in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia ,or with Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. That relationship can be with staff, community organisations or community elders.
'It is an amazing opportunity for emergency departments across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand to reflect on the journey their department has taken to date and to share their successes with other places.
'No one department or no one individual can make reconciliation happen. This is something we all must do and we must do it together.'
Liz says there are always great events hosted during National Reconciliation Week and that these are another great entry point to reconciliation.
'Our department has registered an education session with Reconciliation Australia for our trainees this year. It is focused on unity. I haven't found a big local event yet that I can attend in person, but I have found a number of virtual events I am hoping to get to.
'A few years ago, while visiting Melbourne, I attended a National Reconcilliation Week event about the proposed treaty in Victoria. It was interesting to hear about the treaty process from the community's perspective. I was surprised that even in a jurisdiction that was really committed to treaty, there were still so many complexities that needed to be worked through.
'I think you find that in emergency medicine too. There's a lot of people who really are committed to this, but that doesn't make it easy. It takes a lot.'
She gives an example of starting work in a hospital where they used a text messaging service to confirm appointments.
'You had to respond to confirm your appointment, which concerned me because I knew that at that time many local Indigenous people did not have a phone. Or if they did, there was a good chance they did not have any credit. If you did not reply to the text message, you lost your appointment.
'This process created a barrier to care. It was not an intended barrier, but it certainly made care that much harder to access.'
She says it is important to find ways and opportunities to engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
'What if we engaged with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and asked them what would work for them, rather than just assuming the system in place will work?'
Liz says she sees Reconciliation in 2021, as being at a tipping point.
'It's no longer just a word or a tickbox. It takes action.'
