Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan

Reflect RAP

• Reflect RAP Artwork

  Reflect RAP Artwork

  About the artwork

  Delama Dja (Embrace Country) celebrates Wadawurrung Country and the enduring connection to land, waterways, and sky. As the water tribe, Wadawurrung people have long lived in harmony with coastal Country, rivers (yaluk), seas (warri), and wetlands, which provided life, knowledge, and sustenance. Bright blue tones throughout the artwork honour water as a source of strength, movement, and connection to Country.

  At the centre of the artwork is the meeting place symbol - a space for coming together to share stories and knowledge. Surrounding ‘∩’ shapes represent people, family, and community, while flowing journey lines connect all elements, expressing unity with each other, Country, and culture.

  This artwork captures the ever-changing hues of Wadawurrung Country, shifting from the warm orange of sunrise (Pilk Purriyn), to the calming blue of dusk and deep purple of sunset (Tali-talik). These colours embody the life and nourishment the land offers, as the spirits of Wadawurrung Ancestors watch over us, offering guidance from above.

  

  Artwork name: Delama Dja (Embrace Country), Created by: Jenna Oldaker from Murrup Art

  About the artist

  Jenna Oldaker is a Wadawurrung Traditional Owner and Visual Artist based in Ballarat on Wadawurrung Country. She creates artworks under the name Murrup Art – murrup meaning spirit – reflecting the sacred tradition of storytelling told by her ancestors and their spirits. Her passion is to create each work with its own individual story and meaning, and to share Wadawurrung cultural knowledge and honour Country. Jenna was commissioned to produce Delama Dja (Embrace Country) for Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre.

  

• Message from the Chair and Chief Executive

  Message from the Chair and Chief Executive

  We are proud to share VCET’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) as part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This document forms part of our broader commitment to sustainability, including social inclusion and equity, which ensures our venues are welcoming places for everyone.

  We have a deep respect for the oldest continuing cultures in the world and are privileged that both MCEC and Nyaal Banyul stand on sites with prominent histories as gathering places for First Nations peoples. For thousands of years, the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Wadawurrung Peoples have come together to yarn, celebrate, solve problems and pass on knowledge at both sites, aligning to the same purpose we share today.

  We recognise that our two venues are at differing stages of reconciliation.

  Nyaal Banyul has been developed collaboratively with Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, whom have been instrumental in the Centre’s development from gifting its name to contributing to the building’s design and brand identity. At MCEC, our relationship with the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Traditional Owners is less developed and while there has been some progress, we recognise we have some work to do to achieve the same level of respectful representation and engagement at this venue. In addition, we recognise that MCEC sits on the banks of the Birrarung, a river of significance for many First Nations communities including the Bunurong peoples.

  We see this Reflect RAP as an opportunity to build the foundational relationships necessary to balance our approach across our venues. We hope to strengthen our existing relationship as we establish our operations in Djilang, and consolidate our relationships in Narrm. Our reconciliation commitment now holds us accountable for making deliberate and measurable progress not only with the Wurundjeri and Wadawurrung Peoples but for all First Nations peoples who visit our centres.

  Through ongoing education, removing systemic barriers, and creating meaningful partnerships, VCET will embed reconciliation into our everyday operations. This is only the beginning of our reconciliation journey but through these actions, we can create lasting and meaningful change for the communities we serve and support.

  

  Left: The Hon. John Brumby AO (Chair Victorian Convention and Event Trust)

  Right: Ms Natalie O'Brien AM (Chief Executive Victorian Convention and Event Trust)

• Message from the CEO of Reconciliation Australia

  Message from the CEO of Reconciliation Australia

  Reconciliation Australia welcomes Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET) to the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program with the formal endorsement of its inaugural Reflect RAP.

  VCET joins a network of more than 3,000 corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.

  Since 2006, RAPs have provided a framework for organisations to leverage their structures and diverse spheres of influence to support the national reconciliation movement. The program’s potential for impact is greater than ever, with over 5.5 million people now working or studying in an organisation with a RAP.

  The four RAP types — Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate — allow RAP partners to continuously develop and strengthen reconciliation commitments in new ways. This Reflect RAP will lay the foundations, priming the workplace for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives.

  The RAP program’s strength is its framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities, allowing an organisation to strategically set its reconciliation commitments in line with its own business objectives, for the most effective outcomes.

  These outcomes contribute towards the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity; unity; and historical acceptance.

  It is critical to not only uphold all five dimensions of reconciliation, but also increase awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and leadership across all sectors of Australian society.

  This Reflect RAP enables VCET to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions. Getting these first steps right will ensure the sustainability of future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and provide meaningful impact toward Australia’s reconciliation journey.

