When the Council developed and launched our first Reconciliation Plan, we made a promise to authentically embrace and integrate Indigenous and cultural considerations in the Council’s work.
We recognise the best way to truly understand the perspectives of Australia’s First Nations peoples is to invite them to speak truth from within the Council. True reconciliation requires us to collaborate with Indigenous voices so that we can grow in our cultural awareness and understanding.
Over the last few years, we have appointed Indigenous representatives to the Council’s Accreditation and Assessment Committees and more recently the Accreditation Panels. These representatives ensure the Council is integrating and imbedding Indigenous perspectives across all our work of accrediting Australian physiotherapy entry-level university courses and assessing overseas physiotherapists seeking to work in Australia.
Earlier this year, we welcomed Michael Reynolds, experienced sports and exercise physiotherapist, university academic at the Australian Catholic University and a proud Wiradjuri man to the Council’s Board of Directors.
Michael brings a rich and diverse combination of professional and governance experience and important cultural perspectives that we, as the Council, are grateful to listen and learn from.
We believe that Michael’s contribution will help inform and shape the Council’s future Reconciliation Journey and help ensure we are authentic, accountable and focused on contributing to reconciliation through our accreditation and assessment work in the Australian physiotherapy sector.
Just as we are continuing to listen and learn, we invite you too, to listen to some of Michael’s story and hear about ‘truth listening’ in this podcast produced by the Australian Physiotherapy Association as part of The Deadly Physios series.
To read Michael’s bio click here.