The images in this blog post are courtesy of the WA Museum
Our latest RAP Ring brought together Bilya and Bidi members from across sectors for an afternoon of connection, honesty and learning at the WA Museum.
Representatives from Cancer Council, State Library, Perth Mint, BGC, GESB, Teach Learn Grow, Mental Health Commission, NAATI, Department of Justice, ATCO, Communicare and North Metro TAFE joined WA Museum’s leadership team — CEO Alec Coles, Director Engagement Jason Fair, Senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisor Leanne Woods and Project Officer Georgia King and Whitney O’Hara — around the Dance Circle.
The session opened with participants sharing their personal “why” around the museum’s Dance Circle — a grounding start that set an honest, generous tone for the three hours that followed.
WA Museum CEO Alec Coles shared that the first three complaints they received when the museum reopened in November 2020 were: toilet issues, overcrowding, and that there was “too much ‘black fella’ content” in the museum. Naming this openly shaped the direction of the conversation — reconciliation work isn’t always comfortable, and progress means being honest about the pushback as well as the wins.
(L-R Denise Conway, Leanne Woods, Alec Coles)
Key takeaways from the session
Building a safe workplace that encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in employment (to fully be themselves).
The Museum shared several practical shifts that have supported a safer, more genuinely inclusive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people sit on HR interview panels
- The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Interests Team is located next to HR
- Leadership involvement happens at every level, not just symbolically. As a marker of this, both Alec Coles and Jason Fair stayed for the entire three-hour session
“Let’s Talk About Racism” workshops
Leanne Woods runs “Let’s Talk About Racism” workshops for staff across the museum. These sessions have been instrumental in building genuine allies within the organisation — moving people from passive support to active advocacy.
From “not ready” to Stretch
Interestingly, Reconciliation Australia initially believed WA Museum was between a Stretch and Innovate RAP. Their view was that the meaningful work they were doing was external and visible, rather than internal — building culture, safety, and capability. The WA Museum team reflected a lot after this meeting, and knew they needed to do more than what they were able to share (during this time), so they recorded all the extra things as well as new opportunities that arose afterwards.
The throughline: relationships
Above all, the message was simple and consistent — relationships are key. Every practical step shared from HR panels to workplace workshops to leadership presence, came back to relationships built and sustained over time.
Thank you to WA Museum for hosting our Bilya and Bidi members, and to everyone who shared their mob and their story around the Dance Circle.
