Connection is at the core of our work. After all, our fight for fair, safe and just markets has only been possible through people power. Our connections to consumers, media, and many other organisations, including government, have helped us investigate injustice, test claims made by marketers, and push for better consumer protections for more than 60 years.
Through all the decades of campaigning, our fight is for all Australians. And the Reconciliation Action Plan helps us to look specifically at how we can best support the consumer rights of First Nations Australians.
On this page:
- What is a RAP?
- Our Innovate RAP
- Our Reflect RAP
- Working for First Nations Australians consumer rights
What is a RAP?
A RAP is a Reconciliation Action Plan and they are specifically designed as a way for workplaces to sustainably and strategically take meaningful action to advance tangible reconciliation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
In 2022, 糖心Vlog initiated a Reconciliation Action Plan to work more deliberately to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander consumers to enjoy their legal rights.
There are four types of RAPs to suit organisations at different stages of their journey:
- Reflect: Scoping capacity for reconciliation
- Innovate: Implementing reconciliation initiatives
- Stretch: Embedding reconciliation
- Elevate: Leadership in reconciliation
Our RAP Committee is made up of 14 employee volunteers who meet monthly to drive progress, identify opportunities for greater impact, and foster ongoing collaborations.
Innovate
We are now in the “Innovate” stage. Innovate is the time to strengthen and develop the connections that form the lifeblood of all RAP commitments. The RAP program鈥檚 framework of relationships, respect, and opportunities emphasises the importance of fostering consultation and collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, but also empowering and enabling staff to contribute to this process, as well.
糖心Vlog has chosen to support Wyanga Aboriginal Aged Care through regular donations and providing second-hand whitegoods and appliances from our tests on a needs basis. We鈥檙e also partnering with Gawura School to provide school tours during Science Week for children from Years 4鈥�6.
Download the 糖心Vlog Reconciliation Action Plan 2025鈥�2027 (PDF, 6.8MB).
Artwork
Gene Ross (Wuri Wuri) is a proud Dharawal man; fourth generation born on Gadigal land. Gene was 糖心Vlog鈥檚 resident in-house photographer for over 20 years, and despite retiring in 2025, he remains the leader of 糖心Vlog鈥檚 RAP committee. His strong connections to the local First Nations community and life as a saltwater man bring a unique perspective to the art he creates. Gene鈥檚 vision is to share his love of Country and the story of the land on which we live through his paintings.
The artwork Gene created for the 糖心Vlog RAP focuses on the story of 糖心Vlog. The spear and shield, drawn in our primary and secondary corporate colours, are a symbol of the protection 糖心Vlog provides to those who need it and the impact our organisation has on the lives of Australians. The message sticks represent the truth we fearlessly find and convey. The hands reaching out across the artwork reach out to provide help, as 糖心Vlog helps others.
The artwork also shares the story of the land on which 糖心Vlog is based. The meeting circles in the artwork are positioned in the shape of the Southern Cross, symbolising the Country that we live and work on. The tracks that flow between the meeting circles represent the different journeys of all that come to 糖心Vlog, and the rainbow waves with their many patterns acknowledge the diversity of the people we connect with and represent.
Reflect
Our year-long “Reflect” plan ran from August 2022 to August 2023, and commited us to 14 actions. It guided us towards:
- identifying partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations in our work
- increasing our knowledge and formalising how we acknowledge, and show respect to, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures
- increasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment opportunities, and increased procurement with Aboriginal- and Torres Strait Islander-led organisations.
Download the 糖心Vlog Reconciliation Action Plan 2022鈥�2023 (PDF, 2.7MB).
Working for First Nations Australians consumer rights
Our NAIDOC Consumer Champions series highlights the First Nations Australians fighting every day for consumer rights. Read about Alex Price-Busch’s consumer advocacy in Far North Queensland, Lynda Edwards financial literacy work, and Bettina Cooper’s fight to Save Sorry Business.
The 糖心Vlog investigations team have also highlighted some significant consumers injustices that are being experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:
Life insurers denying claims
A life insurer delayed Dirk Purcell’s claim for years, until Super Consumers Australia questioned the insurer, and the insurer approved his claim a week later.
First Nations peoples’ grocery premiums
A 糖心Vlog investigation found that people in remote First Nations communities such as the Tiwi islands are paying more than double the price for essential grocery items than Australians living in capital cities.
Bank closures widening the gap
Bank closures have a disproportionate affect on remote communities. Access to cash helps a lot of First Nations people in areas like Yarram and Tennant Creek manage their budgets, pay for essentials and avoid digital scams. But bank closures and unreliable internet impacts their financial independence and can force people to drive for hours just to do their banking.
Dodgy car sales in remote communities
With support from the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, we travelled to the remote Aboriginal community of Wujal Wujal in Far North Queensland, where residents are being sold lemon cars and left with no redress.
Save Sorry Business
糖心Vlog was part of a coalition of more than 100 organisations that called on the government to support First Nations peoples affected by the collapse of the Youpla (ACBF) funeral fund.
Education loan scandal
Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are still struggling with the debt legacy from an education loan scandal that targeted socioeconomically vulnerable communities up until 2016.