Reconciliation Victoria understands that many organisations and groups are interested in hearing directly from us at a private event, function and/or meeting. We do not always have the time and capacity to fulfill these requests, but we consider all enquiries.
If you would like to book a Reconciliation Victoria guest speaker, please download and complete this form and email it to info@reconciliationvic.org.au for consideration.
We often require one month’s notice, and it may take two weeks for you to hear back from us, so please plan accordingly. We may be able to book a guest speaker with shorter notice than this, but please consider this the exception and not the rule.
We appreciate your consideration in wanting to book a speaker for a reconciliation event. It is important to us that Reconciliation Victoria’s Staff Members, Board Members and Cultural Council of First Peoples Members are part of events that prioritise their cultural safety and wellbeing. We need to protect our community from ever attending events where insensitive or racist remarks are made.
If you book a speaking engagement with us, we will require you to commit to the following:
- Publicly share the following disclaimer in promotional materials and at the start of the event, function and/or meeting when introducing the guest speaker:
“This event is being presented in the spirit of reconciliation so all members must display antiracist behaviour and a genuine willingness to listen and to learn. Our guest speaker deserves attention and respect, instead of challenges and rebuttals. We expect everyone to help us build a culturally safe environment and request that you do not attend this event if you are not yet ready for truth-telling and reconciliation.”
- The host must be an ally to our guest speakers by intervening on their behalf if audience members or participants display racist behaviour, language, or patterns. If a Reconciliation Victoria guest speaker feels unsafe and believes the host should have already spoken up or taken action, they will pause the presentation and directly request the host to intervene on their behalf so they may continue. The Reconciliation Victoria guest speaker may choose to finish a presentation earlier if the audience and/or organisation displays culturally unsafe behaviour.
- We understand that many speaking engagements are followed by Q&As. We expect the host to be a joint partner in this session so that if there are any inappropriate questions or if the Reconciliation Victoria speaker refuses to answer a question, the host must ensure the conversation moves on to the next question. While there are no "silly questions" – that’s how people learn after all – the event organiser must be able to differentiate between ignorant and insensitive questions, and engage with the audience to redirect the conversation as needed.
- When the event is over, we ask that you look after Reconciliation Victoria’s guest speaker. Oftentimes, audience members who withheld racist comments publicly will not be so kind in private and may approach the guest speaker for one-on-one challenges. Kindly ensure you continue to be an ally even after the conclusion of an event and ensure the guest speaker’s wellbeing first and foremost.
If you are not able to ensure the points listed above, we urge you to continue your own reconciliation work independently and to submit a Speaking Engagement Form when your organisation has taken a few extra steps to ensure cultural safety.
We strongly encourage organisations and groups to acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are using their time, knowledges, voices and cultures to educate the non-Aboriginal community. Therefore, it is essential that people are remunerated for reconciliation work. Please keep this in mind when considering our speaker fees:
· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses/organisations: Free
· Local Reconciliation Groups: $350.00
· Not-for-profit and non-corporate: $550.00
· Universities, Schools, Early Learning Centres: $550.00
· All Corporates: $800.00
· State and Local Government: $800.00
You may reach out to us if you find the relevant cost prohibitive to negotiate an accessible fee for your organisation. An invoice will be forwarded at the completion of an event for prompt payment.
