NT Thunder coach, Xavier Clarke, will be part of a new AFL Indigenous Advisory Group.
The Australian Football League today announced the establishment of an Indigenous Advisory Group.
TheAdvisory Group will provideadvice to the AFL Executive and Commission on the implementation of the AFL’s Indigenous strategy and policies.
Yorta Yorta man Paul Briggs, Chair of the Kaiela Institute & President, Rumbalara Football/Netball Club will be the Advisory Group’sinaugural chair.
AFL Chief Executive Officer Gillon McLachlan said that indigenous playersandcommunitieswere a critical part of Australian rules football, and that the Indigenous AdvisoryGroup would assist the industry in continuing to be part of social and cultural change in Australia.
“The AFL is very proud of the indigenous leaders and players in our game, and the impact they have had on our code,” Mr. McLachlan said.
“However, we know we must continue to learn from and engage with the indigenouscommunity if we are reallycommitted to reconciliation, and the AdvisoryGroup will ensure continuedpositive change in ourorganisation and industry,” Mr. McLachlan said.
Mr. McLachlan said that the establishment of theAFL Indigenous AdvisoryGroup was part of the AFL’sformalReconciliation Plan.
Paul Briggs saidthis isan exciting new chapterin thedevelopment of the AFL’s relationship with Aboriginal Australia.
"Along with the otherAdvisory Groupmembers, I am looking forward to helping shape the future of our great game.
"Australian football plays a critical role inengaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is an enabler to greater individual and community wellbeing. Itplays an even greater role when it comes to reconciliation, providing common ground."
The Advisor Group will meet three times annually with the first meeting to be held in Darwin in March, coinciding with the launch of theMichael LongLearning and LeadershipCentre.
The AFL Indigenous AdvisoryGroup will focus on :
§Effective implementation and evaluation of the AFL’s Indigenous policies and programs including social inclusion, cohesion and community development
§Creation of employment and procurement opportunities for Indigenous people across the AFL industry
§Celebration and maintenance of cultural integrity through the continued understanding and respect for Indigenous customs, values and traditions
§Supporting the ongoing cultural safety for the AFL’s Indigenous staff and players
§Promotion of reconciliation through the ongoing education and the AFL’s focus on the Indigenous Round celebrations
Inaugural AFL Indigenous Advisory Group:
§Paul Briggs, Chair – Chair of the Kaiela Institute & President, Rumbalara Football/Netball Club
§Peter Yu (Deputy Chair) – Chair ofNorth Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd (NAILSMA)
§Sam Mostyn – AFL Commissioner
§Kim Williams – AFL Commissioner
§Adam Goodes - 2014 Australian of the Year, two-time Sydney Swans premiership player and Brownlow Medalist
§Dorothy Hisgrove, General Manager, People, Customer and Community, AFL
§Jason Mifsud, Head of Diversity, AFL
§Professor Helen Milroy - Winthrop Professor and Director of the Centre for Aboriginal Medical 7 Dental Health, University of Western Australia; Commissioner for the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
§Xavier Clarke - former St Kilda and Brisbane Lions player, Senior Coach, Northern Territory Thunder
§Tanya Denning Orman - Channel Manager, NITV
§Jason Glanville - Chief Executive Officer, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence
To view the AFL’s Reconciliation Action Plan, click here: http://www.afl.com.au/staticfile/AFL%20Tenant/AFL/Files/AFL-2014-RAP.pdf