  Congratulations VCET, welcome to the RAP program, and I look forward to following your reconciliation journey in the years to come.

  

  Karen Mundine (Chief Executive Officer, Reconciliation Australia)

• Our Business

  Our Business

  The Victorian Convention and Event Trust (VCET) operates the globally recognised Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) located in Narrm (Melbourne) and Nyaal Banyul Geelong Convention and Event Centre (Nyaal Banyul) located in Djilang (Geelong). In the same way First Nations peoples have done for millennia, our venues hold gatherings and connect communities from near and far.

  VCET reports to the Minister for Tourism, and the Minister for Sport and Major Events and is a major contributor to the Victorian economy. Our purpose is to operate welcoming places for people to share ideas, build communities and leave legacies. Across both venues, VCET hosts forward thinkers, interactive exhibitions, business conferences and concerts, amongst many sporting, education and community events.

  Our three core values sit at the heart of everything we do. They guide our actions, decisions, and the way we connect to help everyone feel like they belong.

  • One team - Success comes from working and celebrating together.

  • Own it, do it well - Raise the bar every time.

  • Respect - Respect each other and our customers.

  VCET employs 304 full time equivalent employees and the full time equivalent of 28 part time and 206 casual employees (1)*. During peak periods, this can mean up to 1,000 individuals working to support us in delivering events at both MCEC and Nyaal Banyul.

  Whilst the number of employees who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples is currently not known, we will work within the Reflect RAP to better understand this. In addition, we commit to improving our approach to talent, recruitment, and employee experience to encourage First Nations peoples to apply for roles at both our venues, and to feel a sense of belonging within the organisation.

  (1) * Figures are full time equivalents (not individual people) as of 30 June 2025.

  

• Our Approach

  Our Approach

  The Reflect RAP aligns to who we are as an organisation. It demonstrates our commitment to fostering meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, customers, visitors, and employees. By embedding reconciliation across our venues, we’re promoting our vision for a shared and positive future.

  

  A RAP keeps us accountable. It helps us continue to identify areas where we can make changes and where we can do better; identifying key actions, goals, and timelines to address social and economic disparities, and support First Nations peoples’ self determination.

  Through these commitments we seek to strengthen stakeholder engagement and trust, ensure long-term business sustainability through mutually beneficial relationships with First Nations peoples and businesses, and align our organisational values with broader societal values for reconciliation.

  Our RAP is championed by the Chief Strategy and Governance Officer with support from the broader VCET Leadership Team, led by Chief Executive Natalie O’Brien AM.

  We’ve developed our RAP through an intersectional lens. This recognises that people, groups, and communities are more than a singular identity, and interact with a complex range of social and environmental influences.

  

  This means multiple and compounding factors can contribute to the barriers First Nations peoples might experience, including access to business relationships, employment, and education opportunities, as well as personal factors like gender, disability, age, sexuality, religion, neurodiversity, and many others.

  Recognising these factors, our response to inequality and inequity is organised through a broader commitment to sustainability, including social inclusion and equity. This includes plans like our Reflect RAP, Gender Equality Action Plan and Accessibility Action Plan, which support our purpose to be a welcoming place for all.

  Our Reflect RAP supports meaningful reflection of past and current initiatives so future opportunities can be identified. We seek to centre the voices and lived experiences of First Nations peoples and make changes to our processes, systems, and environment to ensure they’re involved throughout our organisational decision making and practice.

• VCET's Change Vision for Reconciliation

  VCET's Change Vision for Reconciliation

  

  VCET is committed to respectful, sustainable relationships with First Nations peoples. Relationships based on mutual respect and a collaborative future that acknowledges First Nations peoples’ deep and continuous connection to Country spanning at least 65,000 years.

  To ensure the success of our Reflect RAP, we have aligned and embedded our Reconciliation Journey within VCET’s Business Strategy, where every employee is responsible for its adoption through our value of Respect. We’re committed to a shared future for all Australians by increasing cultural awareness, and providing ongoing opportunities for learning, collaboration, and truth-telling within VCET and with our customers, visitors, and community.

• Our Reconciliation Objectives

  Our Reconciliation Objectives

  This Reflect RAP is designed to set the foundations for our reconciliation journey. We acknowledge that whilst there has been much progress across our two venues, there is yet to be a unified approach to reconciliation for VCET.

  Through the actions on the following pages, there are three main objectives we are working towards:

  • Establish meaningful relationships with First Nations peoples in the areas in which VCET operates – Narrm (Melbourne) and Djilang (Geelong).

  • Build the foundations for culturally safe venues and workplaces.

  • Use our position as an event and exhibition host to share First Nations cultures with our customers, delegates and the public.