nbn reconciliation action plan · through inclusion. through our rap commitments, we aim to foster...

nbn™ ReconciliationAction PlanOctober 2018 to September 2020

Our vision for reconciliationOur reconciliation vision is to see the rollout of the nbn™ broadband access network enhance two-way meaningful engagement, understanding and connection between First Peoples communities and broader Australian society and communities.

nbn’s vision and purpose is to harness the potential of the future for everyone in Australia. nbn enables a connected community where First Peoples around Australia can share in the benefits of the nbn™ access network.

nbn™ Reconciliation Action Plan

As nbn enters into its third RAP, we reaffirm our commitment to reconciliation and acknowledge the First Peoples

of the land upon which we gather and do work across Australia. We recognise and respect their cultural heritage, beliefs and ongoing relationship with the land and pay our respect to Elders, past and present. We would also like to extend this

acknowledgement to emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community leaders, especially those within nbn.

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Message from our CEO and Reconciliation Australia

Our purpose at nbn is to connect Australia and bridge the digital divide, while ensuring that all Australians have access to broadband as soon as possible, at affordable prices and at the least cost.

nbn recognises that Australia’s First Peoples have been among the least

digitally connected communities in our nation. The reasons for this include the remoteness of certain communities and some of the social and economic disadvantages experienced by Australia’s First Peoples across Australia.

With that vision and those challenges in mind, I am proud to present nbn’s third Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This RAP outlines the steps we plan to take over the next two years to further our commitment to fostering Respect, Relationships and Opportunities between Australia’s First Peoples and the broader population.

Recent economic research published through our Connecting Australia Report recognised the positive impact the nbn™ access network is making to Australia’s economy and to the way Australians live, work, learn and connect. More and more Australians are beginning to enjoy the benefits of broadband connectivity. These benefits include more online access to information, education, health services, entertainment and commercial opportunities, such as new businesses and employment.

Underpinned by the nbn™ access network, our country and its citizens have fantastic opportunities ahead. However, we need to make sure that all Australians, especially our First Peoples, have access to the opportunities that this network can provide.

We are very aware that the work we are doing to build the nbn™ access network plays a vital role in connecting all Australians – urban, regional and remote. This is particularly important for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities who may not have been able to enjoy the benefits of high-speed internet to date.

This RAP outlines more progressive plans to strengthen relationships, engage our employees and stakeholders in reconciliation, and pilot strategies to further empower and provide connectivity to Australia’s First Peoples as we rollout and operate the nbn™ access network.

These plans build on the successes achieved and lessons learned from implementing our previous RAP. They are also closely shaped by our company values; we are one team, we are fearless, we deliver and we care. These values underpin everything we do at nbn, and are particularly important to the way we engage and work with First Peoples communities.

Stephen Rue Chief Executive Officer, nbn

On behalf of Reconciliation Australia, I am delighted to see nbn continue its reconciliation journey and to formally endorse its second Innovate RAP.

Through the development of an Innovate RAP, nbn continues to play an important part in a community of over 1,000 dedicated corporate,

government, and not-for-profit organisations that have formally committed to reconciliation through the RAP program since its inception in 2006. RAP organisations across Australia are turning good intentions into positive actions, helping to build higher trust, lower prejudice, and increase pride in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

Reconciliation is not one single issue or agenda. Based on international research and benchmarking, Reconciliation Australia, defines and measures reconciliation through five critical dimensions: race relations; equality and equity; institutional integrity; unity; and historical acceptance. All sections of the community—governments, civil society, the private sector, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities—have a role to play to progress these dimensions.

The RAP program provides a framework for organisations to advance reconciliation within their spheres of influence. This Innovate RAP provides nbn with the key steps to establish its own unique approach to reconciliation. Through implementing an Innovate RAP, nbn will strengthen its approach to driving reconciliation through its business activities, services and programs, and develop mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders.

We wish nbn well as it embeds and expands its own unique approach to reconciliation. We encourage nbn to embrace this journey with open hearts and minds, to grow from the challenges, and to build on its successes. As the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation reminded the nation in its final report:

“Reconciliation is hard work—it’s a long, winding and corrugated road, not a broad, paved highway. Determination and effort at all levels of government and in all sections of the community will be essential to make reconciliation a reality.”

On behalf of Reconciliation Australia, I commend nbn on its third RAP, and look forward to following its ongoing reconciliation journey.

Karen Mundine Chief Executive Officer, Reconciliation Australia

I am honoured to be the Executive Sponsor of nbn’s First Peoples Pillar. nbn is committed to Diversity and Inclusion, and the First Peoples Pillar, recently renamed “Liakukana”, which is one of five nbn™ Diversity and Inclusion Pillars. While I am not Indigenous to Australia, I am of Māori descent from the Ngati Porou tribe of the far north east of the North Island of New Zealand. Having grown up in a bi-cultural environment I seek to bring understanding, empathy and passion to my role as the Executive Sponsor of Liakukana.

