Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan

Our vision for reconciliation is to value, understand, engage, respect, and embrace Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ innovations, knowledge and cultures. We will strengthen our organisation’s cultural capabilities and improve Australia’s economic and social opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

We are committed to building a workplace where reconciliation is core to our culture. 

We will deliver programs, policies and services that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and businesses to participate in and benefit from Australia’s economic growth and job creation. We will work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations and communities to share in economic development and social inclusion and achieve positive life outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We will support an inclusive, future-focused workforce that:

• respects and celebrates the cultures and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• provides opportunities and career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples where they feel empowered
• ensures that the department and broader community can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We aim to raise awareness, inspire and enable each individual’s contribution to reconciliation. We will:

• share our reconciliation stories together
• test our assumptions
• challenge our perceptions
• actively engage and listen to each other.

We’re proud to share our Reconciliation Action Plan artwork, Plenty Big Country by Riki Salam. This artwork depicts the richness of diversity and the dynamic nature of this sector. It also depicts various aspects of the natural and cultural landscape of Australia both physically and metaphorically.

The circular motif at the centre of the artwork represents the department and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities from across Australia coming together to discuss innovative ways of working and advancing together as one. Pathways move to and from the department to Community, where knowledge is shared and imparted to create new and better opportunities to benefit and advance all Australians.

The patterning that encompasses the main artwork elements represent how all Country is connected and how Culture is infused as one. These markings reference natural depictions of our vast landscape: saltwater, freshwater, rainforest, desert, stone, cold and everywhere in between. They also show human interactions on the environment carved, etched, painted, burnt and contoured.

These aspects speak of human ingenuity and adaptation to place, landscape and country through the many resources it affords us. This generates new ways of thinking and being, enriching the Country through dynamic innovation. These ways of thinking bring together the wisdom and ancient knowledge of Country to modern ways.

About the artist

Riki Salam is Principal, Creative Director and artist of We are 27 Creative. Born in 1972 and raised in Cairns on Yidinji Land, he is a member of and connected to Kala Lagaw Ya – Western Island groups (St Pauls, Moa Island) and Kuku Yalanji Peoples on his father and grandfather’s side. He is a member of the Ngai Tahu people in the South Island of New Zealand on his mother’s side. Educated in Cairns and Brisbane, he has over 20 years of industry experience as a graphic designer and artist.

Riki has worked on many high-profile projects including the Qantas painted Boeing 747/800 ‘Yananyi Dreaming’. He has produced artworks for Telstra, the Healing Foundation and the Australian Human Rights Commission to name a few. Riki also designed the identity for the G20 in 2014. He works in pen, ink and brush, gouache on paper and with acrylic paints, exploring concepts of traditional culture in a contemporary format.

The Department of Industry, Science and Resources drives economic growth and job creation for all Australians. We aim to build a better future for all Australians by ensuring Australia has a more productive, science- and technology-enriched, resilient and sustainable economy. We do this by providing influential and valued advice to government and implementing policies and programs to achieve strong and sustainable economic outcomes for the Australian community.

We help build a better future for all Australians by ensuring Australia has a more productive, resilient and sustainable economy by investing in science, technology and commercialisation and growing innovative and competitive businesses, industries and regions. Australia’s resources sector and industry also plays a vital role in the global transition to a low-carbon future.

Our portfolio is at the heart of the government’s drive to revitalise Australian industry and make the most of new and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and quantum computing to generate productive, sustainable and high-value jobs. Our policies, programs and services play a critical role in the Australian economy by:

• assisting businesses to grow
• improving productivity and increase exports
• providing appropriate regulation
• building resilience in our supply chains.

An important part of this will be implementing the Buy Australian Plan to improve the way Australian Government contracts work, ensuring more opportunities are available to Australian businesses and their employees.

Our portfolio includes these entities:

• Anti-Dumping Commission
• Australian Building Codes Board
• Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)
• Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
• Australian Space Agency
• Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
• Geoscience Australia
• IP Australia
• National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA)
• Office of the Chief Scientist
• Industry Innovation and Science Australia.

We have a geographically dispersed workforce across Australia and employ 3,100 people in over 65 locations. We currently employ 68 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, which represents 2.3% of our workforce.

We are committed to making our department the best place to work. We have a workplace culture that is respectful, inclusive and diverse. All employees have a sense of belonging and can bring their whole, authentic selves to work every day. We strongly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives and background will lead to a better environment for our employees and better outcomes for Australia.

We launched our first RAP in 2008. Since then, our reconciliation journey has helped us grow as a department. We are proud of our history working closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia and our commitment to employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our journey has provided important economic and social opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.  

