The Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) of the Commonwealth Games in 2018 aims to remain meaningful legacy to the aboriginal community through the employment, training, as well as pronouncement and showcasing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures. The question is, what action been taken so far?
"It's Our Time To Shine" – Slogan of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018
It is indeed the time for Gold Coast to shine. This is the first time for the regional city to the biggest event of Australia in decades. With tourism as the main focus of the government, a total of $1.6 billion dollar was invested in infrastructure and creating job opportunities. In which, more than 12 new sports facilities and 30000 full time jobs will be available for Queenslanders by 2018.
Despite being the first first Commonwealth Game to have the equal number in medals for man and woman, this is also the first Commonwealth Games to have a Reconciliation Action Plan, which elders group and leaders group from the Aboriginal community is involved in different aspects during the decision making process of the game.
The decision to develop the Reconciliation Action Plan was made in 2015 by Australian Government, with claims that it would help to generate awareness and recognise indigenous culture, as well as building respect for the values and heritage of Australia’s First Peoples.
“As minister of the government, our focus is always about the long term and how we create opportunities for employment for young Queenslanders that that are coming to the jobs market.” Said Kate Jones, minister of the Commonwealth Game.
The Queensland Government has collaborated with universities in Queensland to take real action on providing work experience as well as long term career for the young aboriginal communities in specific in order to build culturally capable workforce.
“We have been working with Griffith University and TAFE Queensland to create indigenous opportunities both in regards to traineeships and internships, but also working with more than 20 aboriginal tourism business locally to get real work on real products, which is a million worth contracts that have gone to Aboriginal and Torres Islander businesses.”
Aside from having well trained aboriginal work force in tourism, the Queens Barton Rely will also be a major boost for indigenous tourism in Queensland, which baton bearers will take more than a million steps to run, jog, walk or wheel the baton from the northernmost reaches of Hammond Island in the Torres Strait to all the corners of the country.
In addition, activation of train services will be available to link businesses from Queensland with business opportunities thanks to the Reconciliation Action Plan.
She says with all the work the the government work on the plan is to ensure similar criticism or values from the previous Commonwealth Games in Brisbane back in 1982, which is the year Queensland has its biggest Aboriginal march. 2,000 people marched for land rights in Brisbane on 26 September 1982. In what was named Queensland's biggest Aboriginal march, protesters carrying placards and banners to express their demanded in recognition of Aboriginal land rights and the abolition of Queensland’s
“apartheid” Aborigines and Torres Straight Islander Act. Chants of “land rights now”, and “smash the
act” in Brisbane city streets.
“Our community will be protecting for the same reason in Gold Coast in that 11 days.” Said Freddy Dongulas , member of Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance.
“This document (RAP) continues down a well worn path of appropriation, assimilationist re-branding and unwelcome state sponsored corporate intervention, that is in no way compatible with the values WAR stands for.”
“The members of WAR never were, nor ever will be in any way complicit or ‘loyal to’ their invaders, colonisers and abusers, as is implied within the so called “spirit” that the Commonwealth Games deliver”.
Meanwhile Jenna Lee, Graphic Designer of RAP logo 2018, who specialises in Aboriginal artwork and design, has a different take on the idea behind the protest as well as the Reconciliation Action Plan.
“It was an opportunity to try and create artwork that would be seen by a lot of people; nationally and internationally.”
“For me, as an Indigenous woman, I’ve always had a passion for making sure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is accurately and meaningfully represented. You go to New Zealand and you see the influence of Maori culture, and I feel like that’s missing here in Australia.”
“I don’t actually think the protesting is a negative thing because the world are on our eyes on us, and it’s a platform to get our voices heard, although I generally believe the commonwealth game is a fantastic thing.”
“ But I also understand that it is a time that people can have there voices and opinion to be heard and there is a history with the common wealth games which has raised a lot in the stagey session.”
“There is a real understanding that this RAP while it wouldn’t fix anything, it was like a step in the right direction because they are the first Commonwealth games to do something like this their legacy is hoping that other country would take this format on broad because realistically the Commonwealth games happen a lot in colonised country.”
“I’ve met a lot of Indigenous people who have family employed by the Games. It would be really interesting to see in the lead up, I’m sure I’ll see more. I actually welcome the debate.”
She describe the collaboration with the Gold Coast Commonwealth games was smooth and comfortable for her to design and create art to promote her vision.
“There were three bodies, the Commonwealth Games, GOLDOC and the design team. So, they came to the office, about twenty of them, and we discussed what they wanted to achieve with this document. It was interesting, because there are four levels of reconciliation action plans – this one is an ‘Elevate’ plan, which is the best – and to get to that one you have to go through all the others. Except, the Commonwealth Games has such a short life span, so they managed to get accelerated to Elevate by proving they could achieve it. Reconciliation Australia would have said no if they didn’t think the plan could be carried out. We talked a lot, in the session, about the stakeholders – so community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Australian community, the Queensland community, the sporting community – and took all their perspectives in.”
“All the different layers have different meanings. It’s kind of around diversity but also with really big focus on Yugambeh elders. So, before we started the design, I met with Yugambeh elders and just gauged their thoughts and feelings. I told them what I wanted to do and they gave me their trust that I would do it right. If it had been that they weren’t comfortable, then we would have stopped. But they weren’t; they were happy with it.”
“With all the well developed infrastructure set up as well as the investment and resources provided by the government, the easy success for tourists to interact with the indigenous culture , RAP cultural influence would be way more significant that what the government had done before.” Said Dr Juliana McLaughlin, Lecturer of cultural politics.
While Anisa Nadula, founder of Voices of Colour also believes the RAP could promote the multi culture value to the world through the 11 days.
The game is expected to attract more than 672,000 visitors as well as 6,600 athletes and team officials from 70 member nations and territories.
“It is one of the toughest political calls because you know the economic scale as an industry, particularly in Queensland where we gonna see significant growth in our tourism industry, this is such a huge opportunity, but at the same time, committing that funding and knowing you goanna have that funding available in 2009 for event that happens in 2018. Often government are accused for having short sighted decision making, well, committing 1.5 billion dollars for something that is gonna happen almost 10 years later can sometimes be described as a brave call.”
“The tourism boost from worldwide is priceless for Gold Coast and Queensland,” said Kate.