I also have the genuine privilege of working closely with our Reconciliation Action Plan Implementation Team and National Indigenous Engagement Lead to develop our third RAP. I look forward to progressing our reconciliation efforts through the initiatives outlined in this plan.

At nbn, we want to create an inclusive and diverse workplace that is reflective of the wider communities in which we operate and connect to the nbn™ broadband access network. We are building a culture internally and with our partners where different perspectives, thinking and skills are valued, and people are able to achieve their potential. For us, diversity and inclusion encompass acceptance and respect of differences that are immediately apparent and those that are less obvious. They also mean appreciating and celebrating that every individual is unique.

We are working hard to create real change that inspires great storytelling. Because the more stories we have in common, the closer we feel as a unified team. We call this the Ripple Effect, and this theme is the inspiration for our name “Liakukana” or “Waterfall”. The word Liakukana has been generously gifted to nbn from the Paredareme language of Tasmania. Tasmania was the first place in Australia that we rolled out the nbn™ access network, and it was the start of our ripple effect across the nation. We also believe there is strength in diversity and opportunity through inclusion. Through our RAP commitments, we aim to foster this by bridging the digital divide and opening up opportunities for all Australians including, importantly, Australia’s First Peoples.

We made considerable progress on our reconciliation journey through our previous RAP. For example, we have connected nbn employees and our Delivery Partners with communities such as the Yawuru people of Broome and the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY Lands) people of SA/NT. Case studies later in this document outline nbn’s commitment to engaging with First Peoples communities.

Other examples include our work with Supply Nation, our internal competency training and our Sky Muster™ truck visits to First Peoples communities. Since 2016, nbn’s Sky Muster™ team has visited more than 240 Aboriginal communities to demonstrate the opportunities and benefits that the nbn™ access network can create through our Sky Muster™ satellite and other services.

There have been many more successes, but also many challenges and learnings. The section titled “Our RAP” covers these issues in more detail.

Some of these challenges prevented us from achieving all the goals in our previous RAP. This is the reason we are committing to an Innovate RAP, and we will be approaching these goals with continued vigour and greater understanding and experience.

Thank you for considering this RAP. We look forward to a positive future for all of Australia’s Peoples and communities.

Our Sponsor

Justin Forsell Chief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor, nbn

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Our businessThe rollout of the nbn™ broadband access network is an industry-wide transformation and one of the most significant infrastructure initiatives in Australia’s history. The nbn™ access network is helping to bridge the technological and communication divide and to enable our digital economy and communities. nbn’s aim is to open up opportunities across Australia for people to learn, grow and develop; personally, professionally and as communities.

nbn’s commitment to providing broadband access for all Australians is well advanced. Our infrastructure rollout is now more than 50% complete, with nearly four million Australian homes and businesses already connected. We are currently adding an average of 100,000 homes and businesses to our footprint each month and remain on track to connect eight million homes and businesses by the end of 2020.

To achieve our objective of rolling out broadband to all Australians across this vast continent, nbn employs approximately 6,000 people nationally. They operate from headquarters in Sydney and Melbourne, state offices in the other capitals and deployment offices in regional areas (a total of 38 offices and depots). As of October 2017, we also had nbn™ local community engagement teams working around Australia. nbn’s Delivery Partners also employ more than 20,000 employees and sub-contractors.

nbn is proud to be culturally and ethnically diverse. We are an inclusive organisation that strives to ensure Australia’s First Peoples are included in the opportunities that the nbn™ access network presents. We remain committed to increasing our First Peoples engagement numbers through the recruitment and retention strategies that we are implementing and that are identified in this RAP. For example, our Delivery Partners collectively recorded approximately 4.5 percent First Peoples employment figures for the 2017 financial year. As at 30 June 2018, we have 28 self-identified First Peoples employees at nbn, excluding contractors and/or temporary staff.

Our RAPSetting the standard in Yawuru countryA Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country crowned a series of successful engagements between the Yawuru People, nbn and our Delivery Partner WBHO in Broome during early June 2017. These ceremonies not only welcomed nbn to Yawuru lands, but also sought to cleanse the space on which nbn would work to establish the nbn™ broadband access network, while paying respect to the Yawuru People, their Elders and Ancestors. In addition to the smoking and welcome ceremonies, Nyamba Buru Yawuru (NBY), the Yawuru People’s not-for-profit peak body, hosted nbn staff for lunch, provided a tour of their facilities and shared stories, both traditional and current day, about sites that are significant to the Yawuru and their Ancestors.

nbn has adopted a new, inclusive model for engagement with First Peoples in our company’s rollout efforts and, more generally, as part of our company’s mission to bridge the digital divide. nbn’s engagement model begins with a planning and consultation phase, involving First Peoples Elders and peak groups, such as Nyamba Buru Yawuru. Key to these discussions is for nbn staff to understand the cultural and heritage impacts that may arise during the nbn™ access network construction. This process also assists nbn in developing management strategies required, while helping us to understand better First Peoples communities’ broadband and technology needs.

