“(First Nations Peoples) might say yeah I'm feeling culturally safe, you're doing all the bells and whistles, but actually you are not really listening to me, the outcome is not what I want.”
What we talked about
Topic 1: Cultural Safety Presentation – Part Two
- The NDIA First Nations Cultural Safety Team continued its talk about the Cultural Safety Change Initiative (CSCI). In August 2025, the NDIA completed an audit of leadership, governance, workforce, service delivery, and participant experience. The audit set the NDIA’s first cultural safety baseline.
Topic 2: Draft Cultural Safety Plan
- The Cultural Safety Team shared the Agency’s draft Cultural Safety Plan. They explained its goals and outcomes.
What we heard
Cultural safety presentation
- The CSCI aims to improve the Agency’s culture, participant experience, and
long-term system change. The Cultural Safety Team gave an update on work done so far.
Concerns members raised
- Some providers lack cultural capability.
- Some First Nations participants worry about privacy and trust when working with First Nations service providers, especially in small communities.
- Communities should be able to access and own data about them.
- Members want a clear First Nations pathway when they work with the NDIA.
Draft Cultural Safety Plan
- The Cultural Safety Team shared its draft Cultural Safety (ACS) plan. It lists goals, outcomes, and eight focus areas. Members spoke about two areas: Participant Safety and Engagement. These areas relate directly to the experiences of participants and communities.
Members said:
- The draft goal should be focused on First Nations people with disability and reflect the value of lived experience.
- The goal of embedding equity should clarify what “equity” means and how it will work.
Outcomes on cultural safety will change over time. The NDIA should evaluate outcomes often, not take one-off snapshots.
- The NDIA should adopt a zero-tolerance policy on racism.
Members wanted more detail on how the Agency will action practices and policies that honour cultural identities and create equity.
The NDIA should monitor cultural safety like a “thermometer”, checking how national or local events may affect a person’s sense of safety.
- The NDIA should ask participants if they feel culturally safe, and explain what happens if someone does not feel culturally safe.
- The NDIA should improve success indicators so staff can measure them.
- The NDIA should develop guidance for sensitive messages, such as debt notices or rejected reviews.
- The NDIA should give First Nations people ownership and connection to the issues during engagement.
- The NDIA should work more closely with First Nations organisations, health services, community groups, carers, and advocates.
Next meeting
Thursday 26 February.