Parks Victoria

Statement of Support for ECCV’s All One Together campaign

Parks Victoria manages more than four million hectares of Victoria’s rich cultural landscapes. Our parks and reserves contribute to improving the wellbeing of all Victorians, and inspire them to protect and enjoy our unique natural and cultural heritage. We embrace the diversity of the Victorian community and welcome all people into nature, on the lands and waters of Australia’s First Peoples. We are committed to providing accessible, safe and inclusive park experiences, sharing Victoria’s precious places with everyone. We respect and promote the human rights of all people; community, visitors and staff, ensuring they are free from prejudice and discrimination. We have a zero tolerance for racism of any kind, both within in our parks and within our workforce and volunteers.

Parks Victoria recognises that Aboriginal people have lived here for over a thousand generations maintaining complex societies with languages, kinship systems, laws and spiritual ties. Aboriginal people are the original inhabitants of this state. Land forms the basis of Aboriginal existence and identity which, along with water and natural resources were sustainably managed according to traditional laws and customs. We recognise that the knowledge, skills and perspectives of Aboriginal people are critical for ensuring our parks and reserves are managed in a culturally and ecologically sensitive way, and we are proud to work with Traditional Owners to care for these places.

Parks Victoria is committed to joint management of parks. Through our Aboriginal Employment and Wellbeing Plan we have committed to ensure additional training, career development and wellbeing opportunities are available to support Aboriginal employees on their career journeys through park management. We have set an ambitious employment target of 7% of employees identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island, and are exploring a range of different ways that we can provide more employment opportunities and pathways for Aboriginal people to work at Parks Victoria.

Parks Victoria is committed to being an employer of choice through representing the community we serve and ensuring we are a safe and inclusive workforce. We seek to leverage the varied ideas, experiences, and personal backgrounds that individuals contribute for the benefit of Parks Victoria, its employees and visitors.

Our workforce Diversity and Inclusion Plan commits to building leadership capability, an inclusive culture, improving our business practices, improving access to flexible work and creating a diverse workforce in the priority areas of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (ATSI), Cultural and Linguistically Diverse communities (CALD), Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTI), mature workforce, people with a disability and women in Parks Victoria and importantly within emergency management.

Through our Cultural Diversity Plan we commit to reduce barriers to participation in nature and build partnerships and programs with like-minded organisations that enrich nature experiences for all. Consistent with our vision ‘into nature to create a better Victoria’, Parks Victoria pledges to engage Victorians, employees and volunteers to protect and enjoy our unique natural and cultural heritage.