As part of the engagement process with the Yawuru, nbn’s Delivery Partner, WBHO, employed Neil McKenzie – a Yawuru elder, as a Cultural Liaison Officer for the entire Broome build. Neil’s role was to educate, support and empower the construction team to ensure alignment between cultural heritage issues raised by the Yawuru People and solutions proposed by nbn and WBHO. This included providing regular feedback to the NBY about findings in the field. Neil also delivered cultural sensitivity training, ensuring that all those involved in the build worked in a culturally appropriate way. This training helped WBHO to recognise and respect culturally sensitive areas and, as a result, minimise any disturbance created by construction.

In addition to engaging key stakeholders during the Broome build, WBHO also provided training opportunities to 10 members of the Yawuru community, including Traffic Management, Potholing and Service Location, Confined Space and Asbestos Awareness. WBHO also employed two Yawuru community members during the nbn™ access network build. One Yawuru man, Zenash Kelly, expanded his skill set, learning to haul cable and establish copper jointing at nbn™ nodes and pillars, as well as obtaining a Certificate III in Telecommunications. Zenash had this to say about his nbn experience:

“Broome was a great place to build the nbn™ access network as that is where my family is from, out at Begal Bay… It was also great to be able to teach (my work mates) about my culture and the diversity of Broome’s heritage while working up there.”

nbn also sought to expand its understanding of Yawuru culture by inviting Dianne Appleby, a Cultural Coordinator from Yawuru – to train 30 Perth-based nbn staff in Yawuru history and language, beliefs and values, skin groups and kinship systems. nbn also worked with Yawuru children, who designed artwork that our company displayed on nbn™ nodes and network access cabinets. The children’s artwork was a cornerstone of the nbn™ access network launch in Broome that helped to celebrate the Yawuru people and their culture.

According to Yawuru Elders, nbn’s engagement model was a definite success, and that:

“Their approach to working with Yawuru country has set the standard for cultural and commercial partnership, and now a benchmark for others”.

Connecting APY Lands with the nbn™ access networkIn late 2017, an nbn team visited the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in northwestern South Australia. The APY Lands are located in a remote region that is home to 2800 residents across eleven communities. More than 1900 of these residents are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The purpose of nbn’s visit was two-fold. Firstly, nbn staff – led by nbn’s Chief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor, Justin Forsell – came to listen. Secondly, they wanted to understand how APY communities might benefit from the nbn™ access network rollout – and online connectivity, generally. More broadly, nbn also wanted to take the “lessons learned” from the APY Lands, to improve the ways that nbn and its Delivery Partners deliver broadband services to First Peoples communities across Australia.

Engaging with the APY Executive was pivotal to the nbn visit. Through the Executive, our staff gained a broad understanding of the APY communities’ cultural heritage, their unique way of life and their deep connection to the APY Lands. That connection was particularly strong with PY Media, a community broadcasting service. PY Media broadcasts news from eight different stations across the region and provides a wide range of cultural programming and entertainment. Not only does PY Media keep APY People informed, but also the group plays a critical role in preserving local languages and stories. While PY Media was very passionate about their cultural programming and had a high level of technical literacy, they regularly struggled with internet connectivity. These issues were particularly acute for remote and regional stations, where services were unreliable.

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Working closely with PY Media and the APY Executive, nbn gained a detailed understanding of the connectivity challenges faced by communities in the APY Lands – and agreed to a program of ‘fixes’ to ameliorate those issues. In that process, nbn demonstrated the opportunities for e-health, business, education and training, as well as cultural awareness and other fields, which broadband could unlock. Following this engagement process, the APY Lands, their communities and PY Media now have improved satellite internet connectivity – and they are actively pursuing new opportunities online.

The nbn team is committed to working with the broader APY community as a whole. To provide one example, our Sky Muster™ truck team visited the Ernabella Sports and Dance Carnival, hosted by Port Adelaide Football Club. The festival attracted students from eight schools within the APY Lands and three schools in nearby regions. It also gave nbn the chance to highlight the power of an nbn™ connection – through gaming. APY children enjoyed playing online computer games that required broadband access. Not surprisingly, they loved it! As for the ‘older generation’ – teachers, parents and other service providers, they were very excited about the education, health and entertainment possibilities that an nbn™ access network connection could bring to their communities.

Drawing from nbn team member Tim Saul, he said that, “visiting the APY Lands was a powerful reminder that the journey we are all on together is truly nation-changing.”

nbn is launching a trial in the APY Lands for Community Wi-Fi for a long-term service that reflects the needs of the communities.

