Reconciliation – The Department of Human Services’ Journey

• Christine Charles, Chief Executive, Department of Human Services, South Australia

• Brian Dixon, Executive Director, Aboriginal Services Division, Department of Human Services

• Sonia Waters, Manager, Workforce and Development, Aboriginal Services Division, Department of Human Services

• Craig Greene, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Aboriginal Services Division, Department of Human Services.

On 29 September 1999 the Department of Human Services’ Statement of Reconciliation was endorsed and signed by Antikirinya Aboriginal Elder Ngitji Ngitji Mona Tur; Kaurna Elder Lewis O’Brien; the Chief Executive of the Department of Human Services and Executive Director of the Aboriginal Services Division.

 This dialogue will tell the story of how this ground breaking document came to be at a time when Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non Aboriginal Australians was in a state of paralysis.

 The presenters will:

• Explain the Reconciliation process and how we began our journey;
• What the Reconciliation Statement says and what it means;
• Describe how the words have been translated to reality in the Department of Human Services in South Australia;

Give examples of Reconciliation in action in the Department of Human Services, which has emerged as a leader in government in South Australia.

 Christine is now the Chief Executive of the Department of Human Services, a portfolio which covers health, housing, family and community services, ageing and disability services, including the SA Health Commission, SA Housing Trust, former Departments of Family and Community Services and of Housing and Urban Development.  The portfolio covers approximately 33,000 staff, has an annual recurrent budget of around $2.6bn and assets of around $6bn.

She has been involved in a range of constitutional and federal issues and is a member of the national Administrative Review Council.

Christine joined the SA public sector in mid 1992, from Flinders University.

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Over the past 28 years Brian Dixon has held a number of senior positions, in Aboriginal affairs including the Director of the Aboriginal Health Branch in the Northern Territory Health Services and the Director of the Aboriginal Health Division in the South Australia Health Commission.  Since 1998 he has held the position of Executive Director of the Aboriginal Services Division in the Department of Human Services.  This Division has responsibility for service delivery to Aboriginal people in the areas of health, housing and community services.

Brian sits on a number of National and State Aboriginal Committees, including the Heads of Aboriginal Health Units, the Aboriginal Health Council of South Australia and the South Australian Aboriginal Health Partnership.

Sonia Waters is an Aboriginal woman from Adelaide who is the Manager of the Workforce Support and Development Team within the Aboriginal Services Division of the Department of Human Services.  Sonia has worked in the Aboriginal employment and training area in the public sector for 13 years.  Her passion is to see more Aboriginal people employed in South Australian human services workforce.  Sonia has initiated the Indigenous Scholarship program which has seen the uptake of Aboriginal scholarships increase from 9 to 53 over three years.

Craig Greene is a Gurindji man from Alice Springs who moved to Adelaide in 1993 to attend university, in 1998 graduating with a BA in Communication Studies.  Craig is the first Aboriginal person to hold this degree in South Australia and the Northern Territory.  Craig is actively involved in the Aboriginal community and has a passion to work with Aboriginal people to assist them to achieve their goals.

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