Goodstart continues journey to ‘walk the talk’ on reconciliation

Over the past 12 months, Goodstart proudly completed the first year of its second Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), as a commitment to working towards creating culturally safe spaces for First Nations families and children.  

Guided by the RAP, Elders and community, Goodstart are building a culture that places unity, equity, and respect at the heart of our organisation – helping ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and traditions are honoured and shared with the 64,000 children in our centres.  

Today, 7.8 percent of children enrolled at Goodstart identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, exceeding both national population representation (7.4%) and the ECEC sector average (4.9%). 

Goodstart National Cultural Liaison Melody Ingra said as an organisation we are on the journey to embed the dimensions of reconciliation in all we do.  Goodstart is proud to be “ALL IN” to support children and families to connect deeply with community, culture and country.   

“Each year we are proud to continue making advancements in reconciliation in our centres and we’re proud to celebrate the achievements over the last year to bring more than 650 centres on a journey to embed reconciliation into everyday practice,” Melody said. 

“We recognise our opportunity to help ensure the next generation grows up with connection to Country, with respect and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culture and history. In 2025 and this showed up across our organisation in many different ways – from fundraising for Children’s Ground, to celebrations of NAIDOC Week and National Reconciliation Week, to the everyday genuine ongoing commitment to embedding local First Nations perspectives into action in visible, meaningful and lasting ways. 

“Together, we are building a future where culture is respected and is part of every child’s learning journey. 2026 brings new opportunities for our organisation to demonstrate true commitment to the values of inclusion and respect.”

Supported by our significant investments in centre Reconciliation Action Plans and cultural learning, participation of First Nations children in Goodstart centres increased on the prior year. Importantly, there is now no gap in attendance between First Nations and non-Indigenous children in our centres – ensuring equitable access to quality early learning.  

 Some of our key FY25 reconciliation highlights include:  

• 100% of Goodstart centres continue to engage with Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education platform, with 290 centres publishing RAPs in FY25.
• National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week were celebrated in centres, honouring First Nations voices, histories and cultures.
• 15,500 Goodstarters have completed Arrilla Cultural Competency Training 
• 432 First Nations educators, teachers and early learning professionals at Goodstart
• 50 First Nations trainees and four school-based trainees, supported through mentoring and tailored centre-level support
• $974K invested in embedding reconciliation across everything we do through initiatives and programs. 
• Spending with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses increased to $1.5 million, up $100,000 on the previous year, under our First Nations Procurement Strategy - Grow with Us
• Our nine-year partnership with the Baya Gawiy Early Learning Unit in Fitzroy Crossing continued, with eight Goodstart educators undertaking the cultural immersion secondment in the remote community, bringing valuable insights back to their centres.

• Proudly sponsoring the 2025 SNAICC Conference and supporting Goodstarter and First Nations Goodstarter attendance at key conferences including ECA Reconciliation Symposium and Reconciliation Australia’s National RAP Conference, ensuring First Nations voices guide our journey.
• Goodstart Shailer Park was named as one-of-three National finalists in the 2025 Narragunnawali reconciliation in education awards (read more here). 
• In August 2025, our CEO lead a delegation to the Garma Festival, listening deeply to First Nations leaders and strengthening partnerships with those who know their communities best.
• Our 2025 Goodstart State Conference had a special focus on keeping the fire burning for future generations with centre directors across the country reflecting on taking action for reconciliation.
• Our internal Community of Practice grew, with 31 centres participating in a newly redeveloped six-month program designed to lift and deepen cultural knowledge
• Our long-standing partnership with CareerTrackers provided six paid internships at Centre Support Office and one in centres, with two graduates moving into full-time employment at Goodstart.

Continuing into 2026, Goodstart will build on this strong progress while recognising that reconciliation is an ongoing journey. As we enter year two of our Stretch RAP, our focus remains on walking alongside First Nations communities to embed truth-telling, cultural knowledge and inclusive practice in every part of our work. In 2026 we are ALL IN. 

Learn more in Goodstart’s FY25 Annual Report here or on the Reconciliation at Goodstart page.