‘Performative Reconciliation': Two case studies of Elevate Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs)

The Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program that is led by Reconciliation Australia consists of over 3000 organisations who have publicly articulated their commitments to work towards reconciliation. Only 13 have Elevate RAPs, the highest level of RAP, that is reserved for organisations who demonstrate and commit to several key areas, including Indigenous self-determination, transformational change, impactful RAP initiatives, national leadership in reconciliation, and strong accountability processes. In this paper, I analyse two of these 13 Elevate RAP organisations, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Swinburne University of Technology (SUT), and argue that they have manifestly failed to address both these central requirements for Elevate RAPs and critical commitments outlined in their own institutional RAPs.