This artwork has been designed by Gary Saunders, a proud Bangerang, Yorta Yorta, Wiradjuri and Dja Dja man born in Mooroopna. Gary is an artist, graphic designer and a musician. The artwork was created for Austin Health’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) which was launched in May 2019. In Gary’s words “the artwork design represents the three major sites of Austin Health, the large circle the main site, while the other circles the smaller sites. The staff are represented by the symbols around the outside of the large circle. The lines within each circle are the clients, while in between each of the circles we see the pathways of teaching and research that link each of the sites and contribute to high quality personcentred care. The different designs throughout the ‘site circles’ represent the many services and programs that Austin Health provides for the community”. The background design represents collaboration as Gary worked together with children from the Austin Child Care Centre on this design. The background artwork has been drawn by the children and their footprints and handprints show the strength and future of Austin Health. Our first RAP is a step forward in formalising our commitment to reconciliation and sets out a plan of the key areas we are going to focus on over the next 12 months. The plan is the culmination of months of consultation & engagement with a range of internal and external stakeholders including our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander employees, a broad cross-section of staff, as well as the Wurundjeri Land Council. Through this consultation process, a resounding theme was that reconciliation is best achieved when we do it together and this aligns beautifully with our organisational value “together we achieve”. Responsibility for delivering against our RAP commitments will be shared across our organisation, with senior managers accountable for components of our action plan. Together, we’ll achieve our aspirations and make further strides towards strengthening our connection and relationship with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community… until one day there is no gap.