Reconciliation Australia has responded to the letter from Mr Paterson on behalf of the group of concerned organisations and individuals.

Reconciliation Australia takes the integrity of our programs very seriously. At the heart of reconciliation are respectful relationships built on trust.

We expect organisations with RAPs to deliver on their commitments and live up to the intent of their plan. When there are concerns a RAP partner is not meeting these expectations, we undertake an investigative process that includes engagement directly with the RAP partner and any impacted stakeholders.

Since we became aware of the issues surrounding the proposed Dan Murphy’s store in Darwin and opposition by community leaders and organisations, we reached out to the Woolworths Group and community groups to understand both positions.

In discussions with the Woolworths Group, including with CEO Mr Brad Banducci, we have expressed our concerns.

With the announcement in December 2020 of an Independent Panel Review led by Mr Danny Gilbert AM, Woolworths and Mr Banducci said no final decision on the building of the retail store had been made, and would not until the completion of the Review.

We await the report of the Independent Review Panel at the end of March 2021 and Woolworths Group’s response before taking further action.

The Executive and Board of Reconciliation Australia make the final decision to remove an organisation from the RAP program, and it is not made lightly.

We will continue to engage transparently with all parties before making a final decision.