First Nations people bring with them cultural knowledge, lived expertise, creativity and connections to Country, kinship and community.  

Organisations and businesses that work to create culturally safe work arrangements and workplaces understand that: 

• cultural authority, cultural obligations and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) matter
• culturally safe workplaces support stronger relationships, participation and creative outcomes. 

These essentials for engaging First Nations artists and arts workers can support organisations and creative businesses to build culturally safe work arrangements, strengthen respectful engagement and contribute to a more inclusive, sustainable and thriving creative sector. 

Build reciprocal, respectful and culturally safe relationships

Strong relationships are at the heart of creative work.

Reciprocal, respectful and culturally safe relationships are built through trust, listening, accountability and shared benefit. They recognise that meaningful engagement takes time and that strong relationships contribute to stronger creative outcomes.

Respectful engagement begins early, creates opportunities for genuine dialogue and is approached as a relationship rather than a transaction. Taking the time to listen, build trust and understand local contexts helps support more meaningful engagement, stronger relationships and better outcomes for everyone involved.

For First Nations workers, culturally respectful engagement may involve ongoing relationship-building with individuals, communities and cultural authorities.

Create culturally safe work engagements

Cultural safety is essential to fair, safe and respectful engagement with First Nations artists and arts workers.

Communicating work arrangements thoughtfully helps workers understand expectations, supports organisations to meet their responsibilities and reduces the risk of misunderstandings, disputes and harm. Work arrangements are the different types of work relationships between organisations, businesses and workers. For example, employment, independent contracting and volunteering are all different types of work arrangements.

For First Nations artists and arts workers, work may also be shaped by cultural authority, obligations to Country, kinship, community relationships and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP). 

Cultural safety means creating environments where people feel respected, valued and able to participate fully without pressure to minimise or hide their identity, culture or lived experience.

For First Nations artists and arts workers, cultural safety also means recognising that work may be shaped by relationships to Country, kinship, community, cultural authority and cultural responsibilities.

Culturally safe work engagements may include:

• recognising cultural authority and local cultural protocols
• respecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)
• supporting cultural obligations and ways of working
• valuing cultural knowledge and lived expertise
• building reciprocal and respectful relationships
• addressing racism, discrimination and exclusion
• creating environments where people feel welcomed, supported and respected.

Respect First Nations cultural authority and ICIP

Respecting First Nations cultural authority and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) is an essential part of creating culturally safe work engagements.

Creative work involving First Nations artists and arts workers may include stories, language, cultural knowledge, images, performance, community knowledge or practices connected to Country. 

Cultural authority and permissions may influence how work is undertaken, who participates and how cultural material is shared, used or represented.

Cultural authority may sit with individuals, families, communities, Elders or other recognised knowledge holders, depending on the cultural context and the knowledge being shared.

This may include:

• recognising local cultural protocols
• engaging with appropriate Elders, cultural authorities or community representatives where appropriate
• seeking permission before using cultural material or knowledge
• ensuring appropriate attribution and acknowledgement
• respecting community expectations regarding the use, sharing and protection of cultural material.

Work respectfully with Country, culture and community

Relationships to Country, culture and community are central to the lives and creative practice of many First Nations artists and arts workers.

Creative work may be connected to place, cultural knowledge, language, kinship networks and community relationships. These connections can influence creative practice, decision-making, participation and engagement.

Respectful workplaces recognise these relationships and consider how they may shape the way work is undertaken.

Support cultural obligations and ways of working 

Culturally safe workplaces recognise that cultural obligations and responsibilities continue alongside work.

For First Nations artists and arts workers, participation may be shaped by cultural commitments, family responsibilities, community expectations and relationships to Country.

This may include:

• building flexibility for Sorry Business, ceremony, family and community responsibilities as part of a culturally safe and respectful workplace culture
• allowing reasonable flexibility around cultural commitments
• recognising that cultural responsibilities may require different approaches to scheduling, participation or engagement
• creating space for culturally informed ways of working and decision-making.

Recognise and value cultural knowledge and contribution

First Nations artists and arts workers bring cultural knowledge, lived expertise, creativity and community connections that enrich creative work and workplaces.

These contributions should be recognised, valued and appropriately supported.

Creating culturally safe work arrangements includes recognising that cultural knowledge-sharing, community engagement and cultural expertise are valuable contributions that may influence creative processes, workplace culture and organisational capability.

Create culturally safe workplaces for First Nations children and young people

Organisations engaging First Nations children and young people to create culturally safe environments where their identities, cultures, experiences and connections to Country are respected and valued.

Where children and young people participate in creative work, organisations should consider how cultural authority, family and community relationships, and local cultural protocols may influence participation and engagement.

For some organisations in Victoria, doing this is required by law under the Child Safe Standards.

For other organisations in Victoria, and in other states and territories, it is not a legal requirement — but it’s something all workplaces can do and we strongly recommend it.

We set out child safety in more detail in our Safety essentials.