Medibank's 2013 Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) will be launched today, strengthening the organisation's commitment towards improving the health and wellbeing outcomes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Medibank Managing Director, George Savvides, will tell Indigenous leaders and Medibank employees at the launch that Medibank has learnt much over the past year and is ready to commit to new actions in 2013.
"The 2013 RAP introduces seven new actions, while retaining the initial 15 actions that were introduced in 2012. We are also putting clear targets around the organisation's procurement from Indigenous suppliers and recruitment of Indigenous employees."
The plan will also mean that Medibank's actions towards better Indigenous health and wellbeing will be more closely linked to existing programs, run by Indigenous health organisations, in every state of Australia and in the Northern Territory.
"We have made good progress in enacting our first RAP which was developed in 2012, by introducing protocols across the organisation that support recognition of traditional owners of land, new community partnerships to directly benefit Indigenous groups, and the opportunity for more than 300 employees to experience aspects of Indigenous culture," Mr Savvides said.
A key learning from the first year is that partnerships with existing Indigenous health organisations who have expertise and firsthand knowledge of the health issues of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is the best way to achieve good, long term outcomes.
"This will be a priority for us over the next 12 months," Mr Savvides said.
The 2013 RAP has been formulated by a working group, made up of employee representatives from across the business, in consultation with Reconciliation Australia.
Medibank has delivered 10 of the original 15 actions that it set in the 2012 RAP, with a further four actions partially delivered and one item (improving access to private health insurance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people) to be actioned.
The organisation will continue to report its progress in this area annually.
The 2013 Medibank RAP is available from the Medibank Community Fund website