MasterCraft Series - Engagement and Partnership in First Nations communities

This MasterCraft Series event - Engagement and partnership in First Nations communities was held in February 2025.   

The event was focused on pathways to more culturally informed engagement and partnership with First Nations communities and was led by Sam Jeffries with Dr Rachel Bacon. Sam is a proud Mooraworri/Wiradjuri man from Brewarrina NSW. He joined the Australian Public Service Commission as First Assistant Commissioner in the inaugural First Nations Systems Lead role.  Rachel is currently the Deputy Commissioner Integrity, Reform and Enabling Services at the Australian Public Service Commission. There is a strong call to action for governments to work in partnership with First Nations people primarily through the Closing of the Gap Priority Reforms. Engaging and partnering with First Nations people is not new and Sam and Rachel’s reflections give a personal account of their experiences working in partnership with First Nations communities. They both recognise the importance of understanding the historic context in which engagements in the past have been actioned and they ask us to consider our mindset and positionality as we enter into partnerships going forward.  

There is a strong call to action for governments to work in partnership with First Nations people primarily through the Closing of the Gap Priority Reforms. Engaging and partnering with First Nations people is not new and Sam and Rachel’s reflections give a personal account of their experiences working in partnership with First Nations communities. They both recognise the importance of understanding the historic context in which engagements in the past have been actioned and they ask us to consider our mindset and positionality as we enter into partnerships going forward.   

The recording of this session is available to all Australian Public Service staff via APSLearn - the APS Academy’s learning management system. You can access the video here. This learning experience has been provided by APS Academy as part of the MasterCraft Series of events.  

Participant benefits 

• Build your understanding of resources designed to improve engagement and partnership with First Nations communities. 
• Gain insight from senior leaders and subject matter experts.  
• Learn more about applying the Closing of the Gap Priority Reforms in your policy and program deliverables. 

Suitable for  

All staff 

Category and User Level  

This learning experience aligns with the Engagement & Partnership ​Craft at the ​Foundation​ level.