The other day one of my Fast Track clients asked me an interesting question. I thought it might be interesting - and useful - to you too.

My client had been to an important public event hosted by a local not-for-profit and, to her surprise, there was no Acknowledgement of Country or Welcome to Country. No recognition of traditional custodians or Aboriginal people at all. And in this, the new millennium (yes, I’m still calling this new) she was aghast that such a misstep could be made.

She was 100% sure that the organisation would support Aboriginal people - and Aboriginal employment - just like they do. So why was no Acknowledgement performed? Was it an oversight? Did they not realise many people now expect one? Or did they not know how to do one? What happened?

And more to my client’s point, how could she approach this organisation and point them in the right direction? How does she politely enquire about why and how this happened? How could she help make this right?

“They need you,” she said. (Awww shucks…that’s nice.) But here’s the thing...they might need me, they probably need me, but they more than likely need you first.

You see, people are more likely to hear this stuff if it’s coming from people like them, in the same position as them.

Of course, I’m going to want people to give Acknowledgement to the Traditional Custodians and our millennia-old connection to this land. Of course I want respect paid to our Aboriginal Elders and those Aboriginal people present. Of course, I’ll be talking about why Acknowledgements are important for employers who want to build workplaces that respect, welcome and support Aboriginal people. That’s practically ALL I talk about. Well, not exactly, but you get my point.

The point is, people expect to hear from me about these things, and they expect this to be important to me, so it can be an ‘of course’ when they hear me say it. But when a non-Aboriginal person says it, in this case CEO to CEO, it can be more powerful. It’s you setting a standard in your communities and speaking out loud about what you expect. It’s how we change things. It’s peer accountability at its best.

So, how could you approach an organisation in this situation? Here’s a few tips:

• Approach them directly. Don’t talk about it before you speak with them. You don’t know why an Acknowledgement wasn’t done. It may have been a honest mistake.

• Speak with someone who has authority to do something about it (if they choose) within reason. In this case, my client CEO can approach their CEO. The CEO clearly has authority, and it’s appropriate for a CEO to speak to another CEO. If you’re not a CEO (and most people aren’t) then who can you approach?

• Don’t wait too long. If it’s important you’ll bring it up sooner rather than later, and the best time for feedback is as soon as practicable after the event.

• Share your own story about how you came to start doing Acknowledgements of Country and why they’re important to your organisation and communities. More than likely you introduced Acknowledgements in the last few years, so share how and where you learned about them. What have you learned that you can share with them to show how it’s impacted on your own organisation and workplace?

You could even point them to a resource that lets them discover the details on their own, like my Quick Workplace Guide to Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Country if you think that would help. They can click the button below to download the guide. Or send them to this post to get their own copy.

What do you think? How would you approach someone when their organisation hosted a public event without an Acknowledgement of Country?

If you’d like to learn more you can download my Quick Workplace Guide to Welcomes to Country and Acknowledgements of Country by clicking the button below.

Download the guide

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Racism in the workplace can manifest in subtle ways, and the impact on Aboriginal employees and clients can be profound. One common pitfall is when non-Indigenous people turn to their non-Indigenous peers to validate their response to feedback on racist behaviours. This creates harmful feedback loops, where lived experiences are ignored, and harmful behaviours are reinforced.

To foster a culturally safe workplace, organisations need to prioritise the voices of those directly affected by racism and seek guidance from Aboriginal staff or cultural experts. By listening, learning, and taking action based on the perspectives of those with lived experience, organisations can break the cycle of harm and build a more inclusive and respectful environment.

If your organisation is serious about creating a culturally safe workplace, understanding these feedback dynamics is essential.

Proofreading Your Workplace: How Cultural Capability Prevents Harm

Most people wouldn’t send a report without proofreading it, so why ignore the cultural capability of your workplace? Small mistakes in how we talk about and engage with Aboriginal people may seem harmless, but they can cause real harm and create unsafe environments. Just like with grammar, cultural capability requires continuous learning and a commitment to getting it right. In this article, I explore why every organisation needs a ‘proofreader’ for their cultural capability and how this can build safer, more respectful workplaces for Aboriginal people.

