Our reconciliation journey

Summary

We launched our first RAP in 2007, committing to the long-term journey of reconciliation in Australia. Our focus has been to embed respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities, cultures, and histories in how we work.

As we renew our long-standing commitment to cultural diversity and inclusion through our fifth RAP, we are proud to reflect on our successes. We have increased employment opportunities, career development, and access to culturally appropriate support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We are also pleased to have improved the cultural capability of our staff and significantly increased procurement with Indigenous-owned businesses.

Our achievements

Since the release of our previous RAP in 2018, we’ve made positive strides to improve the unity and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the ATO. We’ve also continued to work across government and with the community to better understand the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, enabling us to continue to tailor our existing suite of products and services. Some of our achievements are listed below.

Provided tailored tax and superannuation support and education to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.

• The ATO Indigenous Helpline, which provides support for individual tax and superannuation enquiries, received 118,391 calls.
• Our Tax Help centres continued to operate in all capital cities, providing help to prepare and lodge tax returns. Some centres specialise in assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients during tax time.
• We expanded our Indigenous-led Tax Help programs in regional and remote communities across 28 Tax Help centres and 4 referral centres. These include Uluru, Mossman Gorge and Yarrabah.
• Reach Out, our Indigenous business support program delivered education workshops and webinars.
• We worked closely with our partners to offer targeted support to taxpayers in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, such as collaborating with the First Nations Foundation and participation in Super Big Days Out to reunite 500 Indigenous people with over $9.5 million in lost superannuation.
• We provided a dedicated webpage ato.gov.au/Indigenous with information tailored for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients.
• Our Small Business Community Education initiatives developed, supported and provided services to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander small businesses, by working in collaboration with external partners to deliver integrated strategies which aim to engage, educate and inform.
• We launched the ‘Starting an Indigenous small business’ education products. These products are part of several initiatives introduced to increase economic participation by building sustainable businesses that will support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities.

Continued to improve cultural awareness and education, better positioning our staff to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and colleagues.

• We continued to grow our cultural capability by reviewing and updating our staff training resources.
• Approximately 4,000 ATO staff have participated in cultural learning programs, either face-to-face or online. The Jawun secondment program has supported 77 ATO staff to work with Indigenous communities in 16 regions across Australia.
• We promoted the ATO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Protocols. This provides information on respectful communication, culturally significant dates, appropriate definitions, language and terminology, and sets the cultural and historical context in which these protocols are based.

Enhanced employment and career opportunities.

• Representation of ongoing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees increased from 2.1% to 2.9%.
• We delivered our annual employee conferences for Indigenous staff. These were adapted to a virtual format during COVID-19, enabling key career development opportunities to continue to be provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.
• The Indigenous Mobility Program provided 48 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander internal secondment opportunities.

Increased our focus on supplier diversity.

• We spent $118.5 million on goods and services from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses.
• We consistently exceeded the portfolio target of at least 3% of all new domestic contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses each financial year.
• We were a finalist in the 2019 Supply Nation Supplier Diversity award for Government member of the year, due to our performance and commitment toward supplier diversity.

Timeline of achievements

2007–09

The development of the first ATO RAP aligned with a growing need in the national community to seek inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

We successfully implemented 9 of the 11 planned deliverables to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

• Assisted students’ career choices by providing mentors and work experience through the QLD School to Work Sponsorship Scheme.
• More than 2,300 people accessed our Tax Help program with training provided to volunteers in Galiwinku Elcho Island, Tennant Creek and Moogji communities.
• Published internal communications encouraging staff to watch the national apology to the Stolen Generations.
• Established 2 specific employment programs – the Cadetship Program and Entry Level Traineeship Program.
• Increased Yarn Time Newsletter readership amongst tax officers, promoting the success stories of our initiatives.
• Increased the number of cultural events and festivals organised by ATO and attended by ATO staff.
• Introduced the Acknowledgement of Country and Traditional Custodians as better practice.
• Developed and implemented an ATO cultural awareness package.