Embedding reconciliation awareness and understanding across nbnReconciliation has been a long-standing priority for nbn. In fact, reconciliation is one of five ‘diversity and inclusion pillars’ that underpin our ‘great place to work’ strategic priority. In an effort to strengthen our commitment to that strategic priority, nbn appointed a National Indigenous Engagement Lead, Vanda Strange in 2016 – around the time nbn released its second RAP. One of the National Indigenous Engagement Lead’s first tasks was to assess our staff and contractors’ levels of reconciliation awareness. Regrettably, her assessment was that much work was needed:

“When I started in the role and went round introducing myself and speaking about the nbn™ RAP, many people didn’t know we had one, let alone what it was.”

This was a significant ‘wake-up call’ for nbn. It led to requests for – and later the development of – an online RAP Awareness Training Program. Our goals were relatively simple – to ensure that all nbn employees and contractors were aware of the RAP and that they understood and promoted it, as well as worked towards its goals.

In designing this program, nbn identified a number of critical requirements and that the on-line training be:

1. Purpose-built for nbn, rather than being an off-the-shelf solution. This would ensure that our training aligned nbn’s values and strategy, with the core principles directed at Reconciliation.

2. Mandatory for all existing and new employees and contractors. To facilitate the completion of training, nbn made the module available on the company’s external website, so that employees, contractors and their families – indeed, anyone – could access it.

3. Capable of achieving a series of significant outcomes, including:

• Completion by over 70% of the audience,

• Over 80% of trainees rated an increased understanding of nbn’s RAP, and

• Learner feedback should have +80% positive response star rating.

In the end, the results of the training exceeded all expectations, with 71% of employees and contractors having completed the course and trainees reporting an increased understanding of nbn’s RAP goals and priorities. On average, the learning module received a 4.5 out of 5-star rating, with participants describing their experience of the program as follows:

“I’ve just completed the reconciliation training module and have come away inspired, informed and slightly humbled. Great work from the team who put the content together… Can’t wait to get involved.” – Paul Clyne, General Manager Downstream Deployment and Completions

“I just completed the Reconciliation Awareness learning module, loved it and I’m now clearer about what we’re up to with our RAP.” - Karina Murphy, Customer Enablement Specialist

While the RAP training program was a success, nbn is – by no means – resting on its laurels. Our broader goal is to continue to cement RAP awareness and understanding across the organisation. We are also expanding our training program by developing a second module, covering the Reconciliation Journey.

nbn’s commitment to its RAPnbn has a structured approach to the way we champion our RAP program. Our Executive Sponsor, Justin Forsell, Chief Legal Counsel - Legal & Security Department, is our lead Ambassador, internally and externally to nbn. Each of our executive committee, including our CEO, have First Peoples initiatives appropriate for their responsibilities. We have a National Indigenous Engagement Lead who leads the day-to-day work implementing our RAP and we have additional engagement from each part of the business from volunteers to the Reconciliation Action Plan Implementation Team (RIT). We have further information in the back of this booklet.

nbn First Peoples employees are central to informing our activities to implement the RAP. In particular, Ryan Watson, Naomi Wilson and Lalla McKenzie have helped shape our “Liakukana” community.

We appreciate the importance of our reconciliation journey and, through this RAP, we are continuing to advocate for understanding and change.

Our inaugural Reflect RAP (2013 to 2015) achieved a number of key deliverables including:

• Creating a National Indigenous Engagement Lead position to coordinate RAP activities and champion our RAP internally.

• Establishing an advisory network of 10 regionally based and department diverse First Peoples leaders to guide and support the implementation of our RAP. Each team member was tasked with leading an action and creating excitement and involvement in First Peoples initiatives and events.

• Implementing Cultural Heritage procedures in the build and design of the network that ensure we respect and protect places and sites of significance to First Peoples.

• Ensuring our Delivery Partners have in place a strategy for supporting, monitoring and tracking First Peoples participation across all nbn work streams. This includes implementing a process to engage with First Peoples businesses that can support the rollout of the nbn™ access network.

The second iteration – our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (2016 to 2018) – built on the foundations set in the inaugural RAP. nbn learned that, for a RAP to be effective, strong leadership is essential, but it must be a cooperative effort, driven from a broad base across the entire business.

This second phase outlined actions, responsibilities, timelines and targets across its key pillars of Relationships, Respect, and Opportunities. We embedded these actions into our planning and reporting structure to ensure that all aspects of the RAP were sustainable and accountable.

Through our Innovate RAP we successfully:

• Implemented Participation and Engagement Management Plans for our Delivery Partners. These plans helped them to meet their set targets for First Peoples workforce participation. They also create opportunities for Supply Nation members.

• Ensured that all our construction activities had a consistent approach for our field employees and Delivery Partners, utilising the First Peoples Cultural Heritage Protocols. This facilitated strong communication and engagement with First Peoples groups and promoted a partnership approach to protecting cultural heritage.

• Prepared and delivered nbn™ Reconciliation Awareness training to more than 71% of nbn’s employees. We also offered contextual cultural awareness training that occurs throughout Australia at the beginning of deployment for the first time in an area.

• Introduced Welcome to Country at significant events including the 2017 nbn™ Employee Roadshows and Acknowledgement of Country to our major internal and external meetings throughout Australia, including the Executive General Manager forum, staff strategy off-sites, the Quarterly Spark Awards and across all of our Diversity and Inclusion Pillar events.

• Established relationships with First Peoples organisations and communities, such as Supply Nation, Work Ventures, Stronger Smarter Institute, Port Community Limited, the Yawuru Peoples of Broome and APY Lands Council and its communities. Through these relationships, we have learned much about what our role in reconciliation and bridging the digital divide should be.

• Reviewed our policies and procedures to reduce any barriers to recruiting or retaining First Peoples. We also ensured that nbn’s volunteering policies have no barriers to First Peoples volunteering activities or participation in community events such as NAIDOC week.

At the same time, as evidenced by our case studies, we have learned a great deal from our previous experience. Some of the key Lessons Learned include:

• The critical importance of building strong personal and business relationships and understanding in all our endeavours. This has now become a focus of all our First Peoples community engagement.

• A key part of these relationships is listening, and listening carefully. It is more important than talking.

• This work takes time, and we must allow for this investment in time in order to make a meaningful difference.

• There is no one size fits all solution. Every community, indeed every person, is unique and we need to tailor our approach accordingly to ensure it is meaningful and effective for those with whom we are seeking to connect.

Building good relationships with First Peoples communities has been invaluable to nbn. We have a better understanding of the needs of communities and in-turn look to solutions that may not have been considered previously. In relation to the nbn™ access network deployment, community engagement has improved nbn’s understanding about areas of sensitivity and often better deployment routes or methods. These relationships help us ensure the nbn™ access network is truly accessible across Australia.

Finally, we have faced a number of challenges within nbn. One major challenge nbn faced in implementing its first RAP related to how to implement RAP initiatives in business processes for one of the largest most complex national infrastructure projects in Australian history, and one that was scaling up at an incredibly rapid rate. This challenge remained through the second RAP’s implementation. It will no doubt continue throughout the implementation of the third RAP. More challenges will come as nbn completes its national network deployment programme in 2020, and enters into a full operations and maintenance phase.

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Another major challenge faced during the second RAP implementation was the movement of nbn staff. Given the rate of change at nbn required to meet the demands of the rollout, individuals accountable for RAP actions often moved on to other roles. This necessitated RAP actions to be reallocated causing delay, loss of working relationships to get the job done, and general loss of traction for those actions. In response, each nbn Executive Committee member is being made aware of RAP action owners within their department and kept abreast of progress. That way, if support or fresh resources are required for individual RAP actions, the issue can be escalated quickly.

Given such challenges, not all the initiatives we proposed in the previous RAP were fully realised and more investigation and trialling is required. We are undertaking this work in earnest. For this reason, for our third Reconciliation Action Plan (2018 to 2020), we have decided to produce a further Innovate RAP as we look to consolidate and expand on our learnings and efforts so far. Our third RAP has an increasing emphasis on community engagement, building partnerships, increasing employment and increasing procurement opportunities. These initiatives include:

• Continuing to communicate and spread the nbn™ message across rural and regional areas, including many First Peoples communities, using our Sky Muster™ trucks and the “nbn™ local” Community Engagement Teams in each state.

• Developing more internal training modules to ensure that reconciliation remains front of mind across the organisation. We will also communicate more widely regarding special events throughout NRW and NAIDOC Week.

• Reviewing our Traineeship, Graduate programs and Scholarship initiatives to ensure no barriers exist for First Peoples participation.

• Visiting more First Peoples communities to listen carefully and understand their needs. As we learn, we will look to develop technical and product solutions that meet those needs also working closely with our Retail Service Providers.

• Ensuring that our systems are capable of capturing our First Peoples employee information so that we can better understand their needs, and use that knowledge to better retain, support and engage them, plus help to support their chosen career pathways where possible.

This Innovate RAP aims to involve as many nbn First Peoples and non-First Peoples employees as possible. Doing so will help us to realise our reconciliation vision and develop cultural competency and empathy throughout the organisation. It will also help us to continue nbn’s reconciliation journey by contributing to making a positive difference with First Peoples as we complete the rollout of the network across the nation.

RelationshipsA key learning that has emerged from our RAP journey is the importance of strong personal and business relationships with the First Peoples communities we are working with and rolling out the nbn™ access network to. We have learned through the rollout of the nbn™ access network in regions such as Broome and the APY lands that meaningful two-way engagement not only leads to a more successful rollout, but better service outcomes for the communities involved.

Action: The RAP Implementation Team (RIT) actively monitors RAP development and the implementation of actions, tracking progress and reporting.

Deliverable TimelineResponsibility

Executive Committee RIT Member

Oversees the development, endorsement and launch of the RAP.

October 2018 Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor

Vanda StrangeFirst Peoples Initiative Lead

Ensures First Peoples are represented on the RAP Implementation Team.

Annually: December

Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor


Meet face to face at least twice per year as a team to monitor, learn and report on RAP implementation.

