The 2024 RAP Impact Report shows the Reconciliation Action Plan program is growing and many RAP organisations are deepening their impact through strong governance and accountability.
Reconciliation Australia has released a report which reveals the continuing and substantial impact of Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) across all walks of Australian life.
The 2024 RAP Impact Report has found that the RAP program is not only numerically expanding but many RAP organisations are deepening their impact through strong governance and accountability.
Key results pointing to this trend include:
- a significant growth in procurement driven by an increase in contracts between RAP organisations and First Nations businesses
- substantial increases in partnerships between First Nations businesses and organisations and
- increased representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff at senior levels and on boards.
Reconciliation CEO, Karen Mundine said while she was pleased with these indicators of progress they must be sustained and built upon.
‘There is always more work to be done,’ she said. ‘The continued economic and social relegation of First Nations people means it is essential that all Australians, particularly our RAP partners, commit to even greater efforts to achieve reconciliation, equity and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
‘With the newly elected Albanese Government pledging its continued support for reconciliation and justice for First Nations peoples this report better allows us to understand the real-life impact of reconciliation initiatives on the material and social well-being of our people.’
Reconciliation Australia’s RAP program works with organisations in the corporate, cultural, educational, and sporting sectors to drive better reconciliation outcomes. The RAP Framework provides organisations with a structured approach to advancing reconciliation.
Now in its 19th year, the program has built an Australia-wide presence and a reputation for professionalism, maturity, and innovation.
The annual RAP Impact Report, compiled from data reported by 2283 RAP organisations for the period July 2023 – June 2024 represents the cumulative impact of the Reconciliation Action Plan program’s benefits across the nation.
Findings from the 2024 RAP Impact Report include:
- $4,812,163,387 ($4.8 billion) worth of goods and services were procured by RAP organisations from First Nations-owned businesses.
- 733 First Nations people sat on RAP organisation boards (20+% increase).
- 740 First Nations people in RAP organisations were in executive leadership roles (20+% increase).
- 25,237 contracts were entered into between RAP organisations and Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander organisations (42% increase).
Karen Mundine said the impact of RAPs go far beyond economic and employment benefits, and add to the understanding of First Nations histories, cultures and circumstances by other Australians.
‘Through our RAP program many more Australians are participating in cultural learning and are hearing, from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people themselves about the legacies of past government policies and actions.
‘Nearly a million employees of RAP organisations participated in cultural immersion, online or face-to-face cultural learning activities.
‘These experiences create stronger relationships built on shared knowledge and respect, and we know that such relationships are the basis for reconciliation and successful policies that improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’, she said.
Karen Mundine said the results are encouraging and should help inform the new Government’s policy initiatives.
‘Our National Reconciliation Week theme this year Bridging Now to Next calls on all Australians to reflect, as a nation, on where we go next on our reconciliation journey and this report demonstrates that good progress is being made in our RAP program’, said Karen Mundine.
‘Our work is paying dividends for First Nations people and a more unified, informed Australia.’
