Reconciliation Action Plan

CPA Australia acknowledges and pays respect to the past, present and future Traditional Custodians and Elders of this nation and the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

At CPA Australia, we value diversity equality and inclusion. As Australia's largest accounting designation are committed to leading positive social change, and our Reconciliation Action Plan actively reflects this commitment to greater social responsibility and reconciliation between Australia’s First Peoples and the broader Australian community.

CPA Australia’s position has been developed with the support and guidance of our Indigenous Advisory Group, which is supported in full by the CPA Board and Executive Leadership Team.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a critical step to formally embracing our shared history and walking together towards a better future for all Australians.

Our response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart

CPA Australia welcomes the Uluru Statement from the Heart and offers thanks to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for their gracious invitation to walk with them and all Australians towards a better future.

We willingly join Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on this trek as true and respectful partners for progress to strengthen relationships across all communities through Voice, Treaty, and Truth.

CPA Australia is privileged to base our operations on the lands and waters that have been cared for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for 60,000 years and is home to the oldest continuing culture on earth.

Accounting professionals are at the forefront of business and finance decisions across the country. We are committed to encouraging Indigenous involvement and representation in the profession.

We support a transparent process for truth-telling and finding genuine agreement between governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We support processes that enable safe, open, and meaningful dialogue.

In the spirit of meaningful reconciliation, CPA Australia looks forward to working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, governments, members of the accounting profession, our employees, and all Australians to find a shared voice and help build a strong, united nation.

"I take great pride in CPA Australia pledging our support for an important statement empowering Voice, Treaty, and truth. In the spirit of our Reconciliation journey at CPA Australia we are grateful for the opportunity and invitation to walk in a movement of all Australian people for a better future."

— Rowena Buddee - Executive General Manager Member Experience, RAP Executive Sponsor.

"I am excited to see the progress being made by CPA Australia as we continue on our reconciliation journey. This response to the Uluru Statement of the Heart demonstrates support for the First Nations people of Australia. The thought leadership provided by CPA Australia and our members will make an impactful contribution to positive change."

— Keitha Dunstan FCPA - Chair of the CPA Indigenous Advisory Group, Provost, Bond University.

Our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2022 - 2024

Our Innovate RAP focuses on:

developing and strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
engaging employees and stakeholders in reconciliation, developing and piloting innovative strategies to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our Innovate RAP aims to:

Deliver education and career pathway initiatives that build the representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the accounting profession.
Promote the value that accounting and financial wellbeing can create for communities.
Raise awareness and educate employees and members on reconciliation.

Reconciliation Action Plan

PDF · 1.2 MB

Download our Reconciliation Action Plan as a PDF document.

Recent highlights

2022

In February, members and employees came together for a virtual national event that officially launched our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The launch was hosted by Andrew Hunter, and included guest speakers President and Chair Merran Kelsall, member and Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Irene Morris, member and Bidjara man Dean Morrison, and RAP Executive Sponsor Rowena Buddee. The General Manager from Reconciliation Australia, who officially endorsed our RAP, Peter Morrison, also spoke at the event.

Artwork of Sarah Richards CPA — Sarah Richards CPA | Artist and designer

Key focusses

The Innovate RAP is the second iteration of our reconciliation journey. It represents our ongoing progress towards reconciliation and our growing understanding of what our organisation’s greatest sphere of influence is: our members and the broader accounting profession.

The three key focusses of this RAP are:

Build the number of First Nations people in the accounting profession.
Promote the value of accounting for Australian Indigenous communities.
Continue to build awareness, education and capability with members and employees.

Key initiatives

View all initiatives

Following the official launch, work commenced on some key initiatives.

View all initiatives

Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) launch webinar

Watch the Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) launch webinar below

Previous years

As an active socially responsible designation, CPA Australia is committed to reconciliation. Read about our previous initiatives.

In February, members and employees came together for a virtual national event that officially launched our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The launch was hosted by Andrew Hunter, and included guest speakers President and Chair Merran Kelsall, member and Wiradjuri Elder Aunty Irene Morris, member and Bidjara man Dean Morrison, and RAP Executive Sponsor Rowena Buddee. The General Manager from Reconciliation Australia, who officially endorsed our RAP, Peter Morrison, also spoke at the event.

The Innovate RAP is the second iteration of our reconciliation journey. It represents our ongoing progress towards reconciliation and our growing understanding of what our organisation’s greatest sphere of influence is: our members and the broader accounting profession.

