Cultural Safety & Anti-Racism

Build workplaces where every person belongs and racism has no place to hide. Improve trust and communication and create stronger communities.

What is Cultural Safety?

‘Cultural safety’ is defined by the cultural safety principles of awareness, sensitivity, competency, and humility.

In a culturally safe environment, community members are self-reflective and respectful, especially towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

It’s a space where everyone can recognise their own cultural biases and be open-minded about the differences in other’s beliefs and practices.

Young indigenous Australian dancer

Cultural Safety
History

Cultural Safety emerged in the late 1980s, primarily as a framework for delivering better health services to Indigenous people.

However, it has gone beyond healthcare, being encouraged in all professional settings. Achieving cultural safety in the workplace begins with education, so it’s valuable for today’s workplaces to undergo First Nations cultural competency training, such as the programs offered by Evolve Communities.

Culturally Safe workplace environment

A culturally safe environment is one where everyone, especially Indigenous people, is physically, spiritually, emotionally, and socially safe to express and practise their own culture. Let’s break down what it means to have cultural safety in the workplace.

Read more about cultural safety.

A Connected Learning Ecosystem

Team Workshops

Designed for real conversations and lasting change
Our workshops bring people together in spaces where genuine dialogue happens. Expert facilitators guide your team through practical exercises that build understanding and create pathways for meaningful action.

  • No Blame, No Guilt, No Shame
  • Simple Set Up
  • Real Transformation
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Inspirational Webinars

Evolve Communities provides a wide array of Indigenous cultural awareness webinars led by indigenous facilitators.

Choose from live interactive and prerecorded sessions that have helped businesses, organisations, government bodies, and leadership teams improve their understanding and engagement with people, employees, care recipients, and family members of all ethnicities.

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Online Courses

You want to make a difference – and do it well. Whether you’re starting out or deepening existing initiatives, this is your next step.

At Evolve Communities, we’re Australia’s trusted authority in Cultural Awareness Training and Ally Accreditation. Guided by Indigenous cultural wisdom, our 7 Step® frameworks turn intent into practical action – with our no blame, no shame approach.

Scaleable programs can run sequentially or concurrently for different cohorts to create organisation-wide impact.

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Leadership Programs

Transformational learning experiences
Online and in-person cultural awareness training for your leadership team, RAP committee or entire organisation – available all capital cities in Australia.



  • Flexible delivery formats
  • Scalable programs
  • Accreditation available
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Transformative experiences

Evolve training participants report significant shifts in their understanding and commitment. Organisations see measurable improvements in workplace culture and inclusion. Lasting impact extends beyond training into ongoing behavioural change.

94%

Participants satisfaction rate

Participants report increased confidence in Allyship.

87%

Organisations
report cultural shift

Teams demonstrate sustained commitment to Reconciliation.

78%

Improved Indigenous employment

Organisations strengthen 
recruitment & retention practices.

Free resources

Indigenous Calendar
6 min read
Indigenous Calendar

Understanding our shared history is one of Evolve’s 7 Steps to Reconciliation and Allyship®, our tried-and-tested framework for building confidence to show up for…

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Our Shared History
6 min read
Our Shared History

Most Australians get these ten questions wrong! Whatever your result, we appreciate you taking the time to develop your cultural awareness. Let's get started!

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Ask Aunty & Ally
6 min read
Ask Aunty & Ally

Is there something you’ve always wanted to know about how to be an effective Ally to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people?

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Real stories

★★★★★

“I was keen to increase my understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Evolve program gave me practical tools and strategies like when and how to give an Acknowledgement of Country. I increased my knowledge in some unexpected areas too, including about privilege. I highly recommend working with Evolve to anyone who values reconciling what has happened in the past and positively impacting how we move forward.”

testimonial profile Adelaide ThompsonCampaign Unit Manager, Cancer Council NSW

★★★★★

“Working with Evolve has been a great partnership towards increasing our organisational cultural awareness at a national level. The tailored programs are highly interactive and experiential. I have observed our staff walking away with increased levels of confidence, understanding and inspiration and often with the positive exclamation ‘best training ever’.”

testimonial profile Adrian CheathamAssistant Director, Workplace Diversity Team Australian Taxation Office

★★★★★

“I loved connecting with local Aboriginal people at the Evolve program. Together we are now ‘Taking the Bull by the Horns’ on employment strategies for people with a disability. “

testimonial profile David GreelyEmployment Connections Manager WorkAbility

★★★★★

“I was asked about why all Aboriginal people drive Valiants. We all laughed, as I explained that Aboriginal people are as diverse as any other and that I drove an MGB sports car. My co-convenor, an older Noongar woman, was relieved that she didn’t get the question as she drove a Valiant! You can imagine the hilarity that followed”.

Munya AndrewsDirector

★★★★★

“As Evolve Communities have taught iAccelerate, Aboriginal Songlines are essentially knowledge networks that enable the communication of ideas to flow back and forth between two or more locations and serves as the perfect model for innovation ecosystems”

Omar KhalifaCEO, iAccelerate

FAQs

Our educators are experts in cultural safety training. Here are some of the questions they get asked the most.