2010–13

The second RAP continued to build reconciliation at an organisational level. It represented our ongoing commitment to the national reconciliation agenda and was a catalyst to build trust, effective relationships and a sense of belonging for all Australians. We achieved this by providing employment and career development opportunities, tailoring programs and services and increasing the cultural competency of our organisation.

• Developed and improved our dedicated webpage ato.gov.au/Indigenous with a range of information to support Indigenous clients.
• Launched the online cultural awareness package during NAIDOC week, and encouraged all staff to complete it as a part of their learning and development plans.
• Provided services such as The ATO Indigenous Helpline and The ATO Indigenous Resource Centres operating from our Alice Springs, Darwin, and Perth sites.
• Launched our Evergreen Indigenous Pathways employment initiative providing skills and a career pathway whilst strengthening our workforce.
• Commenced participation in the JAWUN Program for senior employees to undertake a 6-week placement in an Indigenous community organisation.

2014–17

Our third RAP introduced new initiatives to improve socioeconomic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Contributing to programs including Closing the Gap and the Council of Australian Governments’ National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Economic Participation through improved financial literacy. Our first Indigenous Employee conference focused on career development and committed to the government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy.

• Raised awareness of our RAP though social media accounts, community events such as NAIDOC week and the Aboriginal Enterprise Expo at Melbourne.
• Produced the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Protocols Guide for managers and staff which provides information about culturally significant events and dates, respectful communication advice and promotion of our RAP.
• We continue to celebrate NAIDOC across our sites with events including Welcome to Country and smoking ceremonies, presentations by Elders and guest speakers, plus interactive cultural activities, video screenings, jewellery and art display, and traditional foods.
• We were awarded ‘Government Member of the Year’ at the Supply Nation Awards in 2016.
• Promoted and supported National Reconciliation Week through social media, Welcome to Country ceremonies, acknowledgment of Traditional Custodians, speeches by Elders and guest speakers, and cultural activities across our sites.

2018–20

Our fourth RAP continued our efforts to improve employment opportunities, provide assistance and embed cultural understanding and respect throughout our organisation. Challenging us to continue to advance our reconciliation journey with a strong focus on unity and inclusion, making the tax and superannuation systems fair and accessible to everyone.

• Since inception in 2013, 77 ATO employees have participated in the Jawun immersion program in 16 regions across Australia. We have had at least one of our Jawun secondees in each of these regions.
• Launched during the 2019 National reconciliation week a new educational product called ‘Starting an Indigenous Small Business’.
• Introduced the Indigenous Secondment Program to further establish employment pathways for Indigenous employees.
• Reviewed and improved our online cultural capability training package to increase staff knowledge and understanding of the cultures, customs and experiences of Indigenous Australia.
• Worked in partnership with external stakeholders to engage at key Indigenous events, including First Nations Foundation Big Super Day Out, and collaborated with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to support their MoneySmart program.

2021–24

Our fifth RAP continues to celebrate our achievements, identify learnings and focus on building greater accountability. We aim to meet commitments towards Closing the Gap and increase staff and community confidence in our reconciliation progress. We will continue to improve employment opportunities and provide tailored tax and superannuation assistance to Indigenous peoples.

• Continued to apply and support affirmative measures (Indigenous) across bulk recruitment activities and Entry Level Programs.
• Established a working group that focused on strategies to strengthen the roles and responsibilities of our Indigenous Champions.
• Participated in the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) Regional Presence pilot to further develop our employment commitments in regional jurisdictions.
• Since the introduction of the Indigenous Procurement Policy, we have consistently exceeded the Commonwealth portfolio targets.
• More than 500 Indigenous people were reconnected with $9.545 million of their superannuation as a result of the initiative we partnered with First Nations Foundation to support.

Our learnings

We have made good progress in some key areas and we know there are opportunities for improvement. We’ve identified key learnings, most recently with the changes and disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This has shown us how important it is to embed reconciliation into ‘business-as-usual’ activities, making sure it’s a priority even in times of uncertainty. We have now included initiatives that are intended for implementation in standard settings, with support structures in place to ensure our reconciliation commitments can be adapted appropriately if needed.

