Local Area Playbook
Engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander People
Creating a culturally safe and inclusive treatment place
Contents
At the heart of providing high-quality care and fostering meaningful relationships is the creation of a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Culturally safe care is not simply about acknowledging cultural differences, but about actively recognising, respecting, and addressing the unique histories, experiences, and needs of Indigenous communities.
This playbook is designed to support our new and existing sites to create care environments that feel welcoming, inclusive, and empowering for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples—whether they are patients, colleagues, or partners. It offers practical guidance, resources, and best practices to help State and Site Managers embed cultural safety into daily interactions, processes, and organisational culture.
What you’ll find in this playbook
• Background information: to provide context as to why cultural safety matters
• Timeline and check list: to get your new site ready to respectfully engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Common discussion points: bunker names, creating a suitable space for family, connecting with local AMS services
• Resources and tools: from the Icon intranet page and beyond
• Case study: Naming the Toowoomba Halcyon Linear Accelerator
Disclaimer for use
Please note that ideas and messages outlined in this playbook have been carefully developed to ensure consistency, accuracy, and alignment with Icon’s commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We encourage you to personalise and localise your communication to suit your local area and individual patients or team members. Tailoring introductions, examples, or tone to align with specific relationships is welcome, as long as the core messaging remains intact. Respectfully, the terms Indigenous and First Nations are used throughout this playbook to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Prepared by the Icon Indigenous ELIG 2024.
Background
According to the Australian Cancer Plan, despite Australia having one of the highest survival rates of cancer in the world, the mortality gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is continuing to widen. The age-standardised mortality rate for all cancers combined for First Nations Australians increased 26% from 1998 to 2015 and decreased for non-Indigenous Australians by 16% during the same time-period. We believe we have an opportunity and an obligation to improve these outcomes.
Why Cultural Safety Matters
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face unique barriers to accessing care, including past experiences of discrimination or exclusion.
• A culturally safe environment builds trust and respect, ensuring individuals feel seen, heard, and valued.
• Creating such spaces aligns with our commitment to health equity, reconciliation, and continuous improvement in care delivery.
This playbook offers a structured approach to creating a culturally safe place in our cancer centres and pharmacy sites. Some resources can be used more broadly across all Icon places of work and care. The playbook is designed to increase understanding and provide State Managers, Site Managers and team members with engagement activities and ideas.
Our Commitment to Cultural Safety
This playbook reflects our dedication to reconciliation and to creating spaces where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel culturally secure, respected, and supported. By embracing these practices, we take meaningful steps towards fostering relationships built on trust, respect, and shared understanding. Thank you for your commitment. Together, we can make a positive difference in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and build a future where everyone feels safe and supported in our care.
Timeline and Check List
Prior to build
Transformation team advise new site in planning
State/Site Manager to research local Traditional Owners, with support from ELIG and Transformation team
State/Site Manager connect with Traditional Owners Use template letter, arrange a time to meet
State/Site Manager consider bunker name, in collaboration with Marketing, see case study on page 8 for inspiration
Training your team
Before go live
Site Manager dedicate meeting time to find out more about the Traditional Owners, who are our patients, population of local area
Site Manager complete training materials and learning modules
Site Manager/All team members option to set up ‘Know Your Country’ online meeting background and Belonging Email Signature, book time with ELIG or Indigenous ELIG Champion
Site Manager order AIATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia
Site Manager connect with local ACCHO or AMS to provide information about our service and to find out what services, flyers and support we can refer our patients
Site Manager create a dedicated space in the centre using items that can be updated like artwork and furniture Opening
State/Site Manager arrange Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony, tour of centre, invite community, in conjunction with Marketing if done as part of site opening marketing plan
Site live
Site Manager/All team members ask Indigeneity status at admission
Site Manager/Site Champion continue to connect with local organisations
Common discussion points
Bunker names
Icon’s typical bunker naming convention ties back to cancer care or medical pioneers.
Often, sites are keen to use Indigenous names for locations, flora, fauna and people. Indigenous names or words need to be gifted to us and must stem from an existing or genuine relationship with the local Indigenous group. The process involves a series of yarning circles, engagement, and cultural procedures led by the local centre.
Timeframes require this engagement to begin more than six months ahead of the centre opening to allow time to do this correctly and provide enough time for the new linac to be named ahead of commissioning.
Creating a cultural space
Indigenous and First Nations families often have strong cultural ties and large family networks, which means that multiple family members may wish to be present during healthcare consultations.
This can pose logistical challenges in fitting everyone comfortably into the small consult room.
To support these families, have a plan at your site where alternative rooms or meeting spaces, can be used to ensure flexible visitor policies.
Consider what items could exist in this alternative room to maintain a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Connecting with support services
Local Community Controlled Aboriginal Health and Medical Services are invaluable resources for Indigenous patients, providing culturally sensitive care and tailored information.
These services often offer guidance on navigating the healthcare system, understanding treatment options, and accessing support networks.
Our team can strengthen care for Indigenous patients by actively collaborating with these services, having their flyers on hand for patients, sharing information about their availability, and encouraging patients to engage with them for culturally informed advice and support.
