Whether you’re at the start of your Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) journey or well on the path, it’s vital your organisation’s leaders are beside you — every step of the way.
At a webinar last week to mark National Reconciliation Week (May 27-June 3), Australian Industry Group’s Vivienne Filling gleaned valuable insights from industry leaders who have implemented RAPs into their businesses.
Sharing their RAP journey experiences were:
"A RAP isn't a document that says: ‘Right, here are all the instructions. Let's go and do reconciliation'," Mr Groch said.
“It doesn't work like that. A RAP is a set of accountable outcomes you're committing to publicly through Reconciliation Australia.
“It needs to be realistic and achievable, actions your business can deliver.”
More than 3000 organisations throughout Australia, including Australian Industry Group, have formalised their commitment to reconciliation through a Reconciliation Action Plan.
There are four types of plans that allow RAP partners to continuously develop and strengthen their reconciliation commitments: Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate.
Elecnor Australia has a Reflect RAP, Downer and Australian Industry Group have Innovate RAPs and Laing O’Rourke is at the Stretch stage.
Elecnor, a global company with a presence in more than 50 countries, launched its RAP last week.
“Elecnor Australia embarked on this journey about 12 months ago, with much support at the senior executive leadership level to implement a RAP," Ms Maher said.
“While it’s been a relatively smooth process, it’s not been without challenge: we’ve been a little ambitious with some of our deliverables.
“At this early stage, we should be looking at the document as a foundational piece that will enable Elecnor Australia to build on as we navigate our way through the reconciliation journey.”
In 2011, Laing O’Rourke became the first construction company in Australia to develop a RAP. Fourteen years later, it’s two years into its Stretch RAP.
The company is committed to creating meaningful employment and procurement opportunities for First Nations stakeholders across all its projects and says direct hire and contract opportunities have the greatest impact.
“Laing O'Rourke’s recruitment teams have strategies in place to try and create a culturally safe environment — one that's inviting for First Nations people to look at seeking employment with us,” Mr Beetson said.
“Projects come and go within the infrastructure sector, so the retention of people — especially First Nations people — is of the utmost importance to us.
“Mentoring, cultural support and internal yarning circles are all part of the culture at Laing O’Rourke.
“Making sure our staff are educated in the cultural safety space is an ongoing process.”
“We are meticulous in working with Indigenous businesses to foster capability building,” Mr Beetson said.
“We look at opportunities with businesses new into the space and those more established and try to understand with conversations, meetings and data from themselves and industry about what it (capability building) looks like in terms of resourcing, supporting pipelines of works and procurement opportunities not only within our organisation, but other organisations as well, within the industry.
“It's important for us to create that pipeline.”
Elecnor Australia has nearly 30 suppliers that identify as First Nations or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses across the country.
One of the larger contracts, worth about $7million, is an RTO delivering training to Elecnor’s workforce in the construction industry.
“Another $27million has been invested into First Nations communities across our Energy Connect project, which has operations spanning South Australia to Victoria and into NSW and marks the first time Australia will have energisation connected across three jurisdictions,” Ms Maher said.
“We have approximately 12 to 18 months left of project Energy Connect, but the relationships with our local communities will continue to strengthen.
“We're open to learning and taking on board feedback from our local communities to enhance service delivery and improve uptake and engagement, particularly around that procurement space where we're leaving a social legacy and investment with the community, post completion of project.”
Downer Group, on its fourth RAP and second Innovate, is aware its size may appear daunting to First Nations SMEs seeking collaboration.
“When we're working to develop the capacity of an organisation, we understand smaller businesses may not know where to start,” Mr Groch said.
“We try to make ourselves easier to approach and our processes easier to navigate. This involves sitting with them and helping them build their own capacity.
“If there are any deficiencies in what they're doing that perhaps would exclude them from getting on board with us or others like us, we offer a lot of support.
“On some projects, we've put together programs that include accredited and non-accredited units of competency for a whole region where SMEs can opt in and out to build their own capacity to boost their confidence.
“It helps them better understand how to respond to some of the requests that come their way.
“We’ve also built an internal database to make it easy for those in procurement and on the ground to source Aboriginal businesses.
“Make the process easy for your people. Do the complicated parts and have the businesses ready, so when it comes time for procurement, there aren’t a lot of hurdles for people to jump through.
“You want it to become their BAU (business as usual).”
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for establishing meaningful relationships with First Nations stakeholders,” Mr Groch said.
“The diversity that existed historically in Aboriginal Australia and Torres Strait Islander communities still exists today.
“Build trust on the ground before you go and do anything.
“That can start with something as simple as asking permission to be there, particularly in remote areas where traditions are upheld.
“Make it clear your intentions are about trying to do the right thing by community: respecting their heritage; ensuring there are adequate heritage, planning and protections in place and making sure they understand you're looking for them to participate in some way, whether that's economically or through business participation.
“Discuss the legacies that might come out of it. Have that kind of discussion early.”
Elecnor and Laing O’Rourke are fans of First Nations recruitment companies to navigate discrimination or bias — perceived or real, direct or indirect.
