The ac.care community of staff, volunteers, board members and other contributors recognise we live and work on land that always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
We are honoured to provide services on the lands of the Boandik, Meintangk and Bindjali in the South East, Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Ramindjeri in the Murraylands and Fleurieu Peninsula, Peramangk in the Adelaide Hills and First Peoples of the River Murray and Mallee Region, including the Meru language group, the Ngaiawang, Ngawait, Nganguruku, Erawirung, Ngintait, Ngaralte and Ngarkat people along with the many other clans and family groups across these regions.
We respect the Traditional Custodians of these lands and their ancestors and acknowledge their deep and ongoing connection to the land and continuation of cultural practices.
We pay respect to Elders past, present and future, for they hold the memories, traditions, cultures and hopes of the First Nations people of Australia.
Our respect extends to First Nations people from these lands and other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from diferent nations that reside here today.
We recognise the tragic impact of past injustice and generational trauma that has led to systemic disadvantage faced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today and commit to contributing to reconciliation and building a better future for all alongside First Nations people and communities.
Click on the image to open and download the 2022 to 2025 Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan.
COUNTRY agency ac.care has joined 2,450 organisations nationwide in supporting the “yes” vote at the upcoming referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution and implement an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The not-for-profit organisation has joined other diverse groups with Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) commitments in demonstrating unwavering support for a reconciled future for our nation.
The collection of RAP organisations supports 4 million Australians each day through their work across a range of sectors.
“We have been on the journey of reconciliation for many years and our organisations are stronger because we have listened to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” ac.care Stretch RAP champion Jason Wallace said.
He said recognition and providing a voice to First Nations people had been at the heart of the reconciliation movement for decades.
“Our organisation has accepted the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and together RAP organisations committed to the principles of voice, treaty and truth well before 2023,” Mr Wallace said.
“That commitment remains strong and will endure.”
ac.care acting chief executive officer Kirsty Barnett said reconciliation was founded on respectful relationships.
“We urge all Australians to engage thoughtfully and respectfully as they educate themselves and others about the important opportunity the referendum provides,” she said.
She urged country people to accept the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart to provide a Voice to Parliament for First Nations people as a vital step to make our nation a stronger, fairer and better place for all.
ac.care is part of the Anglicare Australia Network, which previously voiced its public support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and Voice to Parliament last year.
“We thank First Nations people for their generous invitation the Uluru statement provides to walk together towards a better future for all Australians,” ac.care board convenor Rick Fisher said.
“The Uluru Statement offers a historic mandate to create a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood and we hear and support the call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution to empower First Nations peoples.”
He said ac.care also supported the call for a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement making between governments through treaties and to oversee a process of truth telling about our history.
“We commit to supporting self-determination in the communities in which we work and recognise in some cases this means handing over aspects of our work to First Nations organisations,” Mr Fisher said.
“In solidarity with First Nations Peoples, communities and organisations, we commit to advocating for the Australian Parliament to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including the Voice to Parliament.”
Mr Fisher said this was a vital step in committing to respecting the knowledge and expertise of First Nations peoples and that ac.care already had a focus on centring First Nations voices in its work.
“We join people and organisations across the country in accepting the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk with First Nations people to make Australia a more inclusive place for everyone,” he said.
ac.care is a signatory to the Anglicare Australia Network Commitment
in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart
Two exhibitions are being hosted by ac.care at Murray Bridge and Berri this month, with community members affected by homelessness sharing their personal experiences through photos and words as part of the initiative being launched by ac.care next week
OUTSTANDING SUCCESS: Pictured above are 2023 Limestone Coast Support Homeless People Luncheon coordinator Jason Wallace, Premier Peter Malinauskas and ac.care chief executive officer Shane Maddocks celebrate the success of the luncheon, which raised close to $130,000 to support vulnerable people.
THE team at ac.care is celebrating the organisation’s win of the Community Conscience award at the 2023 Women in Business and Regional Development and Mount Gambier Chamber of Commerce Awards. The award, presented at the gala ceremony at The Barn Palais on Friday night, recognises a not-for-profit or social enterprise that tackles social problems to … Continued
BE INFORMED: Pictured above are Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation board member Cheryle Saunders, acting chief executive officer Tara Bonney and Jason Wallace of ac.care who are calling on the community to attend a forum at the Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre to learn about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and upcoming referendum. Register for the fourms here … Continued
TWO proud Ngarrindjeri women have developed resource packages for Indigenous children living in care in the Riverland to create and grow connection to local First Nations culture.
ac.care is a dynamic organisation servicing the South Australian communities the Limestone Coast, Murraylands, Riverland, Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu Peninsula.
Our mission is for all country people to have a safe home, enough money to live on and strong, positive relationships.
Please find our service locations here or use our contact form to request a service.
