Confidential Advisory Report
A consultation response and strategic framework for AMP and the AMP Foundation; grounded in community, anchored in food security, and built for lasting impact.
Executive Summary
This report synthesises my perspectives across the three consultation themes and offers strategic recommendations designed to create measurable, community-validated impact. The central thesis is built on three interconnected pillars:
The foundational enabler that underpins at least seven existing Closing the Gap targets, yet remains conspicuously absent from the framework.
The mechanism through which First Nations communities move from dependency to self-determination and sustainable economic participation.
A model that delivers genuine, deep transformation in partnership with other high-impact organisations, rather than spreading resources thinly across symbolic gestures.
Part One
My name is Levi-Joel Tamou. My mother is from Far North Queensland. My father is Kuku Yalanji and Aotearoa Māori. I live and work on the Gold Coast, operating from Yugambeh Country.
I am the founder of the Indigenous Futures Foundation, a registered charity focused on food security, education, and community development in remote and regional First Nations communities; and Love Ya Corporate Catering, an Indigenous catering marketplace where every corporate order funds a meal for a remote First Nations community.
I am also writing a book titled The Fight For First Nations Food Justice, examining systemic causes and practical solutions for food insecurity in Indigenous Australia, alongside a policy paper on First Nations economic development and social entrepreneurship.
Perspectives
To many First Nations people, terms like ‘equality’ and ‘equity’ are foreign concepts; not because we don’t understand them, but because they are not the language of our communities. The frameworks through which reconciliation is discussed in corporate boardrooms often bear little resemblance to the realities experienced on the ground.
Equality says everyone gets the same. Equity says everyone gets what they need. But neither concept matters if the people they’re designed to serve can’t see themselves in the conversation.
In practice, equity for First Nations people means ensuring that unique historical, cultural, and geographical disadvantages are actively addressed; not through charity, but through enabling structures that restore agency and self-determination.
Foundations
Trust is built through working toward a unified goal where both parties demonstrate consistency, integrity, congruence, humility, and transparent intent. These principles speak to three deeper dimensions:
Motive and Agenda: Why are you here? What are you hoping to gain? Communities deserve honest answers.
Competence and Capability: Do you have the ability to deliver on your commitments? Good intentions without capability erode trust faster than doing nothing.
Results: Trust is sustained through demonstrated outcomes. Promises without delivery destroy relationships.
In practice, the behaviours that build high-trust relationships come down to a handful of non-negotiables: talking straight and avoiding corporate doublespeak, demonstrating respect through actions rather than statements, being transparent about limitations and mistakes, and delivering measurable results. When those four things are present consistently, the rest; loyalty, accountability, continuous improvement; follows naturally.
On Injustice
I have, in a deliberate and conscious way, protected myself from indulging too much in the injustices of the world. I acknowledge the history; but I choose not to dwell there. I focus on being grateful for the Australia I live in today, for what my grandparents and great-grandparents endured so that I can live in a land of unprecedented opportunity. Honouring their sacrifice means using that freedom, not mourning it.
A RAP anchored in deficit thinking will produce deficit outcomes. The most powerful reconciliation strategies recognise First Nations peoples as agents of their own futures; entrepreneurs, leaders, innovators; rather than passive recipients of corporate goodwill.
Case Study
KPMG backed and supported me on a one-year programme that extended into three. That investment directly enabled the creation of the organisations I run today, including the Indigenous Futures Foundation and Love Ya Corporate Catering. It is no coincidence that KPMG now holds one of only 14 Elevate RAPs in Australia; the highest tier in Reconciliation Australia's framework. What made it work:
The lesson for AMP is clear: the organisations that reach Elevate are the ones that invest deeply in people and commit for the long term. Short-cycle initiatives and one-off sponsorships may satisfy reporting requirements, but they rarely transform communities.
Part Two
In 1967, my great-grandparents were unable to vote, travel freely, work where they chose, or get married without government permission. That was less than sixty years ago. Today, I run multiple businesses, employ people, write policy, and consult to major corporations.
Years since basic rights denied
Organisations at Elevate RAP level
Organisations with a RAP nationally
When we lose sight of how far we have come, we lose the motivation that fuels further progress. This does not mean the work is done; it means the work is possible.
Reflection
The Voice Referendum offered an important insight for anyone designing reconciliation initiatives: the strength of a concept matters less than the quality of the process behind it. Where communities felt genuinely included in shaping the conversation, there was trust. Where they did not, there was resistance. For AMP, the takeaway is simple; the RAP will be judged not only by what it commits to, but by how those commitments were developed and with whom.
The Missing Target
Food security is not among the Closing the Gap targets, despite the fact that it underpins at least seven of the existing targets across health, education, and economic participation. You cannot close the gap in child mortality, chronic disease, educational attainment, or economic participation if communities cannot reliably access affordable, nutritious food.
Drives chronic disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and childhood malnutrition.
Hungry or malnourished children cannot learn effectively. Attendance targets are undermined at the most basic level.
Communities without reliable food systems cannot build sustainable economies.
The stress and helplessness of food insecurity compounds existing mental health challenges.
The gap in life expectancy is directly influenced by nutritional access across the lifespan.
The first 1,000 days are shaped fundamentally by maternal and infant nutrition.
When communities lose food sovereignty, they lose a dimension of cultural identity.
The absence of food security from Closing the Gap is one of the most significant policy oversights in Australian reconciliation.
Strategic Model
A RAP that tries to address everything addresses nothing deeply. The organisations that create lasting change go deep rather than wide; committing to one community, one issue, and one set of measurable outcomes.
The One-Community-Deep Model: Select one First Nations community and commit to a deep, multi-year partnership that addresses food security as the entry point and builds economic capability as the long-term outcome.
This approach creates a replicable model, generates verifiable outcomes, builds deep trust, positions AMP as a national case study leader, and allows staff to develop genuine lasting relationships.
Critically, this model is strengthened when multiple organisations at similar stages of their reconciliation journey co-invest. AMP should consider forming a consortium with other Stretch and Elevate RAP holders to pool resources, share infrastructure, and create a demonstration project with national significance. Of 2,283 RAP organisations, only 169 have reached Stretch or Elevate level; these are AMP's natural partners for deep, outcomes-driven work.
Part Three
AMP has multiple levers for impact. I have assessed each and ranked them by potential for meaningful, measurable outcomes:
| Lever | Impact Potential | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Through the AMP Foundation | Highest | Direct funding and partnership capability; the most natural vehicle for community-level