Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned that this document may contain images and names of deceased persons.
About the artwork
The artwork used in the design of this publication is Where we started to where we are now by Greg Joseph. We commissioned Greg, who is of the Yidinji nation, to paint
the artwork for our new building at 4 National Circuit.
Acknowledgements
The RAP reflects the efforts of many people. We would like to give special thanks to all departmental staff involved, including our:

People and Corporate Support Branch

Indigenous Employee Network

Reconciliation Working Group

Diversity Council

Reconciliation Champion.
Contact us
For more information about the development of this publication, or to request an alternative format, contact the People and Corporate Support Branch on 02 6141 3333 or
hr.assist@ag.gov.au.
ISBN:
978- 1 -921725-43-2
© Commonwealth of Australia 2013
All material presented in this publication is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence (www.creativecommons.org/licenses).
For the avoidance of doubt, this means this licence only applies to material as set out in this document.
The details of the relevant licence conditions are available on the Creative Commons website as is the full legal code for the CC BY 3.0 AU licence
(www.creativecommons.org/licenses).
Use of the Coat of Arms
The terms under which the Coat of Arms can be used are detailed on the It’s an Honour website (www.itsanhonour.gov.au).
Contact us
Enquiries regarding the licence and any use of this document are welcome at:
Business and Information Law Branch
Attorney-General’s Department
3–5 National Cct
BARTON ACT 2600
Call: 02 6141 6666
Email: copyright@ag.gov.au
The Attorney-General’s Department would like to acknowledge and show our respect to the traditional custodians of this land.
We pay our respect to their elders and extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Canberra is acknowledged as the traditional country of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people and a significant meeting place for
neighboring nations including the Ngarigu, Wolgalu, Gundungurra, Yuin and Wiradjuri people.
Contents
Message from the Secretary ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Our Reconciliation vision .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Our Business .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Our Journey so far ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Our Reconciliation Action Plan for 2013 – 2015 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
Actions and targets .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Message from the Secretary
I’m pleased to present the fourth Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) for the Attorney-General’s Department. It demonstrates our strong commitment to
reconciliation both within the department and among the broader community.
In the time since our last RAP was launched, we have moved further along our journey toward reconciliation in several meaningful ways. In late 2011, I was
proud to join my counterparts within the portfolio to officially launch the Attorney-General’s Portfolio Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation. It
symbolises our unified approach to advancing the goals of reconciliation.
During this period we also appointed a Reconciliation Champion from among the executive. Their role is to champion reconciliation within the department
and to work closely with our Reconciliation Working Group and Indigenous Employee Network to cultivate working relationships between the portfolio,
other government agencies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
We’ve also developed and are currently implementing our Indigenous Employment Strategy, which sets out practical steps to attracting retaining and
developing our Indigenous employees.
Building on these and other achievements, the 2013–2015 RAP sets out meaningful actions and measurable targets that will have a tangible impact on
closing the gaps that exist between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and other Australians.
We have built the RAP around Reconciliation Australia’s guiding principles of relationships, respect and opportunities. For us, this means a focus on
building and strengthening relationships with Indigenous Australians both within and outside of the organisation, ensuring they are founded on
understanding and respect for Indigenous culture and on working together to build a just, secure and resilient Australia where all people have access to the
rights and protections of the rule of law.
I look forward to seeing the results of our latest RAP as it advances us further along our reconciliation journey.
Roger Wilkins AO
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Our Reconciliation vision
Our reconciliation vision is to work in equal partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to build a just, secure and resilient Australia
where all people have access to the rights and protections of the rule of law.
Our Business
Our mission is: achieving a just and secure society.
We work to achieve this by upholding the rule of law and providing support to the Australian Government to maintain and improve our systems for law and
justice, national security, emergency management, and natural disaster relief. This work includes programs and services specifically designed to advance
respect and opportunities for, and relationships with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Supporting the Attorney-General as the First Law Officer of the Commonwealth
Foremost among our strategic priorities is supporting the Attorney-General in their role as First Law Officer. An important component of this is
consideration of the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Our role includes providing information, support and advice
to the Attorney-General to further assist the department in considerations to advance this issue.
Promoting equity and efficiency to improve access to justice
Another of our strategic priorities is improving access to justice. This incorporates our work to deliver a number of law and justice programs that benefit
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and provide advice on Indigenous law and justice issues. Our role includes delivering programs such as the
Indigenous Legal Aid and Policy Reform Program, which provides legal aid services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples throughout all states and
territories, as well as funding for projects that support the advancement of their legal and human rights.
Protecting people’s rights
Protecting people’s human rights (particularly as the Australian government has signed on to the UN Declaration of ‘The Rights of Indigenous peoples’), is
another of our strategic priorities that encompasses a particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. It includes our work in native title,
Page 2 of 18
where we are focused on achieving faster and better outcomes in native title, including through improvements in agreement-making, promoting good
governance and economic sustainability in agreements, and improving the efficiency of the native title system.
Protecting national security and building resilient communities
Another of our strategic priorities focuses on keeping Australia safe and resilient. This incorporates our department’s contribution to Closing the Gap with
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through initiatives to increase community safety and reduce the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in
the justice system. It includes our work to deliver the Indigenous Justice Program, which funds projects that help make communities safer by reducing
offending, victimisation and incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Collaboration
One of the key operating principles outlined in our 2012-2015 Strategic Plan is collaboration. This is an essential part of our vision for reconciliation. In this
context, collaboration encourages us to build meaningful relationships and work together, draw on the wide range of expertise within the department, the
portfolio and in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community more broadly. In doing so, we will expand our knowledge, exchange information and
ideas in policy and program development, and strengthen our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and organisations.
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Our Journey so far
We have made considerable progress toward reconciliation and to achieving the actions and targets outlined in our previous RAP.

