Reconciliation Australia

In 2006 Prime Minister John Howard and Professor Mick Dodson launched the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program, which was to be administered by Reconciliation Australia.[9] Through the program, organisations develop a business plan that documents the actions they will take to contribute to reconciliation in Australia. The practical steps outlined in the RAP aim to help to build strong relationships and enhanced respect between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Community programs, Indigenous employment, and procurement from certified Indigenous businesses are examples of the kinds of actions businesses can take in their RAP.

In 2012, Reconciliation Australia established the "Recognise" campaign, following recommendations of the Expert Panel on Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution,[10] which was presented to the federal government under Julia Gillard in January 2012.[11][12] The Recognise campaign focused specifically on raising awareness among all Australians of the need to change the Constitution, ahead of a referendum. In this it was successful: awareness of the issue rose from 30% to over 75% of the population.[10]

The campaign ended in 2017, when the federal government ceased to fund it, by which time it had attracted the support of more than 318,000 people, and more than 160 community and corporate partner organisations.[10]

As of June 2020, board members are:[4]

• Professor Tom Calma AO (Co-Chair), Chancellor of the University of Canberra and the National Coordinator for Tackling Indigenous Smoking. Since his appointment on 30 October 2019 as co-chair on the Senior Advisory Group of the "Indigenous voice to government", convened by Ken Wyatt, along with by Professor Marcia Langton AM,[13][14] Calma is on year's leave of absence to undertake his new role.[15]

• Melinda Cilento (Co-Chair), independent director of Woodside Petroleum
• Kenny Bedford, lives on and represents the remote island of Erub (Darnley) on the Torres Strait Regional Authority
• Glen Kelly (Acting Co-Chair), sits on a number of committees and statutory authorities at a State and Commonwealth level.
• Bill Lawson AM, retired engineer and advocate for reconciliation, founder of the Beacon Foundation
• Djapirri Mununggirritj, Yolngu elder from North East Arnhem Land, ex-officio member of the Yothu Yindi Foundation Board
• Peter Nash, Australian Chairman of KPMG and holds positions on KPMG's Global and Asia Pacific boards
• Kirstie Parker, an Aboriginal woman of the Yuwallarai people in NSW, and Co-Chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples
• Joy Thomas, served as an adviser and chief of staff to Ministers in the Howard Government
• Sharon Davis, Bardi and Kija woman, Team Leader for Aboriginal Education at Catholic Education Western Australia, and Trustee of the Roberta Sykes Indigenous Education Foundation.

• Karen Mundine, Chief Executive Officer, on the Boards of the Mary Mackillop Foundation and the Gondwana Children's Choirs which includes the Gondwana Indigenous Children's Choir.