Our reconciliation journey

We began our reconciliation journey in 2023 with the guidance and support of NJAC, a First Peoples-owned consultancy.

NJAC facilitated two immersive Truth-telling training sessions for our Board and Executive Leadership Team in February and March 2023, since then, this training has since become embedded in the organisation. Everyone that works for the VLSB+C, regardless of their position, engages in the learning and unlearning required to effectively contribute to reconciliation.

We launched our first endorsed Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan in March 2024, after a thoughtful process involving all staff. A Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan has 12 actions and 30 mandated deliverables. We decided to extend our RAP commitment to include an extra action and 17 additional deliverables.

Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan

Our second Reconciliation Action Plan details our ongoing commitment to reconciliation, outlining how we intend to do our part to create a more just and equitable future for First Peoples communities across Victoria.

This plan includes 16 actions under the pillars of Relationships, Respect, Opportunities and Governance.

Read the plan.

Our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, introduced by our CEO and Commissioner, Fiona McLeay

We are pleased to embark on our second Reconciliation Action Plan, endorsed by Reconciliation Australia and shaped through conversations, learning, and the generous guidance of First Peoples-owned consultancy, NJAC. Following the completion of our foundational plan, this two-year plan is designed to implement lasting change towards reconciliation with First Peoples.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan represents a commitment to walking a more deliberate, respectful and collaborative path with First Peoples. It is both a statement of intent and a practical roadmap — one that acknowledges the truths of our shared history and how much there is to be done to improve how we think, work, and lead the Victorian legal sector.

It outlines the steps we will take to build awareness and cultural capability inside and outside our organisation, as well as how we will create meaningful opportunities towards a more just and equitable future for First Nations communities across Victoria.

Importantly, it harnesses our influence as a leader in the legal sector in Victoria to improve access to justice for First Peoples.

Structural disadvantage and systemic injustice continue to impact on First Peoples communities across Victoria. As the regulator of the legal profession, we recognise our responsibilities and our unique sphere of influence to drive meaningful change, with the needs of First Peoples and their self-determination at the centre.

Reconciliation is not a single milestone but an ongoing journey. It asks us to listen deeply, to reflect with humility, and to act with integrity. It challenges us to recognise the strength and sovereignty of First Peoples, and to ensure that our work is grounded in genuine partnership, cultural understanding, and respect.

The Victorian Legal Services Board and Commission (VLSB+C) Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and I are committed to leading this journey.

We encourage you to join us.

- Fiona McLeay, Victorian Legal Services Board CEO and Commissioner 

About the artwork: ‘Storytelling Teachers’ by Mickeymoo

Artist statement

"The painting shows the knowledge we are taught by women in our lives, who teach all the children the different animal tracks that are made and how to find and hunt them. The women in our culture are our most important teachers and storytellers who pass on the knowledge their Elders passed on to them, to show the future generation how important women and their strengths are, to continue to pass on to generations to come, keeping First Nations Peoples’ knowledge alive and strong."

This artwork was created through The Torch, a not-for-profit organisation that provides art, cultural and arts industry support to First Nations people currently in, or recently released from, Victorian prisons.

Our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan was designed by Little Rocket, a First Nations-owned and operated full-service marketing and creative agency.