Alcoa launches second Reconciliation Action Plan

Alcoa Australia recently launched its second Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at a moving event on Gunditjmara Country at Portland Aluminium.

Attended by local Traditional Owner representatives and Portland Aluminium employees, the event commenced with a powerful Welcome to Country delivered by Gunditjmara Elder Aunty Hilary Saunders and a reflective Smoking Ceremony performed by Chris Saunders.

The event featured the unveiling of an artwork created by Gunditjmara, Wemba Wemba and Yorta Yorta man and contemporary Aboriginal artist Tom Day. Tom was commissioned by Alcoa to create the artwork Mirring – Country for the RAP.

Endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, the Innovate RAP strengthens our vision for reconciliation and outlines our commitment to the ongoing journey towards reconciliation.

Alcoa’s RAP Working Group Chair Sarah Eatough said that the RAP builds on the Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan launched in 2020 and articulates the actions we will take over the next two years across our Australian locations to forge stronger and more inclusive communities.

“Over the past two years we broadened our engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, introduced cultural awareness training and embedded cultural protocols. We developed greater economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through new community investments and increased spend with Aboriginal owned businesses,” Sarah said.

"We acknowledge that we are on a path of continuous improvement and always have more to learn."

“In developing our Innovate RAP we reflected on the key learnings of our journey so far and sough feedback from Bindjareb, Whadjuk, Wardandi, Gunditjmara and Wadawurrung peoples regarding areas for improvement and focus moving forward. We have challenged ourselves to look more deeply into ways we can further strengthen relationships and enhance respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples,” Sarah said.

Our RAP comprises more than 70 deliverables to meet our commitments to:

• Engage honestly and openly with Traditional Owners and Custodians in the communities where we operate.
• Improve the cultural awareness of our workforce to provide a welcoming and supportive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Work with Traditional Owners and Custodians to better understand and demonstrate respect for the cultural significance of the lands on which we operate.
• Share the value of our operations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by improving employment outcomes and increasing supplier diversity.

Learn more about these commitments and Alcoa’s vision for reconciliation here.