“Our community members are more likely to register with First Nations recruitment solutions, which have expertise in this area and registered participants with profiles,” Ms Maher said.
Laing O’Rourke is not short of people willing to support its RAP.
“Our RAP Working Group meets regularly, and I work consistently to report on our Plan throughout the organisation,” Mr Beetson said.
“Our reporting methodology is detailed and precise.
“We also have RAP Champions (those who support the RAP but aren’t part of the Working Group) and many others who are proactive in the space and want to participate.
“Within our industry, we embed (our RAP) in everything we do. We implement the Connecting with Country framework before we even turn soil.
“It’s business as usual, but we do it because we want to, not because we have to.”
To get buy-in from senior leaders, education and knowledge are key.
This can be imparted through experiences such as cultural immersions and Walking on Country with executives, Mr Beetson said.
“The more knowledge you can share and the more actions you can help deliver, the better,” he said.
“It's not about getting in people's faces. It's about working together: getting time with leaders, creating cultural competency within your organisation and looking at the benefits of it.”
Make it easy for leaders, Ms Maher added.
“Start the conversation with them and get everyone to form a consensus that this is what we want to do. That gives you room to be able to implement the governance structure required.”
Elecnor leaders have long supported reconciliation efforts.
“When we’re heading out on site to our construction projects, we’re finding many senior leaders at a local level are already implementing and strategising without having to be told,” Ms Maher said.
“A number of contractors who identify as First Nations suppliers are delivering services on site, and it's really heartening to see a preference being given by leaders at the local level, even prior to the implementation of the RAP.
“There are different ways to activate your RAP, but the most important thing is to have your leaders take the journey with you and take some ownership around what that means.
“Reconciliation extends beyond National Reconciliation Week. It's 365 days a year.”
“Activities rolled out and relationships established and strengthened throughout the RAP process make a real difference,” Ms Maher said.
“The RAP work we do now will create a foundation for further work to build upon.
“It's a long, arduous process, and it's building blocks whether it's week to week, month to month or year to year.
“Organisational cultures take a long time to shift. They're not an overnight change management process.”
Mr Groch added: “For Downer, the RAP has created a single point of accountability across the whole business, rather than different divisions doing different things.
“Everything points to the RAP, and then it becomes the public affirmation that the executive team has bought into, and the board has signed off on.
“It's not just about recruitment or bringing Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander businesses into your organisation.
“It’s making sure the overall cultural competency of the people in your organisation is being lifted.”
Having a RAP is a contractual obligation in some major infrastructure projects, Mr Groch said.
“If that’s the reason you’re starting a RAP; if it’s the trigger you need for your executive leadership team to get on board, use the opportunity to embed a whole bunch of practical actions in there,” he said.
“Reconciliation is a noun that doesn't mean anything until you make it a verb. You need action.”
“Advancing through RAP levels represents your journey: what it means to people within the organisation and what impact it has on communities, supply chains and employment opportunities,” Mr Beetson said of Laing O’Rourke’s Stretch RAP.
“Understand the accountability of moving through the stages. Remember, it’s a document that holds your organisation accountable in the public eye.
“There have been instances where organisations with Elevate RAPs have had their RAP status stripped because their actions weren't compliant with true reconciliation.
“It’s important to consider that when you're taking the journey from one step to the next.”
Progressing from one level to the next needs buy-in from the ground up.
“Everyone in the organisation needs to drive it; it can't just be the Head of Indigenous Affairs, the RAP Working Group or RAP Champions,” Mr Beetson said.
“For us, it’s got to be everyone who wears the Laing O’Rourke badge.
“Now that we are here — from Innovate to Stretch and that's a three-year journey on this first Stretch RAP that we're partaking in now — it's a very good journey for us.
“It's opened a lot of eyes and opportunities for people within our organisation. It's also given opportunity to communities, Indigenous business and other stakeholders to come on that journey with us.
“If you're just ticking a box, it's not reconciliation.”
“A RAP isn't the exclusive domain of big organisations: it's about affirming what you can do within your own sphere of influence,” Mr Groch said.
“Choose actions your business can deliver.
“It can be as simple as exploring whether you can direct any of your procurement into Indigenous businesses.
“A RAP doesn't need to be a 50-page document. Reconciliation Australia will give you the framework. Look at their website; all RAPs are there.
“See what organisations similar to yours have done and be inspired by their efforts.
“You may be able to modify and adapt their initiatives to suit your organisation.
“If you don't have any policies, build some into your HR, hiring and procurement processes.
“Those measures will send the message that your organisation is serious about its RAP journey.”
Mr Beetson added: “It's a wonderful journey that brings people closer together.
“The outcomes are great.”
Save the date: To mark NAIDOC Week, Australian Industry Group is pleased to present a webinar on July 9 about empowering First Nations trainees and apprentices.
Wendy Larter is Communications Manager at the Australian Industry Group. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a reporter, features writer, contributor and sub-editor for newspapers and magazines including The Courier-Mail in Brisbane and Metro, the News of the World, The Times and Elle in the UK.
