In announcing our Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), Pearl Consulting joins a network of over a thousand corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation in Australia.
A powerful, growing movement
Reconciliation Australia, leading this movement, explains:
“For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, Australia’s colonial history is characterised by devastating land dispossession, violence, and racism. Over the last half-century, however, many significant steps towards reconciliation have been taken. At its heart reconciliation acknowledges Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities.”
Since 2006, RAPs have provided a framework for organisations to leverage their structures and diverse spheres of influence to support the national reconciliation movement. The programme’s potential for impact is greater than ever, with over 2.3 million people now working or studying in an organisation with a RAP.
There are four RAP types — Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate — enabling RAP partners to continuously develop and strengthen reconciliation commitments in new ways. Pearl Consulting’s Reflect RAP will lay the foundations, priming the workplace for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives.
The RAP programme’s strength is its framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities, allowing an organisation to strategically set its reconciliation commitments in line with its own business objectives, for the most effective outcomes. These outcomes contribute towards the five dimensions of reconciliation:
- race relations;
- equality and equity;
- institutional integrity;
- unity;
- and historical acceptance.
It is critical to not only uphold all five dimensions of reconciliation, but also increase awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and leadership across all sectors of Australian society.
Why we believe reconciliation with Australia’s First Peoples is everyone’s business
Pearl Consulting has developed a RAP because we believe reconciliation with Australia’s First Peoples is everyone’s business. We also feel that the framework developed by Reconciliation Australia and the spirit of what all RAPs aim to achieve and engender is completely aligned to who we are as a company, and the values we have. We believe no company is too small to have an impact, so even though our employee presence in Australia is small, we believe we can make a difference in the way we operate the business.
We believe the only way to a reconciled Australia is through concrete commitments based on the five dimensions already mentioned, and that by taking accountability for our part in this journey we will be better suited to serving not only our clients but the broader community as a whole. Our inaugural Reflect RAP will pave the way for us to develop meaningful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, further our cultural awareness as a team and deepen our understanding of the Country that we live and work on.
We intend to approach implementation of our RAP openly and transparently, with continual meetings of our RAP working group throughout the year to keep track of progress and to identify which areas need attention, and our CEO, Gillian Pearl, will serve as our RAP Champion.
In preparing the RAP, we have examined each of the mandatory actions and deliverables and discussed what we as a team may bring to them.
Our workplace reconciliation journey to date has involved consciously creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander University students through our relationship with Career Trackers, supporting educational initiatives through Go Foundation and pro bono work for Sesame Workshop, as well as supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses with digital skills education.
To learn more about Reconciliation Australia and the RAP programme, please check out their website: