We acknowledge that Inland Rail will be built and operated on the traditional lands of many First Nations communities
We value our relationships with First Nations communities and recognise their inherent connection to their traditional lands and their continuing responsibility of stewardship and caring for country and culture.
We will be consulting with First Nations leaders at every opportunity to ensure progress on the Inland Rail program is carried out in cooperation with those First Nations communities.
Key links
Our Indigenous Participation Plan
The Inland Rail Indigenous Participation Plan sets out our commitment to working in partnership with Indigenous communities to create meaningful opportunities that deliver lasting benefits for individuals, families and communities.
We show our respect for First Nations communities and our working relationships by:
- proactively engaging with First Nations communities and their leadership, including Elders, to develop partnerships based on mutual respect and understanding
- making an Acknowledgement of Country at our meetings and events, and ensuring there is a Welcome to Country for significant events
encouraging cross-cultural exchanges and cultural learning opportunities for all Inland Rail employees and contractors - celebrating our First Nations cultures at a local and regional level, supporting and participating in NAIDOC celebrations and other community events
- where practical, working with Traditional Owners to find suitable names in traditional language and incorporate Indigenous cultural design in key pieces of infrastructure
- encouraging participation of First Nations community members in our Community Consultative Committees.
We are building positive working relationships with First Nations cultural knowledge holders to promote understanding and help manage potential heritage impacts.
To achieve our cultural heritage goals we will:
- meet all statutory and regulatory obligations under relevant cultural heritage legislation
- where practical, manage cultural heritage by agreement with Aboriginal cultural heritage parties
- develop systems and processes to ensure Inland Rail’s agreed heritage management commitments are met
- provide opportunities for Inland Rail employees and contractors to learn about our First Nations communities’ cultural heritage from elders and other cultural knowledge holders.
We are committed to creating opportunities for the development of skilled First Nations workers through the construction and operation of Inland Rail.
To support this goal, we will work closely with our First Nations community networks to encourage applications and increase the number of First Nations peoples applying for vacancies.
We are committed to supporting Indigenous businesses to ensure they are prepared for and provided with opportunities to participate in Inland Rail.
As part of this commitment, we have engaged two dedicated Indigenous Participation Advisors in regional towns near the alignment. The advisors will help Indigenous communities to get ready for Inland Rail by building skills and business capacity.
Preserving First Nations cultural heritage fact sheet
This fact sheet describes how Inland Rail is managing and preserving First Nations cultural heritage fact sheet.
Working with contractors
We look for opportunities to contract First Nations businesses directly through our day-to-day operations, drawing on local networks and utilising First Nations business directories such as Supply Nation.
However, the majority of contracting and employment opportunities for our project design and construction work are realised in the supply chains established with our major contractors. We are working closely with these contractors to ensure that Indigenous participation targets are set and achieved.
Find out more
For more information about how Inland Rail is working with First Nations communities, please phone 1800 732 761 or email us:
- Cultural heritage enquiries: irculturalheritage@artc.com.au
- General enquiries: inlandrailenquiries@artc.com.au
