Reconciliation is more than just a word: The TIO's self-paced film festival on contemporary issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

National Reconciliation Week ended on 3 June. To celebrate this important week, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman offered employees the opportunity to join a 'self-paced' film festival, with a selection of short films and documentaries about a range of contemporary issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

But reconciliation is more than just a word. Reconciliation takes action.

These films were selected to provide the learning and insights to inspire action. Employees were asked to write down their personal or team commitment to reconciliation, with the intention of sharing these visually around the TIO office space. The TIO also offered lunchtime sessions for employees to discuss the film they watched, and find out how it inspired action for them and their colleagues. The progress on the commitments made this National Reconciliation Week will be revisited later in the year.

Meghann Clark, Strategy & Regulatory Affairs Officer and Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) working group member, shared her learnings from a recent education session at FCA Darwin with TIO employees. The session, run by Lynda Edwards, the TIO Consumer Panel’s Co-Chair, was called ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Tips’.

"There wasn’t a single tip given that didn’t give me insight into how I can be a better ally to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the way I work,” Meg said. "But that being said, many tips made me think about the personal side. This experience took me out of reflection, and to the actions I would next take – my personal #MoreThanAWord."

Last November, the TIO launched their Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), as a demonstration of commitment to stand with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

You can read about the TIO's RAP here.