Tweddle's Reconciliation Journey
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, live and play.
We pay our respects to Elders past and present.
We acknowledge the ongoing connection that First Nations peoples have to lands, waterways and communities, and recognise the importance of babies, toddlers and children being connected to culture and kinship
Tweddle’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2025-2027
Tweddle is proud to launch our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2025–2027, a commitment grounded in deep listening, learning and action.
This plan represents a significant step forward in our journey towards a more just and equitable Australia, where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, babies and communities are supported to thrive in strong, safe and culturally connected environments.
Our Innovate RAP sets out to strengthen our relationships with First Nations communities through genuine partnerships, cultural learning, and truth-telling. We will continue to embed cultural safety across our services and create lasting, respectful connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, Elders, and families.
Through the RAP, we will also grow our commitment to improving employment outcomes, enhancing staff cultural capability, and removing systemic barriers to participation.
We know that reconciliation is not a one-off initiative; it is a whole-of-organisation commitment that will shape how we work, who we partner with, and how we walk alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in our shared future.
Meet our RAP artists
Our RAP is brought to life through the contributions of two remarkable First Nations artists:
Kobi Sainty – A proud Bunurong and Palawa man whose murals and paintings in Tweddle’s family rooms, hallways, dining and sleeping spaces at our Wyndham EPC, capture the cultural significance of land and water to First Nations Community.
Dixon Patten – A proud Yorta Yorta and Gunnai man and Director of Bayila Creative, Dixon’s RAP artwork is rich with symbolism representing Tweddle’s RAP journey. His beautiful designs are on display at both our Footscray and Wyndham EPCs, on Wurundjeri and Bunurong Country.
Visit Tweddle’s Innovate RAP here.
Our Vision for Reconciliation
Tweddle’s vision is for an Australia where:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies and children grow up strong in culture, safe in kinship, and equal in opportunity.
- Truth-telling and allyship guide our work.
- Reconciliation is embedded into our service delivery, governance and daily practice.
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We aim to play a meaningful role in achieving the Closing the Gap targets and walking alongside Aboriginal families with care, dignity and respect.
Our RAP is endorsed by:
- Ms Karen Mundine, CEO, Reconciliation Australia, acknowledges Tweddle’s readiness to lead change through reconciliation.
- Ms Annette Vickery, Tweddle Board Director (Board Chair 2023-2025) and proud Gunditjmara woman, who emphasises the importance of truth-telling, partnerships and cultural safety.
- Ms Liz Murdoch, CEO, who reminds us that while plans provide a roadmap, it is action that creates change.
RAP Actions
Relationships
- Build enduring partnerships with Aboriginal organisations and Elders.
- Celebrate National Reconciliation Week and strengthen community engagement.
- Promote reconciliation through internal training and public messaging.
Respect
- Deliver organisation-wide cultural learning and protocol education.
- Celebrate NAIDOC Week and Aboriginal Children’s Day.
- Ensure cultural safety in service environments and staff spaces.
Opportunities
- Increase Aboriginal recruitment, retention and development pathways.
- Engage Aboriginal businesses through improved procurement strategies.
- Provide culturally appropriate care and remove systemic barriers.
Governance
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Maintain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation in RAP governance, supported by a Terms of Reference, regular RAP Working Group meetings, and a senior RAP Champion with co-champions across staff.
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Provide quarterly RAP progress updates to staff and leadership, and publicly report achievements and challenges annually via the website and annual report.
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Submit annual RAP Impact Surveys, a final Traffic Light Report, and maintain up-to-date contacts to ensure continuous engagement and prepare for the development of Tweddle’s next RAP.
Tweddle’s Innovate RAP guides our commitment to learn, act and walk together toward a reconciled future, where every child, every family, and every community can thrive.
Bunurong Artist Kobi Sainty’s Art Welcoming Tweddle Families to Culturally Safe Spaces
Bunurong artist Kobi Sainty recently revisited Tweddle’s new Wyndham Early Parenting Centre to share the story behind his stunning artworks in a mini documentary.