The three key focusses of this RAP are:
- Build the number of First Nations people in the accounting profession.
- Promote the value of accounting for Australian Indigenous communities.
- Continue to build awareness, education and capability with members and employees.
Though we were not in a RAP cycle during 2021, we have continued to deliver on our ongoing commitment.
- Our Indigenous artwork project enabled each division engaged with their local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to source a unique piece of art depicting the local land and traditional owners of that land on which each office resides. These artworks act as a beautiful visual cue to our respect and commitment to reconciliation and can be viewed in any of our 8 Australian office locations
- Our joint Reconciliation Week event welcomed over 500 employees and members joined us to hear from a guest panel of some of First Nations Members. This group of volunteers represented a diversity of genders, generations, different locations, and a wide range of experiences, who shared personal stories about themselves, what lands they have come from, how they got into the accounting profession, what they are passionate about, and what Reconciliation means to them.
- The CPA Australia Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scholarship filled all 5 scholarship positions for the first time since the scholarships inception. To date, 43 scholarships have been awarded.
- The acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country protocols has been introduced at formal employee and member events as a sign of respect towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- A member profile self-identification tool allows new and existing members to identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This tool is helping us understand current member representation and measure future growth.
- Reconciliation and Indigenous Culture learning offerings were introduced during NAIDOC Week and the offering is available to all employees

Hear from our Indigenous Initiatives Lead, Holly Mataka

Learn about Holly Mataka, her cultural heritage and what reconciliation means to her.

Holly Mataka:
My name is Holly Mataka. I'm CPA Australia's Indigenous Initiative Lead, and I'm a proud Wiradjuri woman from Yass. I remember the launch of our inaugural RAP in 2019, and I was asked the question on what reconciliation meant to me then.

It's safe to say, for me, the word hasn't changed, but the meaning has intensified. I don't think of reconciliation is in one week, I think of it as a culture shift, a change, a chance to challenge and also a chance to ask questions that you may not be comfortable with or I may not know where to start.

For me, reconciliation means we're learning from the oldest living culture in the world. It means that we can go on a journey with this culture and really get to understand their knowledge where they come from and respect their truth. I think reconciliation starts with truth, and I think the more we start to listen, the more we can learn and then we have a better chance for reconciliation.

My proudest moment to date at CPA Australia would have been the launch of our Reflect RAP. I've had the privilege to watch CPA go on a journey through our Reflect RAP and then as I transitioned into the Indigenous Initiative Lead role.

I got to develop the Innovate RAP. So for me, this journey has definitely shifted. We started exploring what a RAP was, the Reflect RAP and we started to see how our business could actually get involved with reconciliation.

As we move to the Innovate RAP, we've seen this shift. We're now making bolder decisions and we're getting involved with reconciliation on a deeper level. To say this is my proudest moment at CPA Australia would be an understatement. As we transition to the Innovate RAP, it's really exciting to see all the different initiatives we have. We're going deeper and we're exploring more partnerships and we're creating more opportunities for First Nations accountants.

We'll be launching an Indigenous advisory group to make sure our First Nations members have a voice. Our voice of our First Nations members is so important, so to be supported and guided by them will be instrumental in this Innovate RAP. We know our sphere of influence is out with our one hundred and sixty five thousand plus members, and we know that's where we can make a difference.

This journey will be so exciting and will hopefully take all of our members on board with us. And we need them all to join in on the journey of reconciliation. This is our way forward within CPA Australia for reconciliation. We need to bring our First Nations members and our members on this journey with us.

We need to make sure we have a strong pipeline of First Nations accountants and through this Reconciliation Action Plan, we're able to start to find a way how. Personally, reconciliation is a conversation my ancestors were never privileged to have the thought of me standing before people and announcing who I am would have made them shudder with fear.

My ancestors changed their last names and hid their Aboriginal identity to make sure myself and my family were safe. Safety was so important for my ancestors. To have access to health care, to education and to basic land rights was important. So everything that they did hiding me from my Indigenous identity was done to keep me safe.

Reconciliation isn't something that they would have thought about. Reconciliation would have been a distant thought, something maybe they couldn't even comprehend. I sit here and I reflected about the word reconciliation and that word to me makes me think how lucky I am to live in a country where this can be a conversation. How lucky I am to live in a time where I don't need to be afraid.

To stand before you all and to tell you I am Aboriginal is something my ancestors weren't privileged to.

This is a journey. Reconciliation isn't just a week, it's a journey we all must go on. It's truth sharing and it's celebrating, and it's learning from the oldest living culture in the world. Make sure you ask questions. Make sure you get involved and make sure you always seek the truth. Reconciliation matters. It's important and we all have a part to play.

Reconciliation

Our response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart

Our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2022 - 2024

Recent highlights

2022

Key focusses

Key initiatives

Stakeholder engagement

Understanding our current representation

Indigenous Scholarships Program

Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) launch webinar

Previous years

2022 projects and events

2021 projects and events

Hear from our Indigenous Initiatives Lead, Holly Mataka

Read the transcript

Stories from our Indigenous members

Alex Graham FCPA on giving back to his community

Dean Morrison CPA: drawing inspiration from community

Dr Kerry Bodle CPA: The essential academic

Paul Coonan CPA: Reconciliation through community engagement

Professor Keitha Dunstan FCPA: Trailblazing in a man's world