Our achievements

• We established a strong Indigenous Employee Network. The network provides peer support, networking and professional development opportunities for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander employees.
• We carried out a cultural and inclusion review to build a collective approach and commitment to cultural change and inclusion.
• We developed and launched our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business Support Roadmap. This includes initiatives to:
  • improve Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander business access to programs
  • improve Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander business outcomes through procurement
  • build our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement ecosystem.
• We built the economic capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses through the government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy. We continue to grow in this area and provide economic opportunities to suppliers. This includes contracting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural advisors, conference and cultural capability workshop facilitators, and community members to provide cultural immersion experiences, performances and localised expertise. By procuring these services we have built strong ongoing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, businesses and communities.
• In 2020 we signed a portfolio-wide Statement of Reconciliation demonstrating our ongoing commitment to reconciliation principles, particularly relating to cultural protocols, recruitment, and policy and program delivery. The statement has led to a more collaborative approach to reconciliation, enabled ongoing dialogue between portfolio agencies, and provided more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander economic empowerment.
• We provided development opportunities, including training, and launched our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander scholarship program, with 3 scholarships being awarded to date. We will continue building these opportunities so staff can further enhance their skills and take on leadership roles in the department.
• In 2021 we partnered with a First Nations recruitment agency to deliver an affirmative measures recruitment round. This ensured recruitment processes were targeted, streamlined and supported direct entry pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates. We hired 28 new staff, increasing the department’s proportion of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander staff from 1.6% to 2.5%.
• We offer our staff cultural immersion experiences including on-Country visits, Jawun Program secondments and participation in the Garma Festival. These experiences let staff connect with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures at a deeper level and appreciate the values and diversity of traditional knowledge. Staff who participated in these opportunities brought their learnings back to the workplace and continue sharing their knowledge with others to build a deeper understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
• In July 2021 we launched the Arrilla Digital workplace cultural competency tool for all employees. More than 2000 staff have completed the cultural awareness training.

Case study 1: Affirmative measures recruitment round

Our Indigenous Affirmative Measures Program in 2021 demonstrated our commitment to reconciliation and the value of inclusion and diversity. The program was led by our People Branch in partnership with Aboriginal Employment Strategy, a specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment agency.

We invested significant time and effort in an approach that:

• established trust
• provided personalised support, empowerment and mentoring of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates
• emphasised accountability and inclusion.

We attracted candidates using a variety of channels, including:

• targeted online advertising
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander radio stations
• connecting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses
• standard advertising channels, such as the department website and APSJobs website.

Aboriginal Employment Strategy also worked hard to identify and recruit candidates through community networks.

We ensured the screening, selection and placement of candidates was inclusive, accessible and provided tailored support. Candidates received detailed information to help them understand roles and business requirements. This gave them meaningful opportunities to showcase their capabilities, capacity and interests with confidence.

Candidates received specialised induction and training based on their needs. The skills, adaptability and attitudes of the trainers were vital to the success of the training program.

We provided ongoing support for successful candidates based on their individual strengths and needs. The inclusion business partner in People Branch led this support in conjunction with employees and their managers. By creating support for each employee, the inclusion business partner will increase retention and provide meaningful employment pathways.

The Indigenous Affirmative Measures Program has demonstrated impressive outcomes, including:

• placing 28 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in various roles across the department
• a robust, supportive network to build employees’ confidence, connection and skills
• a high level of staff satisfaction in how we managed the recruitment, employment and training process.

Key learnings

We previously had limited success using standard recruitment methods to attract Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander candidates. Our previous bulk affirmative measures round was Canberra-centric and only used traditional APS marketing strategies.

We saw a significant improvement in the number and quality of applications we received by:

• partnering with a specialist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment agency
• developing a bespoke marketing strategy
• taking advantage of our national footprint.

We will continue using this recruitment method and share the lessons we learned with other organisations.

Case study 2: Arrilla Digital cultural competency program

The Arrilla Digital cultural competency program has been critical in increasing our overall cultural awareness, competency and safety.

Before we introduced Arrilla Digital, less than 5% of staff had completed an online cultural competency program. We saw this as an opportunity to make real progress on reconciliation in the department. We partnered with a Supply Nation-certified provider – Arrilla Digital – to roll out an organisation-wide online cultural capability program that met our department’s specific needs.

We used a sustained promotion campaign to ensure the program was successful. Shelly Reys, CEO and founder of Arrilla, gave the keynote address for our National Reconciliation Week 2021 program and launched Arrilla Digital. We followed the launch with an internal communications campaign that included messages from our secretary, intranet articles and talking points for senior executives. Heads of division received weekly updates for 2 months, outlining how many of their staff had completed the program and suggesting strategies to increase uptake.

Within 3 months of launch, over 2,000 staff had completed the Arrilla Digital training, which was 70% of our workforce. This gave staff a strong baseline of cultural competency to support our intake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in 2021.

Key learnings

During our last RAP we identified that we weren’t meeting our targets for cultural learning. Building cultural capability is one of our priorities, so it was important to address this issue.

We identified that our existing cultural competency training offering wasn’t fit for purpose, particularly our online training. By introducing an aligned online training package, we saw completion rates reach over 70% within 12 months.

In this RAP we will keep investing in tailored cultural learning programs. This will help employees better understand, value and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, artwork, knowledge and rights.

