Nannup Shire Council steps up for traditional owners, agrees on action plan

Nannup Shire Council has taken an important step forward in its bid to better recognise traditional land owners in the region. The council endorsed the motion to adopt a Reconciliation Action Plan at a meeting in May, which asked chief executive David Taylor to provide a report at the latest meeting in August on the recommended process and timeline for its development. The Shire has now assigned $5000 from the 2021-2022 budget towards the process of developing the RAP. The adoption of the RAP will help the Shire to “appropriately and respectfully recognise the traditional custodianship of the land” and to “contribute to reconciliation both internally and within the community”. Reconciliation Australia’s RAP framework includes four different types of RAPs, named Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate, to suit organisations at varying stages of the reconciliation process. Nannup Shire has elected to adopt a Reflect RAP which is about preparing the organisation for reconciliation initiatives in successive RAPs. A Reflect RAP will see the Shire spend time scoping and developing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and deciding on what their reconciliation will look like before committing to any specific initiatives. The Shire expects the process to take about two years to complete.