We developed and are implementing the Indigenous Employment Strategy 2012 – 2013, which outlines specific steps to position us as an employer
of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, increase Indigenous recruitment efforts, ensure our work environment is culturally
sensitive and provide career opportunities for Indigenous staff.

In December 2011 our Secretary officially launched the Attorney-General’s Portfolio Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation. It sets out the
portfolio’s unified commitment to the Australian Government’s goals of overcoming the social, economic and educational inequities experienced by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

We appointed a Reconciliation Champion from among the senior executive. Their role is to cultivate strong and productive relationships with the
portfolio, other government agencies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and organisations.
Lessons learned
We have identified areas where we were able to strengthen our performance in developing this iteration of the department’s RAP.

The RAP working group undertook broader and more involved consultation in developing this RAP, particularly with areas who were assigned
responsibility for action items, to ensure that we developed well targeted and achievable action items. The RAP Working group consulted closely
with the Indigenous Employee Network as well as other Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees to ensure the RAP reflected the input of a broad
spectrum of AGD staff and that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees were closely involved in developing the content of the RAP. The
RAP Working Group undertook an extensive process of consultation and collaboration in developing this RAP to ensure that the entire department
felt a sense of ownership of the RAP. This included running divisional input sessions across the department to help refine the content and structure
of the RAP.
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Our Reconciliation Action Plan for 2013 – 2015
Our fourth Reconciliation Action Plan continues our strong and determined commitment to reconciliation. It was created by our People and Corporate
Support Branch in consultation with our RAP Working Group and Indigenous Employee Network. Our RAP was also shaped by an extensive consultation
process that involved collecting feedback from Indigenous and non-Indigenous employees across the department.
Our RAP is centred on the essential reconciliation principles outlined by Reconciliation Australia—Relationships, Respect and Opportunities.

Respect—we will demonstrate our recognition and support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, culture, and land through symbolic and
practical means with the aim of creating an organisation that is welcoming for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, stakeholders,
community members, and clients.

Relationships—we will develop and strengthen relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals, organisations, communities and
other non-Indigenous Australians and encourage our employees and other people within our realm of influence to also build and develop these
relationships.

