20 Years of the RAP Program

Eight organisations committed to creating long term, measurable action plans to advance reconciliation and the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program was born. 

The first eight RAP organisations were: 

Yarnteen Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation; ANZ Bank; BHP Billiton; Centrelink; Canberra Investment Corporation; South Australian Department of Administrative and Information Services; Oxfam Australia; and Melbourne City Council. 

Launching the program, Mick Dodson – a member of Reconciliation Australia’s board of directors at the time – explained the rationale. 

‘Generating success is what it’s all about and that means building respectful relationships on which action-oriented, results-focused partnerships are founded,’ he said. 

Jen Dawson, Manager Strategic Partnering at BHP, worked on developing BHP’s first RAP in 2007. She said the program provided clarity and structure for better First Nations’ outcomes. 

‘That first RAP set up the guardrails for how BHP could become an effective partner and ensure that reconciliation became our responsibility not just government’s,’ she said. 

‘The key to the RAP program’s success is in its name – it’s about real actions not motherhood statements.’ 

Jen said the introduction of the four RAP types in the RISE framework in 2013 – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate – has allowed BHP to continuously improve their reconciliation commitments. 

‘The RAP has been the vehicle for change; however, it’s been the voices of our First Nations partners that have largely driven our progress through the RISE structure. 

‘We have progressed because we’ve been held accountable. 

‘The RAP isn’t just a public statement on a shelf, it has been about delivering initiatives for change.’ 

Ensuring accountability 

High-profile examples of RAP accountability are now etched into the program’s long history. 

Mining giant, Rio Tinto’s Elevate RAP was revoked in June 2020 after the company destroyed ancient Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura Aboriginal heritage rock shelters in WA’s Pilbara region. 

‘Rio Tinto’s actions failed to meet their own aspirations to advance reconciliation and do not meet the standards Reconciliation Australia expects of our RAP partners,’ said Reconciliation Australia at the time. 

In March 2001, Telstra’s Elevate RAP was a revoked when it was revealed that its stores had engaged in unconscionable sales conduct in remote Indigenous communities. 

That same year, Reconciliation Australia supported Aboriginal leaders and organisations in their long-term campaign against Woolworths’ proposed Dan Murphy’s store near three dry First Nations communities in Darwin. 

The subsequent independent investigation and Woolworths’ decision not to proceed highlighted the critical role of the RAP program in helping companies to respond to issues and in providing a platform for community groups to raise concerns. 

The 2026 picture: cultural change 

From its 2006 beginnings, the program is now 3,300 organisations strong. One in five Australians – that’s 5.9 million people – now work or study in an organisation with a RAP. 

Organisations are required to report on their RAP commitments annually. 

In 2025, RAP organisations reported employing 62,197 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and procuring $5.6 billion worth of goods and services from First Nations-owned businesses. 

65% of organisations reported changing internal processes or policies to improve relationships with First Nations peoples. 

The Centre for Indigenous People and Work (CIPW) recently published 10 Truths about Reconciliation Action Plans, drawing on the national Gari Yala 2 (Speak the Truth) study of more than 1,100 Indigenous workers. The report compared workplaces with and without RAPs. 

Four of the “Truths” directly related to reducing racism, hatred and violence. 

Half of Indigenous workers in RAP organisations rarely or never experience racism at work, compared with 36% elsewhere. 

RAP organisations also report greater cultural safety and are more than three times as likely to have anti-racism complaints processes and training. 

Relationships, respect and opportunities 

There were 24,463 partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations reported in 2025. 

Elevate RAP partner, Life Without Barriers, a large not-for-profit working in foster care, disability and aged care services, has a partnership with the peak First Nations children’s advocacy organisation, SNAICC at the core of its reconciliation progress. 

‘We couldn’t have the partnership with SNAICC without our RAP, and we couldn’t have our RAP without our SNAICC partnership,’ CEO Claire Robbs explained. 

Life Without Barriers were the first not- for-profit organisation to gain an Elevate RAP which was launched in 2023. Its primary commitment is to transition First Nations children in their care over to Aboriginal community-controlled organisations (ACCOs). 

This action meets a key First Nations demand that their children should only be placed with family or other First Nations peoples. 

‘Ultimately, we want to influence the rest of the mainstream sector to do the same as we are and eventually spread that influence into government for real policy reform,’ she said. 

There are 3,300 stories of RAPs in 2026. Each RAP is unique to the specific circumstances and outcomes of each organisation. 

‘While we have a lot to be proud of what a RAP can do, it’s important to remember that RAPs are not the sole solution to 238 years of colonisation,’ General Manager of the RAP Program Kate Delaney said. 

‘They are a useful and accessible structure for organisations, and the people within them, to consider and address systemic inequalities and leverage their collective influence for a more just and equitable Australia.’

To learn more about the RAP program, visit reconciliation.org.au/ reconciliation-action-plans