Authentic, purposeful action is essential to working toward reconciliation, true inclusivity, and equality. In too many cases, Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) are seen as a tick-box exercise or a way to enhance organisational reputations, with little intention of doing anything further.

While every RAP may look very different, and it’s essential to acknowledge that it can take time and sustained effort to work toward measurable Indigenous inclusion goals, it’s equally important to be able to differentiate between performative policies and action plans and those that stand to make a real-world difference.

Perhaps the easiest way to determine whether your RAP, or that of an organisation you are considering doing business with, is genuine is to look for consistency, action alongside words, and efforts to build dialogues, relationships, and cultural awareness programs that show transparently how the plan is being implemented.

Does It Matter if Reconciliation Action Plans and Aboriginal Allyship Are Solely Performative?

Performative allyship can be as damaging as taking no action at all. It is best compared to tokenism and green-washing: wanting to be seen as doing the right thing for all the wrong reasons. 

If you’re new to reconciliation and RAPs, we’d recommend reading our guide on what a Reconciliation Action Plan is. This resource explains the roles of these policies and approaches in making allyship a company-wide, community, or organisational priority. 

The major issue with performative and disingenuous allyship is that it is intended to benefit the person or organisation that wants to be perceived as an ally without doing anything to support marginalised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experiencing disparities and disadvantages.

At its best, inauthentic allyship assumes others should do the work but attempts to reap the rewards. At its worst, it upholds the status quo and shirks the responsibility to work toward reconciliation for a more inclusive, equitable future for all.

Key Elements that Differentiate Performative Allyship From Genuine Efforts

Any true allyship, whether in the form of a community initiative, a workplace scheme, or a Reconciliation Action Plan, is much more than a one-time exercise or something that should be dusted off only when it would benefit the organisation to be perceived as an ally. Instead, honest allyship in any guise means:

• Advocacy for inclusion and equity and taking active steps to make quantifiable changes
• Amplifying and empowering unrepresented voices rather than speaking for them
• Nurturing inclusivity, accessibility, and respect as cultural norms and a baseline standard way of operating and communicating

Regardless of the place you are starting from, this work does not stop, nor does it have a finite end date. Unfortunately, any positive progress made can be swiftly undermined by performative actions.

Indications That Allyship and Reconciliation Planning Are Credible

Reconciliation, truth-telling, and open communications can be uncomfortable, but listening to stories of injustice, making space to hear and accept historical traumas and silencing, and trying to understand the horrors of colonisation are necessary parts of the process. Real allies do not shy away from or gloss over the challenges of reconciliation but recognise the contributions Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make and honour the importance of lived experiences being heard.

Allies cannot make meaningful changes without learning and taking proactive steps to identify and comprehend how colonisation has affected marginalised communities. Showing up throughout and taking action to dismantle injustices or systems that perpetuate inequality requires active, purposeful listening.

Allyship Leadership and Active Adoption

Organisations and workforces need to introduce allyship programs or RAPs in a sustainable and comprehensive way. Leaders, managers, and executives should act as visible, active committee members who champion plans and allocate sufficient resources for them to have a tangible impact.

If some groups, demographics, or staff members, for example, are not able to voice their needs and contribute to planning, assume that plans do not require their involvement, or disengage from the process, reconciliation efforts can only ever be limited.

Consistency and Self-Awareness

Allies don’t just talk about change. They also consistently take action, even when the improvements or reforms they need to make are inconvenient. Self-awareness is hugely important, where allies acknowledge their privilege and ensure that it is used in the right way to support others–without expecting gratification or acknowledgement in return.

We hope this concise guide helps illuminate the glaring gaps between performative and genuine allyship and provides you with insight into how performative allyship (which exists to serve the ally, not the cause) differs from proactive, authentic reconciliation planning.