Biyearly: April and November



Review Terms of Reference for the RIT. Annually: December





Develop and implement an engagement plan to work with First Peoples stakeholders.

December 2018



Meet with local First Peoples organisations to develop guiding principles for future engagement.

June 2019 Felicity RossChief Corporate Affairs Officer

Tim Saul Head of nbn™ local SA, NT

Action: Develop and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with First Peoples communities and organisations to support positive outcomes.


Action: Celebrate and participate in National Reconciliation Week (NRW) by providing opportunities to build and maintain relationships between First Peoples and other Australians.



Organise at least one internal event for NRW each year (at a minimum) in our Sydney and Melbourne offices.

Annually: 27 May-3 June



Register all nbn™ NRW events via Reconciliation Australia’s NRW website.




Support an external NRW event. For example:

• Utilising existing relationships e.g.: Delivery Partners

• Highlighting capability via the nbn™ Sky Muster™ trucks


Felicity RossChief Corporate Affairs Officer

Tim SaulHead of nbn™ local SA, NT

Extend an invitation to nbn First Peoples employees and external First Peoples to share their reconciliation experiences or stories at events or via our social platform, Workplace.




Encourage employees to participate in external events to recognise and celebrate NRW via nbn’s Corporate Communication strategy.




Ensure representatives of our RIT participate in an external event to recognise and celebrate NRW.




Provide opportunities for all nbn First Peoples employees to participate with their cultures and communities during National Reconciliation Week.


Maree TaylorChief People & Culture Officer

Gudrun ElmsDiversity and Inclusion Program Manager

Action: Develop relationships with external entities to share knowledge and learnings relating to the needs of nbn’s First Peoples’ stakeholders.

Action: Raise internal and external awareness of our RAP to promote reconciliation across our business sector.



Promote reconciliation through ongoing active engagement with all stakeholders.

Annually: October



Develop and implement a strategy to communicate our RAP to all internal and external stakeholders.

Annually: October



Publish our RAP on our public website with supporting information and progress against our RAP targets.

October 2018 Brad WhitcombChief Customer Officer Residential

Rebecca SextonSenior Manager Brand

In accordance with cultural protocols, expand our current use of First Peoples art, music, culture, stories and language in all forms and media types.

Annually: March

Brad WhitcombChief Customer Officer Residential

Rebecca SextonSenior Manager Brand

Explore possible collaboration on initiatives with Delivery Partners who also have a RAP in place.

June 2019 Peter RyanChief Network Engineering Officer

Stewart BurnsGM Incident Case Management, Verify and Close



Meet with relevant Corporations and Government agencies on a regular basis to understand and support programs focused on improving life outcomes for First Peoples. These may include the following:

• Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

• The Office of the eSafety Commissioner

• Local Councils’ department of Economic Development

• Department of Communication and the Arts

Quarterly: March, June, September, December




RespectThe nbn™ access network is one of the largest infrastructure projects in Australia’s history. It involves connecting Australians by commissioning high-speed broadband infrastructure in cities and towns all over this land. We are excited by the opportunities we are creating to strengthen and preserve First Peoples cultures, languages and storylines. At the same time, we are responsible for our role in protecting sacred Indigenous land, waters and artefacts and meet the needs of local communities as we deploy the nbn™ access network across Australia.



Implement, review and update our First Peoples cultural awareness training strategy for our employees, which:

• Defines the cultural learning needs of employees in all areas of

our business.

• Considers various ways cultural learning can be provided

(online, face-to-face workshops or cultural immersion).

• Of the training identified that is for procurement team, nbn™

local team and NEO team, ensure at least 60% of employees’

participation in their team’s training.

Annually: June

Maree TaylorChief People & Culture

Officer

Anthony FraserCapability Manager, Customer Experience, Capability & Learning

All ExCo members to participate in Cultural Learning session. December 2019

Stephen RueChief Executive Officer


Investigate opportunities to work with local Traditional Owners and/or First Peoples consultants to develop cultural awareness training.

February 2019 Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor


Provide opportunities for RIT members, RAP champions, HR managers and other key leadership employees to participate in cultural training, secondments and volunteer initiatives.

June 2020 Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor


Action: Engage employees in continuous cultural learning opportunities to increase our understanding and appreciation of First Peoples cultures, histories and achievements.



Continue to work with our Facilities team to have cultural elements and imagery included in any new office sites.

Melbourne:

December 2018



Continue to create and foster an inclusive, psychologically safe work environment for all nbn employees through implementation of our broader Diversity & Inclusion and Leadership strategies and programs.

Sydney: December 2019

March 2019





Encourage staff to include an Acknowledgement of Country at the commencements of all significant team meetings.

Annually: October



Review, maintain and communicate to employees a cultural protocol document for Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country.



Develop a list of key contacts, nationally, to arrange a Welcome to Country (where appropriate) and maintaining respectful partnerships.



Invite a Traditional Owner to provide a Welcome to Country, to all new building openings.

