Hames Sharley is proud to announce that our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) ‘Reflect’ has been officially endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, marking a significant milestone in our reconciliation journey in the midst of National Reconciliation Week 2022.

As part of our ongoing commitment to taking action towards reconciliation, we are also proud to announce that our SA and WA studios have become members of Reconciliation SA and WA respectively, with plans to become members in each of the other states.

Be Brave, Make Change

National Reconciliation Week is held every year from 27 May to 3 June, commemorating two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the 1967 referendum (27 May 1967) and the High Court Mabo decision (3 June 1992). This year’s theme ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’ is a challenge to all Australians to Be Brave and tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

To celebrate, our studios took part in a series of events across the country, taking the opportunity to reflect on our role in reconciliation and learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements.

Through the platform of our bi-weekly ‘National Exchange’ presentation, we heard from Graduate of Architecture Dimity Dennis, who shared her thesis ‘A Toolbox for Architecture Research’ - a first step in the journey towards positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander collaboration in architecture. Dimity shared the results of a scoping literature review study, identifying a series of tools that may help architectural professionals conduct research with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our Journey

Our reconciliation journey is a reflection of our guiding principles and core philosophy, which is centred around ‘enabling communities to flourish,’ and is ultimately a benchmark for which we measure our work and the outcomes we achieve for our clients.

We work together to ensure a growing awareness of inclusivity and innovative approaches to developing the three pillars of Reconciliation – relationships, respect and opportunities; throughout our personal and professional lives.

Through the introduction of our RAP ‘Reflect’ Plan, we pledge to:

Relationships

• Establish and strengthen mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations.
• Build relationships through the celebration of National Reconciliation Week.
• Promote Reconciliation through our spheres of influence.
• Promote positive race relations through anti-discrimination strategies.

Respect

• Increase understanding, value and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights through cultural learnings.
• Demonstrate respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by observing cultural protocols.
• Build respect for aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories by celebrating NAIDOC Week.

Opportunities

• Improve employment outcomes by increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment, retention and professional development.
• Establish and maintain an effective RAP Working Group to drive governance of the RAP.

While National Reconciliation Week provides an opportunity for all Australians to learn how we can contribute to achieving reconciliation, we acknowledge that the journey towards reconciliation is an ongoing process that we continue to move towards through the implementation of our Reconciliation Action Plan and state-level memberships.