The Foxtel Group has released its 2021-2023 Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), which will bring Australia’s First Nations talent to the forefront, and mark a reset of Foxtel Group’s reconciliation journey.
The RAP set out is an “aspirational but practical plan designed to reconnect and re-energise the Foxtel Group with its reconciliation journey based on a vision of showcasing the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”
Foxtel chief executive Patrick Delany said: “Our vision for reconciliation is based on a core belief in the importance of diverse voices to our business, our subscribers and employees.
“Our purpose is to share stories that entertain, inspire and inform Australians through movies, drama, lifestyle, news and sport. It gives us a unique opportunity and responsibility to connect our four million Australian subscribers to First Nations stories and the incredible talent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander actors, athletes and presenters.
“This RAP sees the Foxtel Group renew its commitment to reconciliation after a period of significant change in our business. The initiatives set out in the plan outline how we will use our influence to amplify First Nations voices across our platforms through our storytelling, the passion of our people and the growing scale of our business.”
Karen Mundine, Reconciliation Australia CEO, said: “This Innovate RAP is an opportunity for Foxtel to strengthen relationships, gain crucial experience, and nurture connections that will become the lifeblood of its future RAP commitments. By enabling and empowering staff to contribute to this process, Foxtel will ensure shared and cooperative success in the long-term.”
Speaking to The Australian, Fox Sports presenter Hannah Hollis said: “I don’t think it’s possible to overstate how valued First Nations people feel – both on-air and off-air – when they hear or watch or read about life experiences that they can relate to.
“Blackfellas can talk until they are blue in the face but if no one is listening, nothing changes.
“By giving Indigenous people a platform to express how they feel, and to share their voice in the knowledge that the people listening are doing so with an open mind and not a sense of obligation … that’s important for the nation.”
The Foxtel Group’s Reconciliation Action Plan is available to see here.