Credit: Nico Smit via Unsplash
The advertising industry is strengthening its commitment to reconciliation through Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia.
Outdoor media company JCDecaux has announced a two-year plan which outlines actions across employment, education, procurement and partnerships.
Paramount, Howatson+Company, Havas, Publicis Groupe, QMS, Mediabrands, Enero Group, TorchMedia, Gatecrasher Advertising, News Corp, IMAA and SBS have also launched RAPs built around the principles of relationships, respect and opportunities.
The 2024 RAP Impact Report shows that stronger governance and accountability are driving real change, with more contracts going to First Nations businesses and a noticeable rise in Indigenous representation in senior roles and on boards. Partnerships between organisations and First Nations businesses have also grown significantly.
Reconciliation CEO Karen Mundine welcomed the progress but stressed the need for sustained effort, saying “there is always more work to be done”.
“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,” she said.
“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, education and sports sectors, with its latest impact report drawing on data from 2,283 organisations between July 2023 and June 2024.
The report shows that $4.8 billion of goods and services were procured by RAP organisations from First Nations-owned businesses.
The number of First Nations people in executive and board roles within RAP organisations has risen by more than 20%, while contracts with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations jumped 42% to 25,237.
Mundine said RAPs 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,” she said.
“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.”
Mundine said the results 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,” she said.
“Our work is paying dividends for First Nations people and a more unified, informed Australia.”
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