Core service

Reconciliation Action Plan consulting

We help Australian organisations develop Reconciliation Action Plans that get endorsed, get delivered, and stand up to scrutiny — from first scoping conversation through to implementation support across the term.

What is a Reconciliation Action Plan?

A Reconciliation Action Plan is a formal framework, administered by Reconciliation Australia, through which an organisation commits to specific and measurable actions that advance reconciliation. It is not a statement of values or a public pledge — it is a plan with owners, deliverables, timeframes and reporting obligations.

That distinction is the reason organisations come to us. Writing a document that expresses good intent is straightforward. Writing one that Reconciliation Australia will endorse, that your business units will actually deliver, and that you can evidence at renewal, is a different exercise entirely.

The framework

Every RAP is built on four pillars

Whichever type you pursue, your commitments are organised under the same four headings. Governance is the one organisations most often underestimate — and the one that most often determines whether the rest gets delivered.

Relationships

Building and sustaining genuine, respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations — the foundation everything else rests on.

Respect

Growing understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights, and embedding cultural protocols into everyday organisational practice.

Opportunities

Creating real economic and social opportunity through employment pathways, Indigenous procurement, and progression into leadership.

Governance

The accountability layer: a working group with authority, executive sponsorship, tracking against commitments, and honest reporting on progress.

Choosing a type

The four RAP types compared

Organisations can also repeat a RAP type rather than progressing, and sometimes that is the honest choice. Starting at the wrong level is one of the most common and most costly mistakes.

RAP type Term Stage Best suited to
Reflect RAP ~12 months Starting out For organisations beginning their reconciliation journey. Builds the relationships, understanding and internal governance to act credibly.
Innovate RAP 2 years Implementing For organisations ready to move from preparation to delivery — piloting and implementing initiatives, and learning what works.
Stretch RAP 3 years Embedding For organisations embedding reconciliation into business as usual, with defined targets and demonstrated outcomes.
Elevate RAP 3 years Leading The highest RAP level, for organisations with a proven track record taking on leadership to advance national reconciliation.

Not sure which type applies to you?

Our free RAP Readiness Assessment asks a different set of questions depending on whether you are starting out or already hold a Reflect, Innovate, Stretch or Elevate RAP, then gives you a personalised read on the sensible next step.

Take the free assessment

How we work

Our RAP development process

  1. 1

    Discovery and honest scoping

    We start by understanding how your organisation actually operates — your workforce, supply chain, clients and footprint — and where you genuinely have influence. This is also where we work out which RAP type is the right one to pursue, which is not always the one an organisation expects.

  2. 2

    Stakeholder and community engagement

    We help identify and engage the Traditional Owners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations relevant to where you operate, and facilitate those conversations respectfully. Internally, we bring together the people whose buy-in the plan will depend on.

  3. 3

    Governance setup

    Establishing or strengthening your RAP Working Group with real terms of reference, an executive sponsor, and clear decision-making authority — so the plan has somewhere to live once we hand it over.

  4. 4

    Drafting the plan

    We draft commitments that are specific enough to be delivered and evidenced: each with a named owner, a deliverable, a timeframe and a way of being measured. This is the step where most RAPs are won or lost.

  5. 5

    Review and submission

    We review the draft against what Reconciliation Australia expects, address gaps before submission rather than after, and support you through the endorsement process and any feedback that comes back.

  6. 6

    Implementation support

    A RAP that sits in a drawer helps nobody. We can stay involved through the term — supporting delivery, keeping evidence capture on track, and preparing you for what comes at renewal.

Why it matters that we're Indigenous-owned

A RAP asks your organisation to make commitments about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and cultures. The quality of those commitments depends enormously on whose judgement shaped them.

2Ways Consultancy is 100% Indigenous-owned and Supply Nation registered. The cultural guidance in your plan comes from lived experience, and community engagement is approached as relationship-building rather than consultation to be completed. There is also a practical benefit worth naming: engaging a registered Indigenous business contributes to the Indigenous procurement outcomes that are usually a commitment inside your RAP.

100% Indigenous-owned Supply Nation registered ABN 62 988 303 719

Questions

RAP questions we get asked most

What is a Reconciliation Action Plan?
A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) is a formal framework administered by Reconciliation Australia through which an organisation commits to specific, measurable actions advancing reconciliation. RAPs are structured around four pillars — Relationships, Respect, Opportunities and Governance — and come in four types (Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate) suited to different stages of an organisation’s journey.
How long does a RAP take to develop?
Developing the plan itself can take anywhere from 12 months onward.
How much does a RAP cost?
Cost scales with your organisation’s size and which RAP type you are developing — a Reflect RAP is a considerably smaller engagement than a Stretch or Elevate RAP, which involve deeper governance, broader stakeholder engagement and heavier evidence requirements. Our pricing page sets out indicative starting figures, and we confirm exact scope after a free discovery call.
Does Reconciliation Australia have to approve our RAP?
Yes. Reconciliation Australia administers the RAP framework and reviews submissions, and your RAP needs their endorsement to be a formally recognised RAP. This is why the drafting stage matters so much — commitments that are vague, unresourced or unmeasurable are the most common reason a plan comes back with feedback.
What happens when our RAP expires?
You either develop a new RAP — often progressing to the next type — or repeat the same type if that is more appropriate for where the organisation genuinely is. Organisations are permitted to repeat a RAP type, and doing so honestly is far better than progressing to a level you cannot deliver on.
Why work with an Indigenous-owned consultancy?
Two reasons. The cultural guidance in your plan comes from lived experience rather than desk research, which materially changes the quality of the commitments you make. And engaging a Supply Nation registered, 100% Indigenous-owned business contributes to your own Indigenous procurement outcomes — which are themselves usually a commitment inside your RAP.

Ready to talk about your RAP?

Whether you're scoping a first Reflect RAP or preparing an Elevate submission, a short conversation will tell you what's realistic and what it would involve.