Women’s Health Grampians acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First Peoples and the Traditional Owners of the lands, waterways and skies where we live, work and play. We celebrate that this is the oldest continuous living culture in the world.

We acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land. The invasion of Australia involved genocide and dispossession of land and culture. The health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continues to be impacted by colonisation, discrimination, marginalisation, and the forced removal from Family, Country and Culture. We acknowledge the extensive harm experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children, including high rates of family violence, among the impacts of invasion.

We recognise that the privileges and benefits we enjoy are underpinned by suffering and injustice perpetrated against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through colonial systems. We accept, as a feminist organisation, that the struggle for gender equality has often excluded Aboriginal women, and we commit to learning and reflecting on our own privilege in order to work in genuine partnership. We will be guided by Aboriginal women and Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in our work and we support self-determination.

We recognise the strength and courage of Aboriginal women and girls who bravely speak up against oppression and the consequences of colonisation, and generously share their wisdom on Family, Country and Culture. We will learn from this wisdom. We commit to challenging racism and discrimination, and to calling out systems of oppression. We will listen, learn and work in partnership with Aboriginal peoples to build systems of inclusion. We seek a future of respect and equality for all, and we stand in solidarity with Aboriginal communities across the Grampians region.