RECONCILIATION ACTION PLAN (RAP) PROGRAM HITS DOUBLE CENTURY
Media Release – 26 November 2010
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Reconciliation Australia has today endorsed the 200th Reconciliation Action Plan in the city of Blacktown—home to one of the largest Aboriginal populations in New South Wales.
The Chief Executive of Reconciliation Australia, Leah Armstrong, said this was a significant milestone in the life of the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program.
“We’re excited to announce that we have now registered our 200th Reconciliation Action Plan following the RAP launch by the Blacktown City Council.
“It’s fantastic to see how quickly the RAP program has grown,” Ms Armstrong said.
“What started off four years ago with eight organisations has now expanded to 200 launched RAPs with another 260 in development—in total that’s around 20 percent of the national workforce.”
Notably, the organisations involved to date take in Australia’s 11 largest corporations including all of the big banks, Wesfarmers, Telstra, News Limited, Woolworths and BHP Billiton.
Next week the world’s largest hotel chain, InterContinental Hotel Group, will join the RAP community when they launch their Reconciliation Action Plan in Kakadu, Northern Territory.
The RAP community also includes small businesses, local councils, sporting codes, hospitals, schools, universities and state and federal government departments.
The RAP program was first developed in 2006 by Reconciliation Australia and aims to encourage and support organisations to engage their community in the national effort to close the gaps between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians.
Each organisation is able to tailor its RAP to include accountable, measureable actions that are appropriate to the particular business or service. They are focused on three core elements—strengthening relationships, demonstrating respect, and mutually beneficial opportunities.
For more information about the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program visit the RAP section of our website.
Media Contact: Kylie Thompson 0418 633 277 or kylie.thompson@reconciliation.org.au
