We acknowledge that we are located on the lands of the Cammeraygal people. The Cammeraygal are the traditional custodians of this land and are part of the greater Eora Nation. We pay our respects to past, present and future ancestors of the Aboriginal nations.
The NSW Ministry of Health acknowledges that we are located on the lands of the Cammeraygal people. The Cammeraygal are the traditional custodians of this land and are part of the greater Eora Nation. We pay our respects to past, present and future ancestors of the Aboriginal nations.
This Statement of Commitment, originally signed on Sorry Day, 26 May 2010, is an acknowledgment of regret over past practices and policies which have impacted on the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal people and their health.
We recognise Aboriginal people as the First Nations’ People of Australia and the traditional owners and custodians of land. Aboriginal people have lived here for over 60,000 years and are recognised as being the oldest living, continuous culture of the world, with unique languages and spiritual relationships to the land and seas. We are strongly committed to improving the physical, cultural, spiritual and family wellbeing of Aboriginal people in this State.
The NSW Ministry of Health, is Sorry for the pain and loss placed on the lives of Aboriginal people who have been dislocated from their culture, displaced from their homelands and watched their children being taken away.
We have made this Statement of Commitment to continue to:
- uphold and apply cultural protocols such as `Welcome to Country’ or ‘Acknowledgment of Country’
- acknowledge and respect Aboriginal cultural identity, practices and beliefs by working in partnership with Aboriginal peoples through the use of the NSW Aboriginal Health Partnership Agreement
- use the Aboriginal Health Impact Statement when developing or reviewing significant policies and programs and
- implement agreed actions that support delivery of services and programs to Aboriginal people in NSW.
For the NSW Ministry of Health, this Statement of Commitment means building our cultural competence and working to deliver sustainable health outcomes and contribute to closing the health gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.
Download the NSW Health Statement of Commitment.