Reconciliation initiatives
Ngai tampinthi, ngadlu Kaurna yartangga panpapanpalyarrinthi (inparrinthi).
Kaurna Miyurna yaitya mathanya Wama Tarntanyaku. Parnaku yailtya, parnuku tapa purruna, parnuku yarta ngadlu tampinthi.
Yalaka Kaurna miyurna ithu yailtya, tapa purruna, yarta kuma puru martinthi, puru warri-apinthi, puru tangka martulayinthi.
Kumartarna yaitya miyurna iyangka yalaka ngadlu tampinthi.
City of Adelaide acknowledges that we are located on the Traditional Country of the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains and pay our respect to Elders past and present. We recognise and respect Kaurna cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship with the land, water and seas. We acknowledge that they are of continuing importance to the Kaurna people living today. And we also extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language Groups and other First Nations.
City of Adelaide's fourth Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan 2024 – 2027
The City of Adelaide is proud to share its fourth Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) — our eleventh RAP overall — and a three-year roadmap that guides our ongoing commitment to advancing reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.
Our RAP reflects our continued journey of learning and leadership in reconciliation. It affirms our responsibility to walk alongside First Nations peoples, recognising Kaurna Yarta as the living cultural landscape on which we work and live.
Reconciliation Action Plans
The City of Adelaide embarked on a journey of reconciliation with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in 1997. In May 2008, Council adopted its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which provided a framework for the inaugural implementation of Council’s Reconciliation Vision Statement and National Sorry Day Acknowledgement to earmark our journey.
The City of Adelaide has had a long standing, positive working relationship with the Kaurna community as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the Adelaide Plains, on which the city is located, and Council continue to work closely with the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation as the peak body of cultural authority throughout the RAP development process.
While there is still more to do, we are excited to reflect on the past 13 years of RAPs and are looking forward to our ongoing progressive journey with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Examples of previous Reconciliation Action Plans and reports include:
Previous Reconciliation Action Plans
Reconciliation in action
Actions speak louder than words. This is certainly the case for reconciliation. The City of Adelaide demonstrates its ongoing commitment to reconciliation in a number of ways. These initiatives demonstrate the firm commitment by the City of Adelaide to reconciliation in our city.
To learn more about Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country, including when and how they should be delivered, visit our Protocols page. This resource provides guidance on respectful cultural practices and supports deeper understanding of Kaurna Country and its significance.
NAIDOC Week is a week-long celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements, held annually in July. It is open for all Australians. Since its inception in 2017, each year the City of Adelaide hosts a community celebration in Rundle Mall.
In 2013, the City of Adelaide began redevelopment work on Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga.
The overall shape of the redeveloped area was based on the Wokali, or Kaurna Shield. The Wokali is a bark shield cut with stone chisels from the outer bark of mature river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis), which was used by the original people of the Adelaide Plains. The surface was coated in white pipe-clay and decorated with opposing arcs of red ochre. A pliable wooden handle was fixed to the shield through the central holes.
Recognising the significance of Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga as a place of meeting to both Aboriginal people and white settlers, the council then named the central road running through the area Reconciliation Plaza.
Four flag poles were installed at Reconciliation Plaza. The flag poles create public awareness and enable celebration of Aboriginal cultures in Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga.
In May 2016, City of Adelaide worked with with Warriapendi School to create four reconciliation banners to be flown at the entrance and exit points of Reconciliation Plaza, Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga.
Aunty Josie Agius
The City of Adelaide has named a park in the Adelaide Park Lands in honour of Josie Agius. The existing park and netball sporting facility space in Park 22 now honours the life and work of Aunty Josie Agius, a Narungga, Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri and Ngadjuri leader.
Aunty Josie is a fiercely independent woman, and a pillar of strength in the Aboriginal community, committed to sharing cultural knowledge with non-Aboriginal people.
During the 1970s, Auntie Josie became one of our state's first Aboriginal health workers, becoming part of a team that developed a cultural framework for how hospitals and community health services deliver services to Aboriginal people in our state.
From 1984 until 1991, Auntie Josie worked as an Aboriginal education worker, helping to launch the Port Adelaide-based Kurruru Indigenous Youth Art Centre which is still successfully operating today.
She was appointed the NAIDOC Aboriginal of the Year in 1990 and was inducted into the South Australian Women's Honour Roll in 2009. In 2014 she was awarded the David Unaipon Award.
In 2014, Auntie Josie was also awarded the Premier's NAIDOC award as an extraordinary South Australian whose outstanding achievements and activities have made a significant difference to the lives and welfare of Aboriginal people in South Australia.
Aunty Gladys Elphick
City of Adelaide has named a park in the Adelaide Park Lands in honour of Gladys Elphick. Park 25 in the western Park Lands is now known as Gladys Elphick Park / Narnungga.
Gladys Elphick is a prominent Kaurna elder of Kaurna and Narungga descent, best known as the founding president of the Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia (1964-73), which became the Aboriginal Council of South Australia in 1960s. She was known to the community as Aunty Glad.
The Council of Aboriginal Women of South Australia was established in order to improve the socio-economic position of South Australian Aboriginal people. Gladys Elphick was the Council’s first President and worked tirelessly alongside many influential Aboriginal women trailblazers, (Betty Watson, Margaret Lawrie, Maude Tongerie, Lowitja O’Donoghue and Faith Thomas to name a few) in order to establish vital services within the community. The influences of these women lead to the establishment of Nunkuwarrin Yunti, Tauondi College, and the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement.
Aunty Alice Dixon
Alice Dixon is a Kaurna woman, known throughout Australia and internationally for her untiring struggle to expose and stop the deaths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in custody. Alice was a loving mother and grandmother of seven children.
In 1992, a tree was planted in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga to honour her memory. As part of the redevelopment of Victoria Square / Tarntanyangga a new tree (SA blue gum) was planted at a ceremony in on 8 December 2014. The tree is surrounded by a redgum seat with sculpted hands and a plaque.
Alice joined the National Committee to defend Black Rights (CDBR) in 1987. In 1989, Alice was elected to the National Executive of the CDBR. She represented CDBR at national and international conferences and as media spokesperson publicising continuing black deaths in custody and other injustices. Alice completed the University of New South Wales Diplomacy Training Program in order to monitor the human rights abuses of Aboriginal people and highlight their occurrences in the United Nations and other forums.
Alice was motivated by a love for her people and humankind. Her commitment to unity and determination to stop others from suffering the same fate as her son motivated her work with everyone from the imprisoned to police officers.
Alice was named Aboriginal Woman of the Year in Adelaide. Her strength inspired countless people, black and white, to join the struggle for justice. Alice also worked with the SA Aboriginal Deaths in Custody Watch Committee.
In working with all people, including those responsible for the suffering of her family and people, she showed us the humanity in others.
The City of Adelaide endorses the Uluru Statement from the Heart and is committed to recognising and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on three core ingredients – respect, relationships, and opportunities.
Members of the Stolen Generations now have a dedicated space in the city to reflect and connect, with a ‘Place of Reflection’, opened in Rymill Park / Murlawirrapurka.
A resource created by the City of Adelaide in partnership with the Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation, showcasing the cultural significance of the Adelaide Park Lands and other areas across the city from a Kaurna perspective.
The Knowledge Project exists to create a greater foundational knowledge between Kaurna people and the wider community.
Our goal is to promote better conversations and mutual respect through shared understanding. By fostering open dialogue in a non-judgemental environment, we aim to bridge cultural gaps and strengthen community connections.
In November 2019, the City of Adelaide met with Kaurna community members and Tagalaka fire practitioner Victor Steffensen to explore cultural burning practices.