Opportunities—we will support mutually beneficial opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, organisations and communities,
and the RAP organisation, employee and other stakeholders, including by sharing knowledge for the benefit of each party, creating employment
and education opportunities, providing better service to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, and exploring mutually beneficial
business opportunities.
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Actions and targets
Respect
The principle of respect is important to us because it forms the foundation of effective working relationships and leads to better policy development and
outcomes.
Focus area: Valuing the experiences of others and welcoming a range of different views in everything we do.
Item
Action
Responsibility
Timeline
Performance target
1.1
Develop and deliver cultural awareness/appreciation
training that :
Lead area: People and Corporate
Support Branch
Ongoing
All new starters complete the training as
part of the induction program.
Training is available and promoted to all
AGD employees on an ongoing basis
especially those who engage with Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- forms a part of the department’s induction program
- is delivered through several mediums
Supported by: Indigenous
Employee Network
- is available as a refresher course.
1.2
Continue to reflect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people’s culture in all AGD premises.
Lead area: Financial Management
and Property Branch
Supported by: Indigenous
Employee Network
Ongoing
Artwork is displayed in all AGD premises.
Significant Indigenous leaders/landmarks
names are displayed on meeting rooms as
per cultural protocol.
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1.3
Engage employees in understanding the protocols
around acknowledgement of country and welcome to
country ceremonies to ensure there is shared meaning
behind the ceremonies.
Lead area: Indigenous Employee
Network.
February 2013
Protocol document is developed and
implemented.
Protocol is accessible to all employees,
included in the Communications Toolbox,
and induction packs.
Supported by: Ministerial,
Parliamentary and Communication
Branch
SES are briefed on their responsibilities upon
engagement and encourage to acknowledge
country.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
custodians are invited to perform Welcome
to Country at AGD organised events.
1.4
1.5
1.6
Provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander employees to engage with their culture and
community and for non-Indigenous employees to
engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
communities, specifically through NAIDOC and National
Reconciliation week events.
Lead area: People and Corporate
Support Branch
Engage Indigenous speakers, or speakers to discuss
Indigenous issues, for events like talking heads, NAIDOC
Week and National Reconciliation Week. Support the
development and Implementation of an Indigenous
Speakers Series
Lead area: Indigenous Employee
Network
Acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
employees achievements or participation in events
through internal communication channels and other
Lead area: Ministerial,
Parliamentary and Communication
Branch
May-June
Information is incorporated into information
packs for hosting international delegations
At least three events a year
Quarterly
At least three speakers sourced each year
Ongoing
A news article or case study published each
quarter
Supported by: department heads
and line managers.
Supported by: RAP Working Group
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media e.g. Your News, Annual Report, Indigenous.gov.au
Supported by: Indigenous
Employee Network and RAP
Working Group
Relationships
The principle of relationships is important to us because positive relationships enhance the way we do business— relationships are an essential component
in the development and the delivery of services.
Focus area: creating opportunities to develop relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people both internal and external to the AttorneyGeneral’s Department.
Item
Action
Responsibility
Timeline
Performance target
2.1
Oversee and implement RAP strategies including
exploring new ideas and resources to better develop
future RAPs.
Lead area: RAP Working Group
and Indigenous Employee
Network
Quarterly
RAP Working Group meetings to discuss
progress of action items and include outcomes
in the report to the AGD Diversity Council.
Supported by: AGD Diversity
Council
2.2
Engage with established Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander representative forums to consult on policy and
program development and design.
Lead area: RAP Working Group,
Access to Justice and Social
Inclusion Division
Establish links and ensure regular collaboration
with other RAP Working Groups/Committees
within the AGD Portfolio and broader APS.
Ongoing
Report as required on number of meetings with
relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peak organisations.
Supported by: All AGD
employees
Page 8 of 18
2.3
2.4
2.5
Invite AGD employees and portfolio representatives to
celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander events
e.g. NAIDOC Week and the Smoking Ceremony for 4NC.
Lead area: Indigenous
Employee Network
