Reconciliation

Early 2025

Allies attend 2025 First Nations Cultural Summit for the first time

In March, First Nations team members from across Wellways came together on Wandi Wandian Country, part of the Yuin Nation, for our third annual First Nations Cultural Summit, and for the first time, non-Indigenous team members from the local region were offered the opportunity to attend as allies.

Smoking ceremony at the 2025 Cultural Summit

The First Nations Cultural Summit is an important part of our Reconciliation Action Plan commitments to centre First Nations voices, build meaningful relationships, and create a culturally safe and thriving workplace.

The Summit combined cultural practices designed to ground and connect team mates to Country and to each other.

For First Nations team members, it offered time to reconnect with identity, culture and each other. For allies, it was an invitation to listen, reflect, and walk alongside with respect and humility.

Plans are already underway for the 2026 First Nations Cultural Summit, which will be held in Victoria and will continue to include local allies.

Mid 2025

Yoorook Walk for Truth and Treaty

In May, Wellways joined the Yoorook Walk for Truth in Victoria. A once-in-a-lifetime advocacy opportunity to support the Yoorook Justice Commission and walk with First Nations people of Victoria and allies from from Portland on Gunditjmara Country to Parliament House in Melbourne.

The Yoorook Justice Commission is Australia’s first formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria, and unlike other state-based truth telling inquiries and reports, Victoria’s Yoorook Commission held the legal power of a royal commission.

Our people from across the western and central regions of Victoria joined different legs of this historic 25-day journey spanned, which spanned 500 kilometres of Country, passing sites of cultural and historical significance and gaining national media attention, raising awareness of the truth telling process the Yoorook Justice Commission were leading.

Across each part of the walk, Wellways demonstrated its shared commitment to truth telling, reconciliation and Treaty are more than words; our actions and advocacy demonstrate our values are shared and deeply embedded right across the organisation.

Mid 2025

Wellways’ Stretch RAP endorsed

In July 2025, Wellways reached an important milestone in our reconciliation journey with the formal endorsement of our Stretch RAP, building on the foundations of our Innovate RAP and reflecting our deeper relationships and long-term commitment to a reconciled Australia.

As Wellways continues to grow, so does the need to strengthen cultural safety, representation and genuine partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Guided by First Nations employees and communities, we developed a long-term plan that embeds cultural respect, strengthens relationships and expands opportunities across our services, programs and workplace.

The Stretch RAP positions us to drive meaningful, sustained change as we deepen relationships, grow First Nations leadership and ensure our work is culturally safe and community led.

Continue Exploring

Continue exploring more of the highlights from across the business in the 2024-25 Annual Review.