CEO messages
To mark its 2019 launch, our Elevate RAP is introduced by Peter Harmer, our Managing Director and CEO, and Karen Mundine, the Chief Executive Officer of Reconciliation Australia.
Message from Karen Mundine, Chief Executive Officer, Reconciliation Australia
Reconciliation Australia congratulates IAG on its past successes and ongoing commitment to advancing reconciliation as it implements its third Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) – its first Elevate RAP.
The RAP program inspires social change in workplaces across Australia, generating economic and behavioural transformation. By raising the bar of its RAP ambitions, IAG continues to lead national reconciliation action in the insurance sector.
IAG began its RAP journey in 2013 and was the first major insurance company to adopt a RAP. Since then, the organisation has gone from strength to strength, having consistently followed through on its RAP commitments, progressing from an Innovate to a Stretch, and now an Elevate RAP.
In this RAP, IAG has committed to ambitious yet achievable actions that will no doubt have positive and far-reaching impacts. Its aims include contributing to the reduction of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration rates through its Just Reinvest partnership; providing culturally appropriate insurance products; and supporting constitutional reform through support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
On behalf of Reconciliation Australia, I congratulate IAG on adopting its first Elevate RAP, and look forward to following its future achievements.
Message from Peter Harmer, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IAG
For more than 50,000 years, Australia’s First Nations people have cared for our land and embodied resilience and innovation. It’s an important part of our national story that we can all be proud of.
Our purpose at IAG is to make your world a safer place. We recognise that our role extends beyond our core responsibilities to customers and shareholders and our aim is to have a positive influence on all the communities we serve, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The commitments and actions outlined in this RAP are aligned to our purpose and make the world safer for First Nations peoples. We’re proud to be contributing to a more confident future, advocating for a more inclusive workforce and society, and learning from our partners to improve the resilience of Australian communities.
In 2013, IAG became Australia’s first insurer to introduce a RAP and over the past six years, we’ve made tremendous progress. We have helped to motivate young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders through our partnerships with AIME and CareerTrackers; built career paths through our recruitment programs; and empowered Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and suppliers.
I’m proud that our third RAP has an Elevate status, the highest endorsement a RAP can achieve. This is partly due to our commitment to support initiatives that work to lower the high rate of incarceration of First Nations peoples and our support for the principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We believe it’s important to acknowledge the historical truth of our country and support the leadership of First Nations people in addressing the complex challenges and issues that affect their communities.
We look forward to working in partnership with First Nations organisations and communities to bring our RAP to life and deliver on our purpose to make the world a safer place for them, and for all Australians.
March 2019