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What’s the difference between cultural awareness training and cultural safety training?
Cultural awareness training is the starting point — it builds understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, perspectives and everyday practices, and helps people recognise their own cultural “blind spots.” Cultural safety is the outcome: an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are physically, emotionally, spiritually and socially safe to be themselves, free from bias, racism or discrimination. In practice, the two are sequential — our Indigenous cultural awareness training is the foundation that leads organisations toward genuine cultural safety, using our 7 Steps to Reconciliation and Allyship® framework. You can read more on our Cultural Safety & Anti-Racism page.
What is cultural safety, and why does it matter?
Cultural safety means Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can show up as themselves at work — without having to explain, minimise or defend their culture. It rests on four principles: awareness, sensitivity, competency and humility. A culturally safe workplace isn’t just “nice to have” — it directly affects staff retention, engagement and an organisation’s reputation, and it’s increasingly expected by clients, partners and regulators alike. Cultural safety training gives every level of your organisation, from frontline staff to leadership, the shared language and practical tools to build and protect that safety day to day.
Does Indigenous cultural awareness training cover anti-racism training too?
Yes. Genuine cultural safety can’t be achieved without directly addressing racism, so anti-racism training is woven through our programs rather than treated as a separate, stand-alone module. Participants learn to recognise unconscious bias, understand relevant obligations under Australian law, and — importantly — know how to act as a bystander when they witness racism, regardless of who is involved. Where our approach differs from many generic anti-racism training programs is the delivery: we use a no blame, no shame model that keeps people engaged and open rather than defensive, so the learning actually sticks.
What are the business benefits of cultural safety training and anti-racism training?
Organisations with strong cultural safety and anti-racism training see measurable gains: stronger relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, clients and communities; better attraction and retention of Indigenous talent; protection against the reputational damage that comes from cultural missteps or racism incidents; and real progress against Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) commitments. It also supports the wider business case for diversity and inclusion — inclusive organisations consistently outperform less inclusive ones, and in Australia that inclusion isn’t possible without cultural competency at every level.
Is your Indigenous cultural awareness training delivered online, in person, or both — and who should attend?
Both, and everything in between. Our Connected Learning Ecosystem includes on-demand digital learning courses, live Yarning Webinars, in-person Yarning Circle Workshops (delivered in every Australian capital city, for groups of up to 30), and Leadership Programs for executives and RAP committees. Programs can run standalone or be layered together for organisation-wide impact — from a single team through to your entire workforce. Every in-person session is co-facilitated by one Indigenous and one non-Indigenous Accredited Facilitator, modelling the allyship we teach.
How is Evolve’s approach different from typical anti-racism training?
Traditional anti-racism training can feel confronting or punitive, which often triggers defensiveness rather than change. Evolve’s cultural safety training uses a no blame, no guilt, no shame approach: it’s built on open, honest conversation, storytelling and real questions — including the ones people are usually too afraid to ask. It’s led by Aboriginal Elder and educator Aunty Munya Andrews alongside non-Indigenous Ally Carla Rogers, and delivered by Supply Nation certified, Indigenous-led facilitator teams across Australia — so it models the allyship and cultural safety it teaches, rather than just talking about it.
Is it okay to just say “Aboriginal cultural awareness training”?
Not quite — and getting this right matters for cultural safety in itself. Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples are two distinct groups, each with their own nations, languages and histories, so referring only to “Aboriginal” leaves Torres Strait Islander peoples out. The respectful, accurate terms are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, First Nations, First Peoples, or Indigenous Australians — always capitalised, and using “people” or “peoples” rather than treating either term as an adjective alone. This kind of detail is exactly what cultural awareness training covers.
How do you make cultural safety training stick, rather than a one-off session?
This is one of the biggest challenges organisations tell us about — policies that sound good on paper, training that’s disconnected from everyday work, and leadership that doesn’t fully grasp what’s at stake. Real, lasting cultural safety comes from layering learning over time: awareness training to build the foundation, workshops and webinars to deepen understanding, leadership programs to embed accountability at the top, and Ally Accreditation to recognise ongoing commitment. Organisations that treat cultural safety training as a program rather than a single event see far more durable change.
How do we know if our cultural safety training is actually working?
Look for shifts in both confidence and culture. Across our programs, participants consistently report high satisfaction and increased confidence in showing up as Allies, and organisations report sustained cultural shift and stronger commitment to Reconciliation well after training ends — including measurable improvements in Indigenous employment, recruitment and retention. Tracking these kinds of outcomes (alongside RAP milestones and staff feedback) gives you a clear picture of whether your cultural safety and anti-racism training is translating into real workplace change, not just a completed course.
How can I personally help build cultural safety and challenge racism?
You’ve already started by asking! Individual action matters as much as organisational training. Explore our free resources — Ask Aunty & Ally for honest, judgement-free answers to your questions, the Indigenous Calendar of significant dates, and our Cultural Awareness Quiz. If you want to go deeper, read our book Practical Reconciliation, join the Webinar Subscription, or work toward becoming an Evolve Accredited Ally.

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