Media Release - RAP Launch 2019

• 2019-21 Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) to improve positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• Water Corporation commits to achieving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce target of six per cent and three per cent progressive procurement target by 2021 

Water Minister Dave Kelly today congratulated the Water Corporation on the launch of its 2019-21 Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) aimed at addressing the social and economic disadvantage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Western Australia. 

The fifth RAP released since 2008 challenges previous targets to help achieve the McGowan Government's vision for sustainable outcomes in employment, education, business and procurement opportunities.

In a nation where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are three times more likely to be out of work, WA's public water utility has pledged to employ a workforce that is representative of the entire Western Australian community.

Exceeding its 2018 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce target of 3.2 per cent, the Water Corporation has set a new target of six per cent by September 2021.

With nearly 60 per cent of its Aboriginal employees working outside the metropolitan area, the Water Corporation will continue to employ Aboriginal people regionally, enabling them to remain on their country and connected to their communities.

Since 2007, the Water Corporation has awarded more than $7.8 million in contracts to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers across the State. To continue to increase this participation, it has committed to achieving a three per cent progressive procurement target over the next three years.

For more information, visit the Water Corporation's website.

Comments attributed to Water Minister Dave Kelly:

"Working towards true reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians is an important goal for the McGowan Government.

"We still have a long way to go to achieve a society where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are treated with the respect they deserve and where they have the same opportunities and life outcomes enjoyed by non-indigenous Australians. 

"I want to congratulate the Water Corporation for its fifth reconciliation action plan. A robust RAP is a powerful tool to deliver practical actions which drive an organisation's contribution to reconciliation, both internally and in the communities in which it operates.

"I look forward to working with the Water Corporation to deliver this plan, particularly by achieving greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the workforce, bettering customer relations, and importantly improving water infrastructure in WA's remote communities."