Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices

The Salvation Army is committed to engaging with and working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for mutual flourishing.

As a mission-driven organisation, The Salvation Army seeks to reduce social disadvantage and create a fair and harmonious society through a holistic and person-centred approach that reflects our mission to share the love of Jesus. In cities, country towns and rural communities across Australia, our work touches every demographic and age group.

Throughout our history, we have learnt the hard way about delivering services without listening, thinking we knew best. This approach did not work then and does not work now. A significant lesson over the past 140 years is — you can't help people if you do not listen to them.

• You can't deliver a great service if you are not actively listening to the people who are using it.
• You can't draft great policy if you're not listening to the people who must follow it.
• You can't make great law if you're not listening to the people who will be impacted by it.

When we actively engage with individuals who are impacted by disadvantage, we uncover hidden strengths and potential that can serve as a foundation for meaningful change. By creating an environment where people feel empowered and equipped to take action, we witness an astounding level of innovation and creativity. Recognising the vastness and diversity of our country allows us to develop local solutions that are tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of each community. These solutions often emerge in ways that are unimaginable from the confines of an air-conditioned conference room in a capital city, emphasising the value of ground-level insights and experiences.

Despite the result of the Voice referendum, our commitment to reconciliation is to empower First Nations voices throughout our organisation, and to engage and listen to local voices of the communities we work in. Building on the success of our 2020 Innovate RAP, we have started the journey to develop a new three-year Stretch RAP.

During the life of the Innovate RAP, The Salvation Army has identified areas within our programs and ministry that still needs some work to be done, and we are committed to working with First Nations personnel within The Salvation Army to empower voices and listen to where we can do better and be better.