Indigenous Employee Network to meeting with other
Indigenous Employee Networks across the APS with
focus on the AGD portfolio agencies for networking and
events.
Lead area: Indigenous
Employee Network
Indigenous Employee Network to meet with
Reconciliation Champion
Lead area: Indigenous
Employee Network
Number of events held where portfolio
representatives were invited.
Supported by: People and
Corporate Support Branch and
Ministerial, Parliamentary and
Communication Branch
4 meetings/gatherings held per year
Supported by: People and
Corporate Support Branch
Four meetings a
year
Reconciliation Champion to attend four
meetings
Supported by: People and
Corporate Support Branch
2.6
Develop relationships and research links with Indigenous
areas of study and Indigenous academics.
Lead area: Social Inclusion
Division
Supported by: Access to Justice
Division
2.7
Practical support and promotion of the Indigenous
Employee Network.
Lead area: Indigenous
Employee Network
Supported by: Ministerial,
Parliamentary and
Regular meetings with key Indigenous
academics and relevant institutions, invitations
to address the department on relevant
research, involvements of relevant people in
policy development
Two new booklets to be developed –
Indigenous Employment Programs and a guide
for living in Canberra.
An email is sent on a quarterly basis to new
Page 9 of 18
Communication Branch and
People and Corporate Support
Branch
2.8
2.9
AGD employees to represent the department at wholeof-Government Indigenous related forums e.g. Executive
Coordination Forum on Indigenous Affairs, the
commonwealth Indigenous Reform Group, the
Indigenous Communication Coordination Group and the
Stronger Futures Working Group.
Lead area: Social Inclusion
Division
The Secretary and the Indigenous Employee Network to
meet
Lead area: Indigenous
Employee Network
Indigenous employees promoting the IEN.
Regularly
Two senior executive staff to represent the
department at meetings
twice a year
Secretary to attend two meetings annually
Supported by: People and
Corporate Support Branch,
Indigenous Employee Network
and RAP Working Group
Supported by: People and
Corporate Support Branch
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Opportunities
The most significant opportunities available for the department for promoting reconciliation are through enriching the cultural diversity of our workforce.
Focus area: Our focus will be on our recruitment and retention strategies for Indigenous employees and on their professional and career advancement
opportunities.
Item
Action
Responsibility
Timeline
Performance target
3.1
Implement the AGD Indigenous Employment Strategy
2012 – 2013, including investigating opportunities to
increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
employment opportunities.
Lead area: Indigenous
employees, RAP Working
Group and People and
Corporate Support Branch
January 2014
AGD Indigenous Employment Strategy
developed and implemented within the
department.
Ongoing
Membership of Supply Nation and promotion of
the site to AGD employees.
Ongoing
AGD positions are advertised in Indigenous
media on a quarterly basis
Supported by: all AGD
employees
3.2
3.3
Investigate the mutually beneficial procurement
opportunities that supplier diversity will provide the
organisation
Lead area: Corporate Division
Ensure that, where appropriate, vacancies are
advertised in Indigenous media. For example Koori Mail,
National Indigenous Times.
Lead area: People and
Corporate Support Branch
Supported by: all AGD staff
Supported by: RAP Working
Group
Page 11 of 18
3.4
Create AGD interdepartmental or APS Indigenous
Awards to encourage hard work and success.
Lead area: People and
Corporate Support Branch.
Annually
Inclusion of the award in our departmental
suite of awards.
Annually
An employee from AGD to participate in the
Australian Public Service Jawun Program
Supported by: Reconciliation
Champion
3.5
Explore opportunities for secondment for AGD
employees to work in Indigenous organisations and vice
versa, specifically including Jawun.
Lead area: People and
Corporate Branch
Supported by: department
heads and line managers.
Page 12 of 18
Tracking and reporting
Item
Action
Responsibility
Timeline
Performance target
4.1
RAP Working Group to monitor and report progress of
RAP Action Items.
RAP Working Group
2013 – 2015
Working Group to meet at least twice per
year.
4.2
Regular monitoring and half yearly reporting on progress
against the RAP action items to the Senior Management
Committee (or other executive committee).
RAP Working Group
Six monthly
Report indicating achievements, milestones
and complications presented to executive.
4.3
Annual progress report provided to Reconciliation
Australia, including achievements, challenges and
lessons learnt.
RAP Working Group
Annually
Annual progress report submitted to
Reconciliation Australia.
4.4
Report progress against the RAP in the annual report.
RAP Working Group
Annually
Summary of achieved RAP action items
included in annual report.
4.5
Refresh RAP after each reporting year. The ability to
review and modify areas to achieve success.
RAP Working Group
2014
Refreshed RAP launched in house and
published on Reconciliation Australia and
AGD websites.
Progress report published on Reconciliation
Australia and AGD websites.
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