Aboriginal Place-Based Cultural Immersion (APBCI)

The Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure has announced a panel of preferred Aboriginal-owned suppliers to provide cultural immersion experiences for its employees, and share the richness and diversity of Aboriginal culture and history on Country. 

In a first for the NSW Government, the Department has engaged four providers to pilot the panel across three regions in Sydney, Broken Hill and Dubbo including: 

• The Gujaga Foundation, which is the peak organisation leading language, culture and projectbased activities in the La Perouse Aboriginal community.
• The Tubba-Gah (maing) Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation, which delivers cultural immersion training on Country at Dubbo.
• The Barkandji people at Broken Hill, who are the traditional owners of the lands and waters in far west NSW.
• The Mungo Excursion, which provides cultural immersion at Mungo National Park in far southwest NSW.

Executive Director of the Department’s Aboriginal Strategy, Policy and Engagement group, Danny Lester, said the establishment of the APBCI panel provides employees with comprehensive learning to improve their cultural capabilities, enabling them to deliver the very best place-based outcomes, with and for Aboriginal communities. 

Mr Lester said the initiative represents real and tangible economic development opportunities for Aboriginal people, communities, and entities in NSW.   

“Aboriginal people and their cultures are so diverse that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to cultural learning won’t work,” Mr Lester said. 

“Departmental employees need to immerse themselves in their local communities on Country with Traditional Custodians, knowledge holders and language speakers to better understand their intrinsic connections with Country and the broader community.” 

The Department’s work is grounded on Country across a wide area of government functions including Planning, Property and Development, Crown Lands, Office of Local Government and more. 

“This pilot panel is a core part of our work to create cultural uplift within the Department for the benefit of increasing how we centre Aboriginal voices at the forefront of our service design and delivery,” Mr Lester said. 

Luke Driscoll, Barkandji Prescribed Body Corporate CEO at Broken Hill said: 

“When you’re learning about a culture that didn't have a written language, but where everything can be told through voice and through exploring the environment, it’s important to get out on Country and be hands on when it comes to learning.” 

“The Department’s APBCI panel teaches the cultural nuances that exist within different Aboriginal cultures across the state, and this is an important part of bridging the gap between white fellas and Aboriginal people.” 

Ray Ingrey, Chairperson Gujaga Foundation at La Perouse said: 

"For Aboriginal people (Country) is our classroom. When we take visitors on Country to sights that are significant to us, they get to see Country in a different viewpoint. For us, we want to share how we see Country, how we live on Country, and how Country communicates with us.  After they experience that, there is a good chance they will never look at Country the same again." 

"We have many different Aboriginal cultures across NSW – the needs of each cultural group varies – and that's why the place-based Aboriginal cultural development is important, because when you create a policy, you get an inside look into the community that you are servicing.”