Reconciliation and governance

In July we will celebrate as a nation the profound contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made — and continue to make — to society and justice for their people. The theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week (8–15 July) is: “Because of her, we can!”.

In July we will celebrate as a nation the profound contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women have made — and continue to make — to society and justice for their people. The theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week (8–15 July) is: “Because of her, we can!”.

During NAIDOC Week, the AICD will celebrate the contribution that Indigenous women make as directors and organisational leaders with our NAIDOC Week video series featuring female Indigenous directors talking about their work and the women who have influenced them. The series will profile women such as Natalie Walker, former CEO of procurement company Supply Nation and chair of property services company Evolve FM. During Walker’s time at Supply Nation, the company helped Indigenous suppliers win $48 million in contracts.

Nareen Young, former executive director at PwC Indigenous Consulting, will also will appear in the series. Young was the CEO of Diversity Council Australia 2007–2014 and received the inaugural 100 Women of Influence honour for her work.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan

As a director community, our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, particularly women, is essential for them to take their places as organisational leaders. The AICD is working to help make that change. Last year we put in place our first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which represents our commitment to fostering greater economic and social equity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

In our RAP we are focused on supporting Indigenous leadership and governance in keeping with the AICD mission. We are updating our Indigenous Governance Program and curriculum, which will help strengthen Indigenous organisations and build a pipeline of Indigenous directors. We are working with Indigenous leaders on adapting our programs to make sure they work in the context of Indigenous organisations.

Learning from experience

We are learning from experience: our advisory team has delivered more than 140 Indigenous Governance Programs since 2010 to approximately 1784 participants; and we have delivered the Company Directors Courses to more than 170 Indigenous business leaders since 2009.

Reconciliation Australia’s Indigenous Governance Awards annually spotlight organisations whose investment in governance has yielded organisation-wide benefits. Announcing the finalists for the awards in December 2017, Reconciliation Australia said: “Effective Indigenous governance melds traditional governance and responsibilities based on culture and kinship, with the requirements of mainstream organisations, including financial and legal accountabilities. By creating governance models that are effective and legitimate in two worlds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led organisations are examples of successful self-determination and two-way governance in action.”

The AICD is one of 1000 organisations to have a RAP. These are important governance documents. It is incumbent on all organisations to set out the steps they will take to contribute to reconciliation. This job cannot be left to government alone. The private sector plays a central role in Australian life, so solutions must come from the private sector to make real progress.

RAPs also have positive effects on the culture of organisations. In its 2017 RAP Impact Measurement Report, Reconciliation Australia published testimonials to that effect, like this one from SA Water: “As an employer, we want to see our people flourish, and the cultural diversity of our employees embraced and celebrated. The RAP has had such an empowering impact on our organisation that it is no longer just a document, it is part of our culture.” The report showed RAPs improve the effectiveness of workforces, increase staff engagement and improve relationships with a range of stakeholders.

“If you have whole-of-organisation commitment, it’s extraordinary what a RAP can bring,” Rhoda Roberts AO, head of First Nations programming at the Sydney Opera House, said at an AICD event held in Alice Springs last year.

RAPs are a powerful example of how fostering robust governance can simultaneously produce better outcomes for those within an organisation, and those outside. Strong governance is integral to lifting the socio-economic potential of Indigenous communities. As an organisation, we can directly support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to bring their talents to organisations and boardrooms by supporting the development of their governance skillset — and in doing so, do our part to drive better social outcomes.