Bridging Now To Next – Reconciliation Week 2025

News Posted: 27 May 2025

Bridging Now to Next – Reconciliation Week 2025

Today, 27 May 2025, National Reconciliation Week (#NRW2025) kicks off across the country. This year’s theme is Bridging Now to Next – and calls on all Australians to step forward together, to look ahead and continue the push forward as past lessons guide us.

Our commitment to Reconciliation

We all have a part to play in reconciliation. Through our individual efforts and as an organisation, we can contribute to building strong relationships and inclusive communities that respect and value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – their histories, cultures, and futures.

Our Cultural Safety Governance Committee has been formed to guide, monitor and evaluate everything we are doing to create a culturally safe environment for First Nations people. All members of the Committee help to drive the individual strategies identified in our Cultural Safety Framework – including the actions and deliverables outlined in our RAP Innovate.

Read more about the work we’re doing to shape our culture future.

Reconciliation in action

In recognition of #NRW2025, we spoke to a few staff across the organisation to hear firsthand what this year’s theme means to them – and to understand more about this significant milestone in the reconciliation journey.

"To me reconciliation is not just a national conversation – it is the quiet daily commitment of love, respect and truth within my own family. As a white Australian women married to a Wiradjuri man, reconciliation lives in our shared journey, honouring his culture, acknowledging his history and raising our children and grandchildren in a future grounded in unity and understanding."

Cindy – Care Coordinator, Integrated Care Coordination

"Bridging Now to Next I find is a very powerful theme. To me, it means a strong, deep-rooted connection with our Elders, Ancestors and Country is vital. Ensuring that we take the lessons of the past into the future with us to learn and adapt. As a First Nations woman, reconciliation means it is an opportunity for not only Australia, but the many ethnicities in the country that call this beautiful country home, to come together. It is an opportunity for everyone to connect through culture, spirituality, beliefs and religion – also to grow as a nation."

Kirralaa – First Nations Cultural Mentor, headspace Dubbo

"To me, reconciliation is more than just a word — it’s a journey of truth, healing and action. As an Aboriginal woman and survivor of the Stolen Generations, reconciliation has meant finding my way back to culture, to identity, and finding my purpose. Real reconciliation looks like listening without judgement, walking together with respect, and creating spaces where our stories are not only heard — but honoured."

Belinda – Team Lead - Social and Emotional Wellbeing, headspace Dubbo

"Our spirits are within our Country, our source of identity and belonging. It’s important that we recognise our national pride to our Land, protecting it for the next generation to thrive.”

Jennifer – Care Coordinator, Integrated Care Coordination