Reflections Holiday Park Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan
Reflections Holiday Park talks a big game about Reconciliation but are they all talk?
We can only talk from personal experience, but we reached out about a potential collaboration opportunity for Reconciliation purposes that could also save them money from advertising on Facebook and Google; they couldn’t even be bothered to reply…
But enough personal stories about trying to collaborate with these “Reconciliation” leaders, let’s look into Reflections Holiday Park Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and look at the pros and cons.
ReconciliACTION Score
Pros:
- Building Relationships: The commitment to support park managers in developing relationships with local Indigenous communities can lead to meaningful collaboration and mutual understanding.
- Looking to engage Indigenous Businesses: By engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses across their parks and reserves, they’re directly supporting economic growth within these communities.
- Understanding Spiritual Significance: Committing to learning about the spiritual significance of the lands can lead to better land management practices that respect Indigenous traditions and beliefs.
Pros (Tangible Actions):
- Recruit an Aboriginal Engagement Officer (identified role).
Cons:
After witnessing countless underwhelming RAPs and the public’s frustration with what seemed like mere symbolic gestures, ASIC‘s RAP was alright…
It hinted at a shift in the right direction, even if it only tackled consumer protection and sidestepped the pressing issue of culturally tailored financial products to combat the deep-rooted poverty and systemic despair.
But the RAP from Reflections Holiday Park was a sobering reminder that perhaps, we haven’t come as far as we’d hoped… because there weren’t many targets at all, e.g. increase Indigenous employment from 0.001% to 0.01%… and it just comes across as very tokenistic and lacking… very lacking like the old school RAPs I was used to.
But oh man, it’s even wilder than you think!
They’re actually talking about needing a “business case” just to hire (more?) Indigenous people.
And get this, they’re doing all this while managing government assets on (stolen) lands taken from Aboriginal people. Can you believe they straight-up said they need to research if it’s a good idea to hire Indigenous staff?
That’s just nuts!
- Discussions about needing a “business case” to hire more Indigenous employees and contract with First Nations businesses.
- The management of government assets on (stolen) Aboriginal lands without proper representation or acknowledgment.
- General statements: phrases like “nurturing communities, culture, and the environment” or aiming to “contribute to reconciliation” (page 5) can be seen as broad and lacking specific actionable steps.
- Lack of specific metrics: without clear metrics or targets, it’s challenging to measure the success or impact of the RAP.
- Potential tokenism: without clear details on how Indigenous artists, businesses, or communities are engaged, there’s a risk of these engagements being superficial or for optics.
Summary: Reflections Holiday Park Reconciliation Action Plan
Really disappointing… and I’m not saying that because they never replied to me about a potential reconciliation opportunity. The whole thing was lacking and reminded me why I hate RAPs and corporate social responsibility initiatives in general… lots of smoke and mirrors and little to no tangible impact in our communities.
And the wording around creating a business case to justify employing Indigenous people or doing business with First Nations is concerning…. It just feels like a culturally inappropriate business.
In conclusion, while our assessment of the ReconciliACTION Score might be less than favourable, it’s essential to note that this is based on our personal opinion.
Other reviewers, like Reconciliation Australia who hand out RAPs might have a different perspective and could potentially view this RAP in a more positive light or view Reflections Holiday Park as a “reconciliation leader”.
It’s always good to check multiple sources before forming your own opinion!
ReconciliACTION Scores
| Who | Reconciliation Claim | RAP | ReconciliACTION Score | Public Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-25 RAP: Our vision for reconciliation is one where the cultures, knowledge and histories of Indigenous Australians are accessible, understood and appreciated by all Australians. | 📖 | 2/5 | ||
| ASIC | 2023-26 RAP: Ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can access the financial system and experience positive financial outcomes. | 📖 | 3/5 | |
| Reflections Holiday Park | 2023-24 RAP: Reflections will develop opportunities for cultural expression and celebration while delivering social, cultural, and economic outcomes for Aboriginal communities. | 📖 | 1/5 | |
| KPMG | 2021–2025 RAP: Guided by our purpose to ‘Inspire Confidence, Empower Change’, we are committed to placing truth-telling, self-determination and cultural safety at the centre of our approach. | 📖 | 2/5 |
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