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HomeCommunity & CountryReconciliation Action Plan

First Nations peopleleading the build.

Baywa's Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan runs from January 2027 to January 2029. It sets out how a Torres Strait Islander owned builder works on Aboriginal Country, with every action given a date and a person responsible.

A person cleansing in the smoke of a smoking ceremony

Why a First Nations business needs a RAP

Guests onthe Countries we build on.

"Ownership alone does not make a workplace culturally safe, and it does not hold us to account."Managing Director and RAP Champion

Baywa is owned and led by Torres Strait Islander people, and most of our work is on Aboriginal land. People sometimes ask why a business like ours needs a Reconciliation Action Plan. We have three reasons.

Accountability. Our participation results so far have come from who we are and from the commitments we make in individual tenders. A RAP puts those commitments into one public document with dates and names against them, and we report our progress to Reconciliation Australia every year.

Respect between First Nations cultures. Torres Strait Islander culture and the Aboriginal cultures of New South Wales are distinct. Our owners' heritage does not give our team knowledge of Dharug or Kamilaroi Country, or of the other Countries where TAFE NSW campuses stand. We build those relationships and that knowledge the same way any other contractor must.

Influence. On a typical project we direct more people than we employ. Our subcontractors and suppliers take their lead from us on who gets hired, who gets trained and how Country is acknowledged on site. A published RAP tells them what we expect before they price a job.

What we are committing to

Targets,not intentions.

These sit above Reconciliation Australia's minimum Innovate requirements and above the NSW Government participation minimum of 1.5% of contract value.

3%

of annual subcontract and supplier spend directed to First Nations owned businesses

30%

of trades labour hours delivered through apprentices and trainees, aligned to TAFE NSW courses where the work allows

1

First Nations owned subcontractor or supplier engaged on every new contract, and a quote invited on every package over $50,000

Our commitments

Fourteen actionsacross four areas.

Relationships

Community engagement on every Country where we build.

  • Before work starts in a new region, identify the Local Aboriginal Land Council and community organisations for that area and record them in the project stakeholder register
  • Hold a National Reconciliation Week toolbox talk on every active Baywa site, so subcontractor crews take part as well as our own staff
  • Mark Mabo Day on 3 June with the story of the Mabo decision and its Torres Strait Islander origins
  • Add a RAP briefing to the Baywa site induction, and present our commitments to each new client at the first project control group meeting
  • Continue the Crystal Ailan partnership with one joint activity each year supporting a remote Torres Strait Islander community

Respect

Cultural safety on every Baywa site and in both offices.

  • Identify the Traditional Custodians of every site we work on and name them in that site's induction and establishment signage
  • Open site inductions, prestart meetings and project control group meetings with an Acknowledgement of Country
  • All staff complete face-to-face cultural awareness training delivered by an Aboriginal owned provider by December 2027, and new starters within three months of joining
  • Invite our Torres Strait Islander team members, where they wish to, to share culture and history with colleagues, including the Coming of the Light on 1 July
  • Issue a calendar of dates of significance to all staff each January: National Reconciliation Week, Mabo Day, the Coming of the Light and NAIDOC Week

Opportunities

First Nations employment, apprenticeships and subcontracting on every project.

  • Set an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander labour hours target on every new contract, above the NSW Government minimum, and report the result to the client each quarter
  • Direct at least 3% of annual subcontract and supplier spend to First Nations owned businesses, tracked in our accounts from the first month of the RAP
  • Build five new commercial relationships with First Nations owned businesses over the life of the RAP
  • Ask every subcontractor tendering to Baywa how many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers and apprentices they will bring, and weigh the answer in selection
  • Offer First Nations subcontractors support to get their safety systems, quality systems and tender documents ready for government work
  • Identify one organisation supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in construction and agree how Baywa can support it

Governance

Run through the same system as our certified quality, environmental and safety processes.

  • A RAP Working Group chaired by the Managing Director, our RAP Champion, meeting every quarter with First Nations representation maintained
  • An external Aboriginal advisor from a Country where we work invited onto the Working Group
  • RAP progress a standing item at the quarterly management review, alongside the ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 audits, so every action has an owner, a due date and a record
  • Progress reported to the whole team every quarter and to Reconciliation Australia every year

What we already do

The plan startsfrom practice, not paper.

Apprentices on our sites

Apprentices and trainees work on our projects, and wherever we can their placements line up with TAFE NSW courses, so students learn their trade on the campuses we build in.

First Nations subcontractors

We partner with Supply Nation businesses on live contracts, and we use the Supply Nation directory and the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce network to find First Nations subcontractors and suppliers for each project.

Crystal Ailan

A recycling enterprise on Badu Island in the Torres Strait, founded by our Managing Director in 2017. Baywa partners with Crystal Ailan to promote environmental sustainability, connection to Country and support for remote Indigenous communities.

Country, named

Our head office in Winston Hills stands on Dharug Country. Our Tamworth office stands on Kamilaroi Country. Our tender submissions and management plans already open with an Acknowledgement of Country written in our own words; the RAP extends that practice from our documents to our sites.

Owned and led

Baywa is Torres Strait Islander owned and female owned. First Nations people hold roles across the business, and our tenders carry participation commitments above the NSW Government minimum.

Talk to us about our RAP

Clients, subcontractors and community organisations are welcome to ask how our commitments can support their own reconciliation goals.

Completed learning space fitout

Get in touch

Let's discussyour next project.

Whether it is a single project or a program of works across many sites, our team would welcome the conversation. Contact us to discuss scope, timing and how Baywa can deliver it.