Sydney: December 2019



Invite a Traditional Owner to provide a Welcome to Country at the commencement of on-ground activities in new regions at least once a year.

Annually: June Kathrine DyerChief Network Deployment Officer

Janine Stablum Land Access & Stakeholder Engagement

Include an Acknowledgement of Country at the commencement of all-important internal and external meetings, including at the commencement of all departmental and off-site meetings.

Annually: June



Action: Investigate opportunities to make our workplace a more culturally safe and welcoming environment.

Action: Engage employees in understanding the significance of First Peoples cultural protocols, such as Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country, to ensure there is a shared meaning.




Review, update and implement HR policies and procedures to ensure there are no barriers to employees participating in NAIDOC Week.

Annually: July



Provide opportunities for all First Peoples employees to participate with their cultures and communities during NAIDOC Week.

Annually: July





Maintain strong and operationally integrated Cultural Heritage Management Procedures to respect and protect places and sites of significance for First Peoples (annual review).

Annually: November

Kathrine DyerChief Network Deployment Officer


Ensure reviews of compliance with such Procedures take place at least once a year and Lessons Learned are completed and shared with relevant stakeholders in the spirit of continuous improvement.

Annually: November

Peter RyanChief Network Engineering Officer


Action: Provide opportunities for First Peoples employees to engage with their culture and communities by celebrating NAIDOC Week.

Action: Recognise and respect First Peoples cultural heritage.

Opportunities nbn currently employs over 6,000 staff and 20,000 contractors all over Australia. Our footprint is truly national and we are deeply committed to diversity and inclusion in all its forms. We know that we can create meaningful employment and commercial and community opportunities for First Peoples, as well as being a critical input to improve access to health and education in First Peoples communities, something we are committed to achieving. We are also aware that we have a significant opportunity to enrich our organisational culture and improve the quality of our services by engaging fully with First Peoples all over Australia.



Develop and implement strategies which help our Delivery Partners create employment opportunities with positive long-term outcomes for First Peoples, including:

• Delivery Partner First Peoples Participation Management

Plans.

• Financial support initiatives i.e.: scholarships and training

funding.

Annually: January

Kathrine DyerChief Network Deployment Officer


Peter RyanChief Network Engineering Officer




Partner with a First Peoples organisation or organisations delivering First Peoples programs, to deliver programs to bridge the digital divide, including but not limited to:

• Using our technical expertise to improve tools and systems to

efficiently communicate and deliver programs across remote

locations. This will include cyber safety and digital literacy

programs.

• Volunteering help for on-ground activities through which

nbn can build its cultural understanding and competency.

This may include such things as node artwork program and

opportunities as they become available within APY Lands, the

NT and other local communities with which we engage.

December 2019



Action: Encourage Delivery Partners to improve First Peoples employment outcomes.

Action: Develop opportunities with First Peoples communities and organisations to support positive outcomes.


Action: Investigate and implement opportunities to improve and increase First Peoples employment outcomes within our workplace.



Collect information on our current First Peoples employees to inform future employment opportunities. This includes investigating the improvement of current collection method and storage of information.

Annually: July


Trevor DraudeRecruitment Business Partner

Develop, implement and review both First Peoples employment strategy and retention strategy.

March 2019 Maree TaylorChief People & Culture Officer


Engage with existing First Peoples employees to consult on employment strategies, including professional development.

Annually: August



Review the continued advertising of all vacancies in First Peoples media. Continue to include in all job advertisements ‘We’re committed to our goal of increasing the presence of women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the business and have a focus on increasing diversity amongst our leadership teams.”

Annually: August



Review HR and recruitment procedures and policies to ensure there are no barriers to First Peoples employees and future applicants participating in our workplace.

Annually: June



Develop and implement First Peoples employment pathways into:

• nbn™ traineeships

• graduate programs

• nbn™ scholarships

Annually: March



Continue to support the 2018 nbn™ First Peoples scholarship winner through the Engineering and IT Department at Sydney University, including providing her with mentoring and work experience opportunities from nbn. Review success of program and refine program yearly for future scholarships.

Annually: March


Kylie BrownGeneral Counsel Security, Enterprise Advisory Legal

Utilise external workforce partners who complement and support our First Peoples recruitment strategy e.g. Career Trackers – Graduate Program.

June 2019 Maree TaylorChief People & Culture Officer




Review and update procurement policies and procedures to include positive weighting of First Peoples businesses to ensure there are no barriers for procuring goods and services from First Peoples businesses.

Annually: February

Ross ElstedChief Financial Officer

Vesna MartinovicCategory Manager BPO, Procurement

Review, update on a quarterly basis and communicate to Procurement teams a list of First Peoples businesses that can be engaged to procure goods and services. This list is to be utilised for all procurement opportunities, via Supply Nation.




Maintain and look to grow all existing commercial relationships with First Peoples owned business in line with our existing procurement policies.