The department’s Indigenous Employee Network (IEN) was established in 2014 with a handful of proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It was initially a support network for members to form relationships through support, guidance, mentoring and connection.

Today, with a growing number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in the department, the IEN also provides cultural advice on policies and programs to support our reconciliation agenda.

It lets the views and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff be heard and addressed in a positive and solution-focused way. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff can also get advice and support from the network on a range of issues.

The network supports the department’s efforts to create a culturally safe and inclusive workplace. It does this by providing leadership and direction on the department’s inclusion and diversity targets for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The network promotes cultural understanding and capability of all staff. It advises on traditional and modern cultural protocols and promotes significant events for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

Every year the network holds a forum for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. This is a First Nations-centred workplace experience to support members’ intra-cultural connections. It supports the social, emotional and professional wellbeing of the department's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

Message from the Indigenous Employee Network co-chairs

The IEN supports the development and implementation of our Stretch RAP.

We, the IEN co-chairs, believe that this RAP will promote a new element of diversity and encourage a positive conversation for all Australians, no matter their cultural background.

One of the fundamental pillars for reconciliation is working together. We all need to take part in building and strengthening the relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous people. The department’s Stretch RAP will pave the way for a culturally safe workplace and start the next steps to an inclusive work environment.

We hope that divisions will support and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and networks to allow their voices to be heard.

This Stretch RAP is a plan, but we need demonstrated actions and commitment from across the department to create change. One such action is meaningful conversation. This RAP provides an opportunity to demonstrate how this conversation can occur in a positive and respectful manner for all.

Kalen Gilbert and Laura Frassetto-Lea

We are excited to deliver our Stretch RAP. Since our first RAP in 2008, our investment, partnerships and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities have continued to grow. After the success of our Innovate RAP, we are excited to take the next step in our reconciliation journey.

We have set ambitious reconciliation targets for the next 3 years, which are set out in the following sections. Targets are aligned with our areas of expertise, influence and relationships.

This RAP was a collaborative effort, guided by:

• our RAP Steering Committee, which has 8 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander members
• our Indigenous Employee Network
• Mr Geoff Richardson PSM, our independent advisor
• our Executive Board
• representatives from departmental divisions.

We held consultation workshops with all departmental divisions and portfolio agencies over several months. The workshops discussed the review of the RAP, its purpose and how areas and individuals could positively impact the RAP. This extensive consultation gave staff opportunities to share information and collaborate. It also let us reflect on our reconciliation journey, what we have achieved and what more we want to do. Each of our divisions has developed their own divisional reconciliation action plan, which will help us embed reconciliation into the way we work across the department.

The Stretch RAP has been endorsed by the RAP Steering Committee and Executive Board.

The RAP Steering Committee is the governing body of the RAP and is ultimately responsible for its implementation and reporting phases. The steering committee will meet 4 times a year to:

• track and report on progress in implementing the current RAP
• contribute to activities in the RAP
• consult with Reconciliation Australia as needed
• develop a new RAP near the expiry date of the current RAP.

The RAP will be further guided by our Indigenous Champions and RAP Champions. Indigenous Champions are responsible for advocating for improved recruitment, retention and developmental outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. They work closely with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to ensure their priorities are understood and ideas for making improvements are captured, considered and progressed. RAP Champions are responsible for promoting and driving reconciliation across the department and throughout our sphere of influence as well as leading our Stretch RAP priorities.

We would like to thank the RAP Steering Committee and Indigenous Employee Network for their contribution in developing our first Stretch RAP.

Chair:

• Head of Division, AusIndustry

Indigenous Employee Network co-chairs:

• Senior Business Outreach Officer, CFO Group
• Manager, CIO Group
• Program Officer, AusIndustry

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff representatives:

• General Manager, Entrepreneurs’ Programme Branch
• Manager Indigenous Engagement, Australian Radioactive Waste Agency
• Assistant Manager Business Capability and Growth

RAP Champions:

• Head of Division, Commercialisation Division
• Head of Division, Manufacturing Division
• Head of Division, Science Division
• General Manager, Economic and Industry Analysis Branch

People and Culture Committee representative:

• Head of Division, Technology and National Security Division

External advisor:

• Geoff Richardson

Closing the Gap 

Our RAP reflects our commitment to the objectives of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap. Many of our actions will directly impact on Closing the Gap priority reforms, including:

• building and maintaining reliable and trusted partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and communities (priority reform 1 – formal partnerships and shared decision-making)
• working with Traditional Owners to identify ways to increase our workforce’s capability to build partnerships (priority reform 1– formal partnerships and shared decision-making)
• engaging and forming partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander–owned businesses (priority reform 2 – building the community-controlled sector)
• increasing the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people we employ and sharing our recruitment expertise with other organisations (priority reform 3 – transforming government organisations)
• building the cultural competency of our staff and sharing learning resources across our portfolio (priority reform 3 – transforming government organisations)
• ongoing implementation of anti-discrimination strategies (priority reform 3).

We will also explore and identify further opportunities to contribute to Closing the Gap.