The Arts Industry Council of South Australia (AICSA) recently conducted research into workplace health and safety in the SA arts sector. The results of this survey highlighted that Cultural Safety is an area that needs further development within the sector.

Hear our expert speakers Nara Wilson, Dr Ruth DeSouza and Esther Anatolitis discuss their work and perspectives on organisational change to improve the cultural safety of artists and arts workers. While there is no one single quick fix to a complex issue, this discussion is intended as a conversation-starter around how to drive change. We hope this will be the first in several sessions hosted by AICSA to assist with this crucial work.

Nibbles will be provided. The event will be recorded for those unable to attend in-person.

What is Cultural Safety

Central to feeling safe at work is the expectation that people feel culturally safe. Each person has their own unique cultural identity. Australia is home to the oldest living First Nations cultures in the world and is now one of the most multicultural countries.

A culturally safe workplace is “…an environment that is spiritually, socially and emotionally safe, as well as physically safe for people; where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their identity, of who they are and what they need. It is about shared respect, shared meaning, shared knowledge and experience of learning together.” (Williams, R. (1999). Cultural safety – what does it mean for our work practice? Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 23(2), 213-214)

About AICSA

AN INDEPENDENT VOICE FOR THE ARTS

The Arts Industry Council SA (AICSA) is a non-government not-for-profit acting as an independent voice for the arts in SA. Run by a volunteer Executive Committee and part-time General Manager, AICSA acts on behalf of our members to advocate for a strong future for South Australian artists, arts workers and arts organisations.

As the state’s independent, sector-wide representative arts body, the Arts Industry Council of SA (AICSA) is extremely valuable to the South Australian arts sector. AICSA was constituted as an incorporated institution in 1991. The Council receives no operational funding from the government, and derives its support from the industry through member subscriptions, fundraising, sponsorship and in-kind donations.

Our members include over one hundred of the state’s arts and cultural organisations and independent artists. It is to our credit, the South Australian arts sector, that our collective commitment to maintaining our member subscriptions, allows this tradition to continue here today.

You’re invited to attend the Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture

• Friday 1 November | 12:00pm – 1:30pm • Free online webinar

Join hundreds of people around the country for the prestigious Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture. This year’s event will discuss ‘Dismantling systemic racism – perspectives from First Nations peoples’.

CEO of First Nations Collective Consulting Marni Tuala will deliver the lecture and share the findings of extensive consultations with First Nations peoples across Australia about their experiences of racism.

This is a FREE online event. About this event

Systemic racism, in law, policies and service delivery, has serious and ongoing consequences for First Nations peoples, including poor mental and physical health, economic disadvantage, over-incarceration and social exclusion.

This lecture and panel discussion is an opportunity to hear about their experiences and proposed solutions.

Addressing these issues requires a concerted effort to reform systems, educate individuals, and ensure meaningful representation for First Nations peoples.

The annual Kep Enderby Memorial Lecture advances public understanding and debate about the Racial Discrimination Act, racism and human rights. It honours the Hon. Kep Enderby QC (1926-2015) who as Attorney-General, introduced into Parliament the Bill which would become the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth). Information and registration

The lecture will be delivered online via Zoom. Auslan interpretation and live captioning will be available.

The deadline for registrations is Thursday 31 October 2024.

21 March marks the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (IDERD), sometimes known as ‘Harmony Day’ in Australia. However, hiding the true meaning of this day under a mask of ‘harmony’ actively harms our collective anti- racism journey by obscuring structural and systemic racism.

Join us.

Meet at 10am.

This is a 2nd national call to action to join the rally against racism on October 19th. As neo-Nazis plan a national protest on the same day, we urge all brothers and sisters from diverse backgrounds to come together and stand united against racial hatred, attacks, and injustice.

Let’s celebrate our First Nations People, multicultural community, and the rich historical relationships that make our society strong.

We welcome musicians, performers and powerful speakers from all backgrounds. United, we can create a brighter future.

To get involved, email Natasha Wanganeen at nwanganeen@yahoo.com or send a message here

& Yes! We will be marching!

Where: Tarntanyangga, Victoria Square.

When: October 19, 2025.

Time: 11:30am - 4:30pm.

✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿❤️👑🖤✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿

Education, Action and Change: Embedding Anti-Racism in Practice is a professional learning session that supports educators and leaders to take meaningful, sustained action against racism, aligned with the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) commitment to “take action against racism.”

This session focuses on the practical steps education sites can take to engage in anti-racism work, from self-interrogation and staff capacity-building to site-wide policy, practice, and cultural change. Participants will be supported to move beyond surface-level understandings, developing the skills and confidence to identify, challenge, and eradicate racism in all its form - whether interpersonal, institutional, or systemic.

The session will clarify the difference between anti-racism and cultural responsiveness: while cultural responsiveness focuses on belonging and respect for diverse cultural identities, anti-racism explicitly names and confronts power, privilege, and the structures that uphold racial inequity. Both are essential—but anti-racism demands active, intentional disruption of racist systems and behaviours.

Importantly, participants will explore how anti-racism is deeply connected to reconciliation - not as a separate initiative, but as part of the broader work of truth-telling, accountability, and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Reconciliation without anti-racism risks being tokenistic; this session supports education sites to align their RAP commitments with real, transformative action.

Through practical tools, reflection activities, and examples of anti-racism in action across early learning, primary and secondary contexts, attendees will leave with the knowledge and strategies to lead change with integrity and impact.

This session is part three (3) of our three (3) part series. Sessions have been developed to be stand alone or to be accessed as a series.