Kobi was commissioned to enhance cultural safety for Tweddle’s Werribee-based Early Parenting Centre (EPC) as part of the state government’s $148 million Early Parenting Centre Expansion and upgrade project.
Tweddle CEO Liz Murdoch spoke with Kobi about the significance of his work to Tweddle staff and families, and the importance of creating safe spaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.
“Kobi’s incredible work tells the story of his ancestral connections to Bunurong Country and the values we share in raising healthy, happy children connected to Country and community, and proud in culture,” Liz said.
“Through Kobi’s art, we are reminded daily of the importance of values, caring for nature, respect for those who have gone before us, and creating welcoming spaces for not only First Nations families, but for all cultural groups raising babies and children in Wyndham.”
In the mini documentary filmed by LifeBuoy Video, Kobi explained the importance of creating safe spaces and his vision for his immersive artwork.
“I didn’t know much about Tweddle initially, but after meeting with some of the team, I began to understand their important work,” Kobi said.
Creating Safe Spaces for families and community
“The values that Tweddle holds really inspired me to create something special for families and for my community to have these safe spaces.”
“For this project, I initially visited the site to see the location. It’s very close to the Werribee River, which is significant country for Bunurong people. I was fortunate that the Tweddle team gave me the freedom to create what I thought would work best.”
Pointing to the artwork’s beautifully flowing lines, Kobi described how the artwork represented community, various aspects of Bunurong Country, and how we all work together. “The flowing lines represent the Werribee River and touches on our connection to country and water,” he said.
Kobi highlighted how historically, Bunurong people would welcome everyone onto Country and share knowledge, a tradition that continues today.
The large-scale family play-room mural welcomes families in and tells a wonderful local story. Tweddle families represent many different cultures, and Kobi wanted to ensure that children connected with the artwork.
Additional artworks include framed designs in bedrooms and hallways, Aboriginal elements on glass, and large canvases in hallways and meeting rooms.
Importantly, Kobi wanted the artwork to connect with babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. “Especially as children, they’re sponges, and these experiences will play a big role in how they grow up to be young adults, understanding and appreciating other cultures and their similarities,” he said.
Kobi noted the diversity of Wyndham, one of the most multicultural places in Victoria. “Hopefully, our children will really connect with the artwork, sparking conversations between parents and children at Tweddle.”
“I’ve been very fortunate that everyone has connected with the artwork and appreciated the stories and pieces I’m sharing. It’s wonderful to think that children, who may not have been exposed to anything like this before, might be shaped by it into the adults they will become,” Kobi added.
Bringing Awareness to Bunurong Culture and Stories
“My art can provide understanding and bring awareness to Bunurong culture, especially since we’re on Bunurong Country at Tweddle, we are sharing stories that might not otherwise be told.”
“We have Tweddle’s values and my Bunurong values merging into a beautiful piece of artwork. I hope this sparks conversation that lead to positive change for our future.”
Liz Murdoch remarked that the mini documentary would be a significant asset to Tweddle, helping to tell the story of Kobi’s artwork and the creation of a welcoming and culturally safe space for Aboriginal families.
“He has created something truly magical that will bring joy for generations,” she said.
You can follow Kobi Sainty’s work here.
Tweddle Reflect Reconciliation Plan (RAP) and Innovate (RAP) Commencement
Tweddle was honoured to join the reconciliation movement with the launch of our Reflect – Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) endorsed by Reconciliation Australia as part of Reconciliation Week (27th May – 3rd June) 2020.
Tweddle is now in the process of consulting with the Aboriginal community on our RAP journey. This will ensure that the next step on our Innovate RAP paves the way for strategic and meaningful action to advance reconciliation and better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander babies, toddlers, families and communities.
