A RAP will provide AMSA with an integrated strategy for mutually beneficial and respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.  

We regularly engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders; including working with Torres Strait Islander vessel operators to promote a culture of safety and provide educational tools to help them assess and manage risks. Additionally, effective cultural heritage management agreements with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander landowners are vital for our Aid to Navigation objectives. AMSA recently implemented our Indigenous Engagement Guidelines to effectively engage, communicate, and work with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities. Our work also involves caring for Country, with protection of the marine environment vital to AMSA’s vision and mission. 

AMSA has set an employment target of 3% by 2025 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. AMSA is working to establish relationships with organisations that will support us in achieving these employment targets, as well as providing the understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures to ensure mutually beneficial outcomes.  

AMSA’s Reconciliation Action Plan Champion is Michael Drake, an Executive Director in our organisation. Our RAP Champion is a sponsor for inclusion and diversity at AMSA, and he is committed to progressing the actions in our Reconciliation Action Plan. AMSA’s RAP was developed by the RAP Working Group (RWG), steered by the Diversity Working Group (DWG) and endorsed by the Senior Executive. Implementation will be tracked by the RWG and DWG, and responsibility for individual actions and deliverables will be assigned to the relevant areas, identified in the sections that follow.