CEO Statement
Karen Mundine - Reconcilation Australia
Reconciliation Australia welcomes SMB Advisory to the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program with the formal endorsement of its inaugural Reflect RAP.
SMB Advisory joins a network of more than 1, 100 corporate, government, and not-for-profit organisations that have made a formal commitment to reconciliation through the RAP program.
Since 2006, RAPs have provided a framework for organisations to leverage their structures and diverse spheres of influence to support the national reconciliation movement. The program's potential for impact is greater than ever, with over 2.3 million people now working or studying in an organisation with a RAP.
The four RAP types - Reflect, Innovate, Stretch, and Elevate - allow RAP partners to continuously develop and strengthen reconciliation commitments in new ways. This Reflect RAP will lay the foundations, priming the workplace for future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives.
The RAP program's strength is its framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities, allowing an organisation to strategically set its reconciliation commitments in line with its own business objectives, for the most effective outcomes.
These outcomes contribute towards the five dimensions of reconciliation: race relations: equality and equity: institutional integrity; unity; and historical acceptance.
It is critical to not only uphold all five dimensions of reconciliation, but also increase awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge, and leadership across all sectors of Australian society.
This Reflect RAP enables SMB Advisory to deepen its understanding of its sphere of influence and the unique contribution it can make to lead progress across the five dimensions. Getting these first steps right will ensure the sustainability of future RAPs and reconciliation initiatives, and provide meaningful impact toward Australia's reconciliation journey.
Congratulations SMB Advisory, welcome to the RAP program, and I look forward to following your reconciliation journey in the years to come.
Our Business
Business Reconstruction & Insolvency Specialists
SMB Advisory is a specialist Chartered Accounting firm dedicated to providing Distressed Business Advisory services to Financiers, Advisors, Directors, and Individuals.
Adopting an approach of always looking for the most effective commercial outcome, whilst recognizing the competing needs of all stakeholders, we have a proven track record in delivering innovative and effective results.
In what can be stressful and trying circumstances for all stakeholders, we work in conjunction with lenders, business owners, and their advisors to create the most empathetic and beneficial outcomes for all stakeholders.
In circumstances where informal turnaround is not a visible option, we are qualified to act as Voluntary Administrators, Liquidators, Receivers, and Trustees in Bankruptcy.
With a dedicated and experienced team, we offer a full spectrum of services, including:
• Business Reconstruction and Turnaround
• Business Operational Reviews
• Business Valuations
• Viability Assessments
• Forensic Accounting
• Corporate Insolvency
• Personal Insolvency
SMB has offices in Melbourne and Geelong, Victoria, Brisbane, and the Gold Coast, Queensland, Sydney, NSW, and Hobart, Tasmania. SMB has four partners and a team of 20, however at this stage no Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander team members.
Our RAP
SMB is developing a RAP, as the firm’s leaders have agreed that reconciliation is an important issue and one that, as a firm, we should be addressing as best we can. As an organisation that is regularly interfacing with both other businesses and private individuals, we believe that we are in a position to convey our position on reconciliation on a number of different levels and we consider that it is our duty to do that. At SMB we believe that “the standard you walk past is the standard that you accept”. As we do not consider that the current situation faced by Australia’s First Nations Peoples is acceptable, developing a RAP is our way of displaying our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
SMB’s RAP will be implemented by assigning responsibility for relevant measures throughout the firm and ensuring accountability in relation to each of those measures. There is an item on the Partnership Meeting Agenda devoted to addressing the progress of the firm's RAP and enforcing accountability accordingly. We will also introduce this agenda item onto the Firm’s Management Meeting and Staff Meeting agendas to instill in the organisation’s team as a whole the importance of the implementation of the firm’s RAP. Given the size of SMB, we do not consider it necessary at this stage to have a RAP Taskforce, we instead at this early stage want to encourage participation and contribution from the firm as a whole. SMB Advisory will establish a RAP Taskforce, during the term of this RAP. The Firm will appoint SMB Advisory Partner, Alice Ruhe as a RAP Facilitator to allocate goals and tasks, and to monitor them.
