Making reconciliation part of everyday business
Of new employees completed reconciliation and cultural awareness training during onboarding
Staff completed MPHN’s Introduction to Cultural Awareness training
Sponsored places secured in the First Nations Cultural Awareness Journey through Charles Sturt University and Three Rivers Department of Rural Health
For Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN), reconciliation is not simply a plan or a series of events. The goal is to embed cultural understanding, respect and First Nations perspectives into the way the organisation works every day.
MPHN’s Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) sets out a vision for an “ever-learning culture that acknowledges, listens, celebrates and embraces” First Nations communities across the Murrumbidgee. Central to that vision is a commitment that decisions affecting First Nations health and wellbeing involve their knowledge, participation and collaboration.
During 2025-2026, that commitment continued to become part of business as usual. All new employees completed reconciliation and cultural awareness training through onboarding, while 41 staff completed Introduction to Cultural Awareness at MPHN.
Staff have also participated in cultural events, learning experiences and community activities, while greater awareness is influencing everyday practices, from the language MPHN uses through to procurement, engagement and relationships with providers and communities.
MPHN is now focused on strengthening that foundation, with 20staff also being offered sponsored places in the First Nations Cultural Awareness Journey through Charles Sturt University and Three Rivers Department of Rural Health, building deeper understanding of First Nations cultures, history and contemporary issues.
Importantly, reconciliation is also being connected more directly to how MPHN plans and commissions healthcare. RAP Chair Shelley Gledhill said the aim is to ensure the organisation approaches commissioning and outreach “with a lens for First Nations people in our communities” including genuine consideration of cultural safety and the role of Aboriginal health practitioners.
It is a shift from reconciliation as an initiative to reconciliation as part of how MPHN does business.