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, CHOICE 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’s 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.
CHOICE 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’re also partnering with Gawura School to provide school tours during Science Week for children from Years 4–6.
Download the CHOICE Reconciliation Action Plan 2025–2027 (PDF, 6.8MB).
Artwork
Gene Ross (Wuri Wuri) is a proud Dharawal man; fourth generation born on Gadigal land. Gene was CHOICE’s resident in-house photographer for over 20 years, and despite retiring in 2025, he remains the leader of CHOICE’s 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’s 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 CHOICE RAP focuses on the story of CHOICE. The spear and shield, drawn in our primary and secondary corporate colours, are a symbol of the protection CHOICE 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 CHOICE helps others.
The artwork also shares the story of the land on which CHOICE 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 CHOICE, 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:
- Relationships. We built partnerships with Inner West Council, AbSec and Wirringa Baiya. We also wrote guiding principles for how we partner with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations. CHOICE joined the Youpla coalition of more than 100 organisations calling for compensation for over 20,000 First Nations policyholders. We helped with campaign planning, media and political engagement, and an open letter signed by more than 130 organisations.
- Respect. Every all-staff meeting now opens with an Acknowledgement of Country, and every staff member received a printed Acknowledgement card. We updated our editorial style guide on language about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and trained our content teams on it. Staff marked National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week through workshops, webinars and volunteering at AbSec’s Family Fun Day. Board members took part in cultural learning, and the Board briefed members on the Voice referendum.
- Opportunities. We found suppliers through Supply Nation and our investigative journalism exposed car dealers unfairly targeting First Nations consumers in far north Queensland, and problems with electricity and solar access in the Northern Territory. More on this below.
Download the CHOICE Reconciliation Action Plan 2022–2023 (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 CHOICE investigations team have also highlighted some significant consumers injustices that are being experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples:
Microsoft Copilot and Google AI sharing illegal gambline sites that target First Nations communities
AI tools are giving out free promotion to scam gambling sites, or scambling sites. The tools are labelling these sites as ‘highly regulated’, when they are in fact illegal gambling sites that have a disproportionate affect on First Nations communities.
A laptop pilot program helps First Nations communities connect
The First Nations Device Bank run by WorkVentures is an opportunity for companys to donate used laptops to help breach the First Nations digital divide.
Telstra leaves remote First Nations communities in limbo
Telstra’s mobile data monopoly in Milingimbi highlights the digitial divide remote First Nations communities face that can cut them off from essential services like banking and government agencies.
Woolworths’ closes the last grocery store
Supermarket giant Woolworths’ plans to close the only grocery store in remote Nhulunbuy. The town in East Arnhem land is home to the Yolnu people, who rely on the store for their bare food essentials.
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 CHOICE 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
CHOICE 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.