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Acknowledgement of Country We acknowledge the First Peoples—the Traditional Owners of the lands where we live and work, and we recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay respect to Elders—past, present and emerging—and acknowledge the important role Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders continue to play within the Queensland Museum Community. Vision Statement Queensland Museum Network acknowledges that we have been working on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land since we began in 1862. As an organisation, Queensland Museum Network understands the important contribution Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders have made and will continue to make in protecting, preserving and exhibiting the collections in our care. We are committed to the process of reconciliation and recognise this will be a period of listening, reflection and change. Purpose Statement Queensland Museum Network commits to ensuring representation and respectfully showcasing the contributions and stories of Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders through our research, exhibitions and programming. Queensland Museum Network is a place of research, collections and stories, and our journey of reconciliation will ensure that inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities forms an integral part of what we do. Artwork description: The artwork on the left border is a segment from Queensland Museum Network’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan artwork. The ten hexagons resemble Queensland Museum Network, with each carrying its own story. From top to bottom: Mountains – building and teamwork, River Banks – direction, Wood Grain – adaptation, Tree Ageing Rings – growth, Tree Bark Sheet – creativity, Shells and Rocks – evolution, Walking Tracks – our lands, Water Ripples – our waters, People – community and Sun Beams – our skies. CONTENTS Queensland Museum Network apology 4 Chair message 5 Chief Executive Officer message 6 Queensland Museum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee Chair message 7 Message from Reconciliation Australia 8 Our Reconciliation Action Plan 10 Our business 11 Our vision, values and purpose 12 Our Reconciliation Action Plan supporters 13 Queensland Museum Repatriation Fund 14 Our supporters on the Reconciliation Action Plan journey 14 2019–2020 Actions – Relationships 16 2019–2020 Actions – Respect 18 2019–2020 Actions – Opportunities 20 2019–2020 Actions – Governance and tracking progress 22 Appendix A – Repatriation Fund: Background information for event 24 Definitions 25 Appendix B – Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group members 26 4 Queensland Museum Network Queensland Museum Network apology Queensland Museum Network has historically had a significant role as collector or custodian of Secret and/or Sacred Objects and Ancestral Remains for Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. However, as Queensland Museum Network begins the Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan journey, some past practices have been identified as inappropriate and these practices are considered unacceptable today. Since 1862, Queensland Museum Network has acquired Secret and/or Sacred Objects and Ancestral Remains from across Queensland, the Torres Strait Islands and the Pacific. It is acknowledged that some past practices of the Museum, and its staff, were not respectful of, and did not understand the significance and cultural importance of objects and human remains. Traditional owners were also not empowered to prevent the removal of their possessions. Queensland Museum Network apologises for these actions. The Queensland Museum Network also acknowledges that in the past, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff may not have been treated equally. Consequently, opportunities and career paths available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff may have been limited. Queensland Museum Network recognises that it is only the temporary custodian of the Secret and/ or Sacred Objects and Ancestral Remains. Over the last few decades, Queensland Museum Network has been addressing past practices through consultation with Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders and communities with an aim to repatriate their ancestors and objects to their descendants. The acknowledgement of the museum as a custodian has begun the journey towards reconciliation with Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders. Queensland Museum Network will continue to recognise, acknowledge and collaborate with Aboriginal Peoples and Torres Strait Islanders and promote reconciliation and respect for their culture. (Reference to Appendix A) Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan 5 Chair message Professor Margaret Sheil AO Chair, Board of Queensland Museum I welcome the production of Queensland Museum Network’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan—an important part of the journey to reconciliation that is essential for all cultural institutions. Between the 1870s and 1970s, Queensland Museum and many cultural institutions worldwide acquired a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ancestral Remains, Burial Goods, and Secret and/or Sacred Objects without consent or due regard to traditional lore and custom. Collecting practices in museums around the world have evolved over time, in keeping with changing community attitudes. The Queensland Museum Network now has in place policies of access and repatriation that have led to recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ownership and custodianship. The return of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ancestral Remains, associated burial goods, and Secret and/or Sacred Objects is a priority for our organisation. It is the time to create safe places to have challenging conversations about our past, present and future and, in doing so, make the campuses of the Queensland Museum Network places where all members of our community can understand and embrace their history, issues, achievements and identity. The Board and I look forward look forward to participation in these conversations. 6 Queensland Museum Network Chief Executive Officer message Dr Jim Thompson Chief Executive Officer Queensland Museum Network I am very pleased to present Queensland Museum Network’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan. Developed by the Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group, this Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan is an important precursor to future actions to be taken by the museum. The Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan is about listening and learning, rather than doing; it is our organisation’s opportunity to understand and acknowledge the past and to find out more about reconciliation issues from the perspective of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders. These conversations won’t always be easy, but they are vitally important. The Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan will ensure the next stage is more meaningful, mutually beneficial and sustainable. Clearly outlining the steps we must take to improve our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, the Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan will help our organisation to cement its vision for reconciliation and explore its sphere of influence before committing to specific reconciliation actions or initiatives. The development of cultural competency will remain an on-going learning experience to which we are committed. We will continue to promote and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and build cultural awareness across the organisation, within our programs and among our audiences. Reconciliation is the responsibility of all Australians, and we take our responsibility seriously. Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan 7 Queensland Museum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee Chair message Mr David Williams Chair, Queensland Museum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee The development and endorsement of Queensland Museum Network’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan is a practical step to achieve true reconciliation. It allows staff, stakeholders and visitors a touchpoint to engage and celebrate our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and the role this plays in our community in Queensland. While acknowledging common practices that museums had in the past, we look to right these wrongs, and we embrace a framework such as the Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan as a way to collectively walk a journey leading to a more inclusive and celebrated future. On behalf of Queensland Museum Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Consultative Committee, I welcome this Reconciliation Action Plan. I look forward to it being implemented across the entire network and that we can look back at this as an important step towards practical reconciliation and the important role our people and communities play in helping this story to be told. 8 Queensland Museum Network Message from Reconciliation Australia Reconciliation Australia is delighted to welcome Queensland Museum to the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program and to formally endorse its inaugural Reflect RAP. As a member of the RAP community, Queensland Museum joins over 1000 dedicated corporate, government and not-for-profit organisations that have formally committed to reconciliation through the RAP program since its inception in 2006. RAP organisations across Australia are turning good intentions into positive actions, helping to build higher trust, lower prejudice, and increase pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Reconciliation is not one single