As a whole, SMB hasn’t really had a “reconciliation journey”, to date. There have been individual initiatives taken by members of the firm, but nothing by the firm as a whole. At the firm’s planning meeting in mid-2019, it was resolved that the firm undertake a RAP, and we are now working through the process of developing it.
Relationships
Action | Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
1. Establish and strengthen mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations.
|
Identify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations within our local area or sphere of influence.
| February 2022 | RAP Partners |
- |
Research best practice and principles that support partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders and organisations.
| February 2022 | RAP Partners |
2. Build relationships through celebrating National Reconciliation Week (NRW). | Circulate Reconciliation Australia’s NRW resources and reconciliation materials to our staff. | May 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | RAP Taskforce members to participate in an external NRW event. | 27 May - 3 June, 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Encourage and support staff and senior leaders to participate in at least one external event to recognise and celebrate NRW. | May 2022 | RAP Partners |
3. Promote reconciliation through our sphere of influence. | Communicate our commitment to reconciliation to all staff. | February 2022
June 2022
September 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Identify external stakeholders that our organisation can engage with on our reconciliation journey. | March 2022 and September 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Identify RAP and other like-minded organisations that we could approach to collaborate with on our reconciliation journey. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
4. Promote positive race relations through anti- discrimination strategies. | Research best practice and policies in areas of race relations and anti-discrimination. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
5. | Conduct a review of HR policies and procedures to identify existing anti-discrimination provisions, and future needs. | June 2022 | RAP Partners |
Respect
Action | Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
6. Increase understanding, value and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights through cultural learning. | Develop a business case for increasing understanding, value and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledge and rights within our organisation. | March 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Conduct a review of cultural learning needs within our organisation. | June 2022 | RAP Partners |
7. Demonstrate respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by observing cultural protocols. | Develop an understanding of the local Traditional Owners or Custodians of the lands and waters within our organisation’s operational area. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Increase staff’s understanding of the purpose and significance behind cultural protocols, including Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country protocols. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
8. Build respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and histories by celebrating NAIDOC Week. | Raise awareness and share information amongst our staff about the meaning of NAIDOC Week. | July 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Introduce our staff to NAIDOC Week by promoting external events in our local area. | June 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | RAP Taskforce to participate in an external NAIDOC Week event. | First week in July, 2022 | RAP Partners |
Opportunities
Action | Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
9. Improve employment outcomes by increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment, retention and professional development. | Develop a business case for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment within our organisation. | June 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Build understanding of current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staffing to inform future employment and professional development opportunities. | February 2022 | Client Service Operator |
10. Increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supplier diversity to support improved economic and social outcomes. | Develop a business case for procurement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses. | June 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Investigate Supply Nation membership. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
Governance
Action | Deliverable | Timeline | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|---|
11. Establish and maintain an effective RAP Taskforce(RT) o drive governance of the RAP | Form a RAP Taskforce to govern RAP implementation. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Draft a Terms of Reference for the RWG. | May 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Establish Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representation on the (RT). | June 2022 | RAP Partners |
12. Provide appropriate support for effective implementation of RAP commitments. | Define resource needs for RAP implementation. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Engage senior leaders in the delivery of RAP commitments. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
- | Define appropriate systems and capability to track, measure and report on RAP commitments. | February 2022 | RAP Partners |
13. Build accountability and transparency through reporting RAP achievements, challenges and learnings both internally and externally. | Complete and submit the annual RAP Impact Measurement Questionnaire to Reconciliation Australia. | September 2022 | RAP Partners |
14. Continue our reconciliation journey by developing our next RAP. | Register via Reconciliation Australia’s website to begin developing our next RAP. | April 2022 | RAP Partners |