Innovate RAP
Tweddle believes in working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to develop an understanding of transgenerational trauma impacts. This is important to us because we believe in delivering inclusive practice and programs in the best interest of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies, children, and families.
Tweddle’s reconciliation journey commenced in 2016 when Tweddle embarked on a quality improvement project to propel the intentions of Tweddle’s ‘2012 Statement of Commitment to Aboriginal Families, their communities and Aboriginal Peak Bodies’ into a plan for action that created meaningful change for Aboriginal children and their families.
Outcomes of this project included the development of a Reconciliation Action Plan. Additional goals were an improved capacity of clinical staff to identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families so we can be culturally sensitive and creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Other initiatives that have contributed towards improving pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families to access early parenting programs and supports include the participation of Tweddle staff in Koolin Balit funded programs to build staff capacity.
Koolin Balit means healthy people in Boonwurrung language and is a Victorian Government strategy which commits the health system to improve the length and quality of life of Aboriginal people in Victoria.
Tweddle is in the process of developing our Innovate RAP. We look forward to sharing this with you soon.
Tweddle is committed to providing accessible, inclusive practices and programs in the best interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families for a safe, thriving and strong start to life.
Tweddle is dedicated to continued partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations in order to continuously improve and build upon achievements towards reconciliation to date. Trauma caused by colonisation and a history of injustice and inequity continues to effect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their access to the health service system.
RAP Journey
As part of Tweddle’s RAP journey, we commissioned Dixon Patten, proud Yorta Yorta and Gunnai man and Director/Graphic Artist at Bayila Creative to illustrate our Tweddle RAP Reflect. The artwork tells the story of Tweddle’s commitment to Reconciliation with the Aboriginal community.
Tweddle’s RAP Reflect is an important marker in Tweddle’s commitment and the process of reconciliation. The Board of Management has an articulated commitment as outlined in the Strategic Plan 2017 – 2020 to ‘Promoting the importance of cultural safety in all aspects of service delivery including as a priority for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’. As part of our RAP Reflect we have delivered the following objectives.
- Establishment of an Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing working group with Aboriginal representation
- Participation in National Reconciliation Week Activities
- Staff cultural awareness and Asking the Question training completed
- NAIDOC week celebrations
- Acknowledging Traditional Custodians Policy and Procedure development
- Acknowledgment of Country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags displayed in prominent places such as reception and meeting rooms
- A calendar of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dates of significance created and communicated to all staff.
Tweddle’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program provides a framework that will enable us to support the national reconciliation movement. Tweddle’s vision for reconciliation is that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies and children in Victoria grow up in a secure environment, supported by strong families with a cultural connection to community.
Tweddle Acknowledgement of Country
“I acknowledge Victoria’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and specifically the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation for their rich culture. I acknowledge Aboriginal people as Australia’s first peoples and as the Traditional Custodians of the land and water on which we rely and meet on today. I pay respect to their Elders past, present and future leaders.”
This artwork was created by Dixon Patten, proud Yorta Yorta and Gunnai man and Director/Graphic Artist at Bayila Creative. The artwork tells the story of Tweddle’s commitment to Reconciliation with the Aboriginal community.
- The ‘U’ shape symbols in the middle depict key people forming the RAP committee and coming together to listen, share and support.
- The ripple patterns represent the positive effect on the broader community that the RAP actions will have.
- The 2 outreached hands represent the ancestors guiding
- Tweddle’s RAP journey.
- The gum leaves represent being ‘Welcomed to Country’.
- The figures holding hands represent children and families supporting, nurturing and protecting each other.
- The footprints depict Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people walking together in reconciliation.
- The emu and kangaroo tracks are on Australia’s Coat of Arms; chosen because they can’t walk backwards. They are also very paternal and nurture their young.
- The pathways lead to different directions and the circles represent the diverse smaller communities that come together to form our big community.
- The Boomerangs depict returning to cultural values and principles to inform how we learn and teach each other in the spirit of reconciliation.