Beliefs that could have led to a Yes vote: Lessons from the 2023 Referendum

Almost a year on, the 2023 referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is still a topic worth revisiting—not to analyse why people voted one way or another, but to explore what beliefs might have led to a different result. Imagine if the message had truly resonated. What values would have inspired a ‘Yes’ vote, and what can leaders learn from this for their own workplaces? In this article, I break down the beliefs that could have shifted the outcome and show how these same values can help build safer, more respectful workplaces.

Read the full article to find out what those beliefs are and how they can shape change in your organisation.

Mentoring Aboriginal Staff: How to Avoid Gaslighting and Be a Better Ally

When a young Aboriginal woman told her non-Indigenous mentor that her employer was racist, his first reaction was to explain that they weren’t. This response is common—and problematic. It's called racial gaslighting: dismissing or undermining someone’s experience of racism. By listening without defensiveness, recognising lived experience as expertise, and questioning our own biases, we can avoid this pitfall. Becoming a better ally means standing with those facing discrimination, not explaining it away. If you’re serious about building a safer and more respectful workplace, it starts with listening deeply and challenging your own assumptions.

Expanding the Understanding of Aboriginal Employment

When people think of Aboriginal employment, they often focus on recruitment and placement services. While these are important aspects, Aboriginal employment encompasses a much broader range of activities and strategies that go beyond simply filling jobs. People who work in Aboriginal employment could have experience in any or all of these areas. Understanding the full scope of Aboriginal employment can help organisations make a meaningful impact and create lasting change.

I've listed 16 areas that people might mean when they say Aboriginal employment.

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The “It's Not Just Culture" Principle

I've developed a set of principles over more than 20 years working in Aboriginal employment. These principles form an important part of my Aboriginal employment philosophy.

This article series introduces you to two of my three of these principles.

My Three Principles:

It's not me, it's you
It's not just culture
Look good, feel good, do good principle

This article covers the second principle.

I use these principles when working with clients to help guide their best intentions towards things that work. Each of my products has been designed with these principles in mind.

These principles will help you work out if what you're doing or planning to do with Aboriginal employment is going to get you where you want to be with Aboriginal employment.

Reading Recommendation: Radical Candor by Kim Scott

The ideas in this book, Radical Candor, resonated strongly with me. As I read, I realised how relevant the core framework was to my work in Aboriginal employment.

I had a very clear idea in my mind what kind of supervisor was best, but no framework - and barely any language - for what it was.

Here’s a very quick introduction to the framework and how it applies to Aboriginal employment.

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3 ways to get internal support for Aboriginal employment and the 1 way that works

Have you ever tried to get internal support for an Aboriginal employment program or initiative and failed?

Ever struggled to get your board, senior leaders, hiring managers, or staff to get on board with a important initiative?

You either can't find the message that works, or you can't get the message to the right person to make a decision. If you can't get support for an initiative, how can you expect it to succeed?

This article looks at why you need a strong rationale, three kinds of arguments you could use, and the most effective kind to use to bring staff on board.

How do I find someone who can do a Welcome To Country in my area?

Do you need to find someone who can deliver a Welcome to Country?

The below information is meant to be a starting point for you to identify and connect with Traditional Custodians in your area. It is not a comprehensive list, and may be updated from time to time.

It is important that you check whose country your meeting/event is being held.

We talk about Welcomes to 'Country' and Acknowledgements of 'Country', but what do we mean by 'Country'?

Over the last few years, so many workplaces have introduced Acknowledgements of Country. Rising community expectations to acknowledge Traditional Custodians and First Nations people have meant my most popular downloads and blog posts are about this modern take on a traditional custom.

But, what do we mean by ‘Country’?

Here's an explanation from Professor Mick Dodson OA.