June 2020 Ross ElstedChief Financial Officer


Maintain and look to grow nbn’s relationship and membership with Supply Nation, encouraging our DPs to do the same. Including participation in the annual expo and award celebration.

Annually: June



Continue to include a category in the annual nbn™ Supplier Awards to recognise the Partner that has made an outstanding contribution to incorporating First Peoples suppliers into the projects supply chain (potentially as part of a wider Diversity & Inclusion award).

Annually: September



Develop First Peoples supplier spend reporting, including nbn spend.

Biyearly: February and July



Develop with Procurement the Supplier Code of Conduct which includes an expectation of First Peoples inclusion by suppliers.

October 2019 Ross ElstedChief Financial Officer


Action: Investigate opportunities to incorporate First Peoples supplier diversity within our organisation.


nbn™ Reconciliation Action Plan Page 20



Engage with peak working bodies representing First Peoples connectivity interests:

• Form working relationship with the Indigenous Remote

Communications Association (IRCA)

• Attend, participate in and report on the Indigenous Focus Day

at Broadband for the Bush conference

October 2019 Brad WhitcombChief Customer Officer Residential

Streicher LouwGM New Business and Innovation

Annually: June


Jacob KingExecutive Manager Satellite Products

Annually: December


Engage with nbn™ Retail Service Providers (RSPs) to help support the development of retail products that are fit for purpose for First Peoples and community needs.

Engagement commencing September 2018



Trial the facilitation of industry Expressions of Interest for First Peoples councils who are looking for support in creating fit for purpose solutions for their communities.

Trials commencing

February 2019



Ensure nbn™ product development processes are sympathetic to fit for purpose delivery against First Peoples’ needs. This should include required contract levers for Public Interest Premise deployments across all Access Technologies.

June 2019 Brad WhitcombChief Customer Officer Residential

Jacob KingExecutive Manager Satellite Products

Make known, through the Account Management function, the desire to engage with and support RSPs on First Peoples connectivity opportunities that may require non-standard end user delivery options.

June 2020 Brad WhitcombChief Customer Officer Residential


Action: Develop, deliver and support nbn™ product initiatives that promote economically sustainable access adoption in First Peoples communities across Australia.

Action: Report RAP achievements, challenges and learnings to Reconciliation Australia.

Action: Report RAP achievements, challenges and learnings internally and externally.

Action: Review, refresh and update RAP.



Complete and submit the RAP Impact Measurement Questionnaire to Reconciliation Australia annually.

Annually: 30 September



Investigate participating in the RAP Barometer. May 2020 Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor


Governance, tracking progress and reporting



Maintain and communicate required internal governance reporting to nbn Executives and Board.




Liaise with Reconciliation Australia to develop a new RAP based on learnings, challenges and achievements.





Send draft RAP to Reconciliation Australia for review and feedback.

August 2020 Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor


Submit draft RAP to Reconciliation Australia for formal endorsement.

August 2020 Justin ForsellChief Legal Counsel and First Peoples Pillar Executive Sponsor


Page 19 nbn™ Reconciliation Action Plan

Role Responsible Exec

Chief Legal Counsel, Legal & Security Department Justin Forsell

General Counsel Security, Enterprise Advisory Legal Kylie Brown Justin Forsell

Senior Manager Brand Rebecca Sexton Brad Whitcomb

GM New Business and Innovation Streicher Louw Brad Whitcomb

Executive Manager Satellite Products Jacob King Brad Whitcomb

Head of nbn™ local SA, NT, Community Affairs Tim Saul Felicity Ross

Cultural Heritage Lead, Land Access & Stakeholder Engagement Janine Stablum Kathrine Dyer

First Peoples Initiative Lead Vanda Strange Kathrine Dyer

RIT Coordinator, Land Access & Stakeholder Engagement Nicole Paterson Kathrine Dyer

General Manager Incident Case Management, Verify and Close Stewart Burns Peter Ryan

First Peoples Representative Ryan Watson Peter Ryan

Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager, Organisational Development Gudrun Elms Maree Taylor

Learning Projects Manager Capability & Learning Anthony Fraser Maree Taylor

Recruitment Business Partner Trevor Draude Maree Taylor

Category Manager BPO, Procurement Vesna Martinovic Ross Elsted

Contact details

Name Vanda Strange

Position First Peoples Initiative Lead

Phone +61 3 8599 4277

Email [email protected]

Our RIT Representatives

Artwork storynbn has a strong commitment to providing connections for meaningful engagement with Community. This original artwork symbolises the ripple effect that is created by the telling of stories - first in small circles and then spreading wider to a larger audience. The three main circular shapes represent the living connections between nbn and Community that build inspiring and meaningful partnerships.

nbn promotes an inclusive and diverse environment and is committed to working hard to create real tangible change that inspires more stories. This original artwork design was created by Marcus Lee, a proud Aboriginal descendant of the Karajarri people.


nbn reconciliation action plan · through inclusion. through our rap commitments, we aim to foster...

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