Culturally Informed Governance - What ‘walking alongside’ looks like in practice at Fair Game.
CULTURE AND COMMUNICATION
“From the very outset, they followed community protocol of entry. They enquired about what was appropriate or not. We wish every visitor took the time to be educated on these issues such as the Fair Game team.” Pilbara remote community
For 15 years Fair Game has been a regular presence in some of WA’s most remote communities, supporting and empowering local efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of their people.
A key strategic focus has been to ‘walk alongside’ communities. From the beginning we have placed building strong relationships with communities at the heart of what we do. An emphasis on good communication, listening and learning has helped us respond to specific community needs and deliver programming that creates sustainable impact.
On a practical level, communication includes:
- identifying when community need is greatest, (eg. when other services are closed), and scheduling our programming to fill the gap
- tailoring our health promotion sessions to reinforce community messaging to address an issue of particular concern at that time.
- ensuring sports equipment is donated in response to community requests to meet their specific needs
Fundamentally though, our communication also covers cultural knowledge for each community, to ensure our teams respect local cultural practices.
This might include:
- being aware of, and avoiding areas designated for cultural practices,
- not photographing certain landmarks
- being aware of and responding appropriately if there is Sorry Business in community
- adhering with Sorry Business protocols by not speaking the name of deceased individual including nicknames and certain word while in communities
- ensuring our teams wear culturally appropriate clothing
To ensure volunteers are well prepared for culturally safe practice, cultural awareness training is required prior to travel. Pre-trip briefings provide specific local context, and volunteers can access community guides on the Fair Game app at any time to refresh their knowledge.
Consultation extends to ensuring the content and format of programs reflects best practice and is culturally safe. To do this we engage with key bodies such as Aboriginal Health Organisations and Tackling Indigenous Smoking teams in our program design.
This respectful approach to each community, combined with our reliability in delivering high quality, culturally safe programming consistently over the years, has built a high level of trust, which is core to the success of our programs.
FORMALISING CULTURAL GOVERNANCE
We have always put communication and strong relationships with communities at the centre of all we do. However, we also recognise the importance of putting the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples at a high level in Fair Game as an organisation. Since 2018, a voice has been provided by Arrernte man, Riley Dolman through his role as a Board Director. Riley trained as a volunteer and completed an internship with Fair Game in 2017 before joining the Board of Directors in 2018. Since then, Riley has played an active role in the organisation, sharing cultural knowledge and providing guidance as well as participating in many trips as a volunteer when he was completing his studies and UWA .
In 2025 we were able to broaden the voice to include representatives of the different regions where Fair Game is operational, through the creation of a formal Cultural Navigation Advisory Committee (CNAC). Charged with providing high-level cultural guidance on programming, initiatives, funding and marketing the Committee helps ensure our work remains culturally safe, responsive and community led. Our Community Liaison Officer, proud Bunganditj woman, Rachael Hartman, works closely with the Committee ensuring guidance is then incorporated across Fair Game’s operations.
We were delighted that the first committee line up included three people who have existing close connections to Fair Game: Josiah, a previous Fair Game participant from a Pilbara community; and Paige and Simon, who both completed internships with Fair Game while students at UWA through our relationship with Dandjoo Darbalung, a residential program offering academic and cultural support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander tertiary students in Perth. We value being able to draw on their strong understanding of Fair Game’s programs and their commitment to increasing their positive impact.
As our organisation has grown, so too has our understanding of the importance of reconciliation in shaping a fairer and more inclusive future. We recognise that true connection requires not only listening, learning, and respect but also the acknowledgement of the truth of our shared history.
In response to this we have completed our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan, which was recognised by Reconciliation Australia in early 2026. This has provided us with an opportunity for reflection on the progress we’ve made and some concrete steps to ensure reconciliation is at the core of our charity’s future growth.
Reflecting on 15 years of partnership, we are thankful for the strong relationships built and the opportunity to support remote communities in improving health and wellbeing. We remain committed to walking alongside communities as we continue our journey together.