Resources available at Icon
Resources for education and upskilling
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Inclusion Guide
Indigenous Intranet Page
National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week Internal Protocol Guide
Australian Indigenous Cultural Competency Training
Welcome to Country SEQ
Cultural Safety Protocol
Naming and Engagement (includes Toowoomba Bunker Case Study)
Protocols for First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property (includes information about using our Indigenous artwork ‘Rain of Stars’)
Resources available on the Icon Group Intranet
Resources for meetings
Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement Guide
Acknowledgement of Country PowerPoint Presentation Slide
Delivering an authentic Acknowledgement video
Know Your Country Online Background
Icon sites and Traditional Owners - Insert at start of meetings when acknowledging Country, use to engage Traditional Owners
Resources for your site
Acknowledgement of Country Poster (landscape)
Acknowledgement of Country Poster (portrait)
Belonging Training Programs
Belonging email signature
Join the Belonging Network on Teams
Invitation letter to Indigenous Partner
Icon sites and Traditional Owners
Resources from other places
Resource Use Type
Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and Cancer
Whose country am I on?
Closing the gap in Indigenous Australian cancer care: Initiatives to foster cultural safety and improve access to radiation therapy
Statement from the heart
Mob and Cancer
Barriers to participation of Aboriginal people in cancer care: communication in the hospital setting
Cultural respect strategies in Australian Aboriginal primary health care services: beyond education and training of practitioners
✓ Build knowledge and understanding to support clinically Articles that may be of particular interest:
• Cancer-related information resources for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander People (p 83)
• Developing an Indigenous radiation therapy talking book for cancer patients (p 111)
• Narratives of First Nation knowledge holders' experience & perspectives of the cancer care system (p 215)
• Cultural safety training framework for oncology care providers (p 279)
• Improving cancer trial participation for Indigenous people (p 337)
✓ Build knowledge and understanding
✓ Build knowledge and understanding to support clinically Senior Radiation Therapist, Amber Summers, published a paper on the fantastic work undertaken with the local Indigenous community in Toowoomba. Offers valuable perspectives that could be applied to other areas of our business.
Prof. Gail Garvey released this freely available book
'Indigenous & Tribal Peoples & Cancer' - it's an incredible resource.
Online book, free, can download a copy
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1 007/978-3-031-56806-0
Website https://aiatsis.gov.au/whosecountry
Case study, example. Elsevier Journal article: online, can download PDF https://www.jmirs.org/article/S193 9-8654(23)01811-8/abstract
Build knowledge and understanding Website https://ulurustatement.org/thestatement/view-the-statement/
✓ Build knowledge and understanding to support clinically
✓ Resources about cancer developed for Indigenous people
✓ Build knowledge and understanding to support clinically
• Build knowledge and understanding to support clinically
Creating change through partnerships This resource is about creating change through partnerships between Indigenous and nonIndigenous organisations in the context of child/family services. But it can very much be applied to building partnerships in our context - it's a very good resource.
Website https://www.ourmobandcancer.gov .au/
Online PDF
Barriers to participation of Aboriginal people in cancer carecommunication in the hospital setting.pdf
Cultural respect strategies in Australian Aboriginal primary healthcare services.pdf
Online PDF https://www.snaicc.org.au/wpcontent/uploads/2020/02/1148_SN AICC_PartnershipBook_LR-Final.pdf
Case study: Naming the Toowoomba Halcyon Linear Accelerator
Gamba daru! (Good day!) In keeping with the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge the Traditional Owners of this land on which Icon now stands. We wish to pay respect to the Elders – past and present - and acknowledge the important role that Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people will play in the future of the Icon Group community.
Toowoomba and the Darling Downs has several Indigenous groups which form the larger Waka Waka Nation. Icon Cancer Centre Toowoomba sits on the North side of our city, which means we work on Jarowair land. When considering the name for the new Halcyon machine being installed, we turned to our local Indigenous community, including Jarowair Elders and Custodians for their guidance.
There has been a particular process undertaken to ensure the name of our machine would be not only fitting, but spiritually and culturally safe to ensure a smooth installation & operation of our machine. There has been much deliberation involved to decide on a Jarowair word. One of the barriers to this has been that much like the majority of Indigenous languages across Australia, Jarowair has been deemed extinct. Colonisation was particularly impactful on the Darling Downs and only a few pages remain of what was a sub-dialect of the larger Barrunggam language group spoken here.
Our Custodians have generously given their permission to name the new Halcyon machine ‘Biarah’. This word is one of the few surviving Jarowair words and we are privileged to be able to borrow it. The word means ‘mountain’, which is significant in many ways:
• A mountain is tenacious, strong and steadfast.
• A mountain represents a climb or challenge, which all of our patients face with a cancer diagnosis. However, a mountain can be conquered!
• A mountain is a recognisably permanent part of a landscape; Just like our first Australians and the importance of Indigenous connection to Country.
• A mountain will withstand weathering, just as the word ‘Biarah’ has withstood time and much tribulation. It stands as one of the few remaining Jarowair words.
• The top of the Halcyon itself comes to a peak.
• We are always striving for achievement and looking upwards.
• Toowoomba sits astride the Great Dividing Range – we are in mountain country.
• Local Indigenous people across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs are known as ‘biarah burra’ – mountain people.
We feel that this significant milestone in Icon history is a meaningful, positive move toward reconciliation and envisage it will reinforce our relationship with the local Indigenous community. We are also proud to make a conscious step to conserve the language of our local Jarowair people by instating it as a part of our everyday language within the company.