AMP Capital launches Reconciliation Action Plan

Ever wonder why at so many events over the past few years, both inside AMP Capital and outside, making an Acknowledgment of Country has become so common?

An Acknowledgement of Country statement is a way for us all to pay respect to the oldest living culture in the world, its ancient practices, its traditions and its protocols.

Those few moments, normally at the beginning of an event, prompt people to consider the Traditional Custodians of this land, their history and their values, and recognise the work still to be done to achieve reconciliation in Australia.

At AMP Capital, we want to create more of those moments. We want to tangibly demonstrate that we acknowledge, respect and value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

That’s why we are proud to present our inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP commits our organisation to take a prominent role in creating opportunities to enhance the quality of the lives and communities of the Traditional Custodians of this land.

The RAP forms a crucial part of our Inclusion and Diversity strategy and our commitment to building a work culture that is inclusive of different people, approaches and ideas. This is critical to our success as a global investment manager.

There are three main focus areas in our RAP:

1. Knowledge and respect

We will include Acknowledgement and Welcome to Country protocols at all AMP Capital events and will deliver training to all staff to help build knowledge and respect for First Australians.

The training will show the relevance of ancient wisdom to our current ways of working, and how they link with our Inclusion and Diversity strategy and our commitment to sustainability.

To further promote knowledge and understanding we will also continue to celebrate key annual events and dates, including National Reconciliation Week.

2. Relationships

We will identify more ways to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Currently, in partnership with the Sydney Opera House, we are proud to support Dance Rites, bringing together First Nation artists from around Australia.

We will also develop an internship program to support career pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples into our organisation and investigate ways to increase representation of First Australians in our supply chains.

3. Financial expertise

We will endeavour to find ways to leverage the skills of our people to the mutual advantage of both First Australians and our employees. This might be through financial awareness and literacy campaigns or by developing connections between communities and our financial resources and services.

Final thoughts

All three focus areas of the RAP will help AMP Capital support and provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The RAP will also help our employees build knowledge of, and respect for, First Australians which ultimately will benefit AMP Capital and those who do business with us. We know that a greater emphasis on diversity and inclusion yields better business results. It is also the right thing to do.

As a wider organisation, AMP has a heritage in Australia that spans almost 170 years. It is just a fraction of the time that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have been here. This RAP will help us learn from and support our First Australians as we work towards reconciliation.