Some of our key learnings from the implementation of the RAP 2018–20 centre around governance and accountability. We recognise the importance of ensuring clear accountability to drive our reconciliation activities, including the need for clear oversight of the RAP, with accountabilities defined and support for its implementation. We are establishing stronger governance arrangements to improve reporting and visibility of progress.

The RAP working group lapsed during the implementation phase of the RAP 2018–20. We now have structures in place to ensure its ongoing membership and focus.

Raising awareness of the RAP and specific focus areas was also recognised as a key learning. We will identify opportunities to regularly share stories, successes and opportunities to improve outcomes.

RAP Sponsor

The RAP sponsor (Assistant Commissioner, Strategy and Integration) is responsible for the implementation and governance of the RAP. They work closely with the Indigenous Champions and the RAP working group to drive and coordinate the implementation of the RAP.

As Chair of the RAP working group, the sponsor provides support to stakeholders to actively participate and deliver on RAP commitments.

This includes ensuring we are represented at Reconciliation Australia quarterly leadership gatherings, with the aim of cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.

Indigenous Champions

We have dedicated SES Indigenous Champions who recognise and appreciate the value diversity brings to a large federal government agency like ours.

The Champions are responsible for:

• supporting and achieving our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce and business outcomes
• promoting awareness and understanding of our commitment to reconciliation within our sphere of influence, including progressing the RAP
• representing us at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events and celebrations
• advocating for training and development opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff
• championing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff within the senior leadership group
• promoting and supporting staff participation in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employee network (Moondani) and Ally network (Kawutilin).

Our RAP development process

As a leading federal government agency, we have a duty to demonstrate our commitment to reconciliation to all Australians. Implementing a Stretch RAP gives us the opportunity to support the direction of Reconciliation Australia and showcase our own goals and achievements.

Curijo Pty Ltd, an Aboriginal owned and operated organisation, were engaged to work in partnership with us to develop our RAP. They provided specialist advice on initiatives, new strategies and focus areas, helping to define our reconciliation priorities.

Curijo led staff focus groups to understand the level of staff awareness of the RAP, and to discuss improved commitments, desired outcomes and content development. These focus groups considered change management needs, including accountability and support for successful implementation. Curijo also met with SES Indigenous Champions and other SES from across the ATO.

Key themes from consultation sessions included the following.

• Engaged leadership – establish strong leadership and accountability structures to manage the RAP and its deliverables and ensure the required resources are allocated to RAP implementation.
• Cultural capability – ensure increased focus on cultural capability and promoting the purpose and benefits of building a culturally capable workforce to help drive reconciliation outcomes.
• Indigenous workforce – prioritise recruitment, retention and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders staff.
• Awareness and integration – increase the level of awareness of our RAP commitments through promotion of RAP achievements and learnings internally and externally.

In addition to engaging with Curijo, external consultation included meetings with other government entities on RAP development approaches and implementation. Further consultation through the life of the RAP is planned to strengthen our approach to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

A RAP working group, comprised of a minimum of 50% Indigenous representation, was established to develop, support, drive and implement the multi-year plan. The working group met regularly while developing the RAP and will continue to meet at least quarterly throughout the life of the RAP.

The working group consists of approximately 12 staff at all levels from across the ATO, with membership including SES from Enterprise Strategy and Design, ATO People plus our SES Indigenous Champions. Subject matter experts also attend working group meetings as required.

The plan was developed in consultation with all areas of our business:

• ATO Corporate
• ATO Finance
• ATO People
• ATO Senior Executive Staff (SES) and Indigenous Champions
• Individuals and Intermediaries
• Moondani (Indigenous employee network)
• Not-for-profits
• Service Delivery
• Small Business
• Superannuation.

We also worked with Reconciliation Australia’s guidance to reach endorsement.