Cultural Safety in Australia: Discussion Paper, Lowitja Institute

This paper explores the principles and practices of cultural safety, particularly in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with a focus on embedding cultural safety into health and human services. While the resource is health sector-focused, its insights into addressing systemic racism, power imbalances, and historical injustices hold broader relevance for sectors like social enterprise, community development, and governance. Key themes include:  

1. Defining cultural safety: cultural safety goes beyond cultural awareness to address systemic power imbalances, ensuring environments where Indigenous peoples feel respected, safe, and empowered to have their cultural identity affirmed.
2. Systemic and structural change: the paper highlights the importance of embedding cultural safety at individual, organisational, and systemic levels. Strategies include workforce education, leadership accountability, and policy reforms to dismantle institutional racism.
3. Addressing power and privilege: the resource provides frameworks to examine and challenge power structures, with a strong emphasis on Indigenous-led solutions and truth-telling to confront historical injustices.

This resource is a foundational guide for individuals and organisations committed to embedding cultural safety as a pathway to equity, inclusion, and self-determination.