Aurecon Design Academy named Best in Class at Australian Good Design Awards
Aurecon Design Academy wins Best in Class at the 2026 Australian Good Design Awards, celebrating the company's decade-long investment in developing its people.
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Asia Pacific engineering consultancy Aurecon today launched its latest Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), aiming to further advance and economically empower First Nations peoples and deliver enduring value for clients as part of the company’s continued reconciliation journey.
Aurecon’s Innovate RAP sets tangible targets over the next two years to create lasting benefit for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities and help clients advance their own reconciliation and social procurement goals.
Targets include increasing the representation of First Nations peoples to 1% of Aurecon's Australian workforce and increasing Aurecon’s annual spend with First Nations businesses by 25% year-on-year across FY27 and FY28, to an annual estimated procurement spend of more than $3.7 million.
Chief Executive Australia Todd Battley said Aurecon’s approach to reconciliation is grounded in action and the company had gone beyond the minimum requirements specified by Reconciliation Australia for an Innovate RAP.
"A meaningful reconciliation journey requires more than good intentions," said Battley.
"It requires accountability, sustained action and a willingness to continually learn and improve. This RAP is about how we act – using our influence, partnerships and expertise to enable long-term advancement and self-determination of First Nations peoples and create stronger opportunities for clients and partners to engage with First Nations voices.”
These targets will be supported through initiatives that strengthen recruitment, career development and retention of First Nations employees, expand engagement with First Nations suppliers, and embed reconciliation considerations into Aurecon's governance, procurement and project delivery processes.
Among the initiatives included in the RAP are actions to strengthen incorporation of First Nations perspectives into tender and project delivery processes, increase understanding of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), create greater opportunities for clients and partners to engage with First Nations voices and further embed supplier diversity across the business.
"A meaningful reconciliation journey requires more than good intentions. It requires accountability, sustained action and a willingness to continually learn and improve."
Todd Battley, Chief Executive – Australia, Aurecon
RAP Leadership Team Co-Chair Sean Treweek said the new structures alongside a newly established RAP Advisor role strengthens the governance needed to deliver meaningful outcomes and ensure reconciliation remains embedded throughout Aurecon’s operations.
“With First Nations values increasingly integrated into project planning, design and delivery, our approach embeds reconciliation into business-as-usual practices, strengthening project outcomes, supporting social procurement objectives, and delivering long-term impact for our clients and communities,” Treweek said. The RAP Leadership Team Co-Chair and Yorta Yorta and Wemba Wemba man James Rafferty echoes this sentiment.
“Our RAP supports us to create an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices, knowledge and aspirations are valued and embedded in our work and foster a workplace where First Nations peoples feel respected, included and able to thrive,” Rafferty said.
The RAP also builds on practical initiatives already underway, including Aurecon's fast-track payment process for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, ensuring invoices are paid within 14 days in recognition of the important cultural knowledge, expertise and guidance Elders provide.
Spanning from 2026 to 2028, Aurecon’s RAP was developed through extensive collaboration led by the RAP Leadership Team – which includes First Nations employees – who engaged leaders and representatives from key business functions across Australia. Aurecon's First Nations Employee Network, AureMob, also contributed to shaping the RAP, ensuring First Nations perspectives remained central throughout its development.
The RAP continues Aurecon's vision of a reconciled Australia where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are respected, cultures are celebrated, opportunities are shared and First Nations voices and leadership help make life better for people and the planet.
For more information about Aurecon's First Nations inclusion please visit here.
Group Director, Brand, Marketing & Communications
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