Aboriginal Return to Work Service
Ensuring Australia’s First Nations Peoples receive recovery and return to work support
WorkFocus Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which we live and work, and pays respects to Elders past and present. We recognise that the health of our people is connected to the health of our planet. We value access and inclusion and seek to listen, learn and build strong partnerships. We aim to provide genuine opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples within our workforce and through our business.
Culturally respectful service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
We offer a specialist approach through our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recovery and Return to Work Service.
As well as being able to access all our other programs and services, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers who are navigating a workplace injury or illness can reach into their rich and unique culture to overcome the challenges of recovering and returning to work.
We work with the person we are supporting to deliver a culturally respectful service and help to recover all aspects of life following a workplace injury or illness.
We know the power of meaningful work to improve the lives of the people we support, their families and communities. That’s why we are passionate about ensuring our service:
- is culturally respectful and appropriate
- acknowledges and incorporates family networks and history
- provides community engagement; and
- works with the individual to design the best approach following an injury or illness
This map attempts to represent the language, social or nation groups of Aboriginal Australia. It shows only the general locations of larger groupings of people which may include clans, dialects or individual languages in a group. It used published resources from 1988-1994 and is not intended to be exact, nor the boundaries fixed. It is not suitable for native title or other land claims. David R Horton (creator), © Aboriginal Studies Press, AIATSIS, and Auslig/Sinclair, Knight, Merz, 1996. No reproduction without permission. To purchase a print version visit: www.aiatsis.ashop.com.au
We continually strive to build our understanding
We respect that this is a service which requires specific skills and appreciations. All our consultants and members of the leadership team have completed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competency course via the Centre for Cultural Competence Australia.
We also continually leverage the experience and knowledge from our consultants who support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to ensure we are delivering a proven, reputable service. Each person we support is a partner in their own recovery.
We’re committed to creating relationships, understanding and respect with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We’ve previously documented this commitment in our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2017-19, and are currently committed to MedHealth’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2025-27. By ensuring equitable and inclusive access to our services and employment opportunities, we bring to life our mission and values.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Recovery and Return to Work Service provides:
Meet our Aboriginal Liaison Officer
Kai Gibson
Aboriginal Liaison Officer
Kai is a proud Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi man from South East Queensland with 18 years of experience in the human services sector. He specialises in advocacy, stakeholder collaboration, and culturally safe program delivery. Kai’s work is grounded in lived experience and a deep understanding of Aboriginal customs and kinship systems.
He is committed to holistic, person-centred approaches that foster connections and support positive, sustainable outcomes within workplace rehabilitation and recovery journeys.
Our logo symbolism
The circular shape of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service logo supports our holistic approach towards acknowledging and respecting the health, well-being, life and work goals of each person, while at the same time provides an unique visual identity. The moving arrows symbolise that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service acknowledges, respects and provides for the cultural and individual needs of each client, with the focal point representing the overall goal of providing a culturally tailored, respectful and appropriate recovery and return to work service.
*The featured WorkFocus Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Service logo has been developed by Justine Kinney from Independent Indigenous Design Agency Cultural Creative and is used with permission. No unauthorised reproduction permitted. WorkFocus Australia is in continual consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients, customers and organisations to ensure the program will optimally meet the needs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples we seek to support.
Make a referral for someone you know who may benefit from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander service or for more information, please contact our Aboriginal Liaison Officer, Kai Gibson on 1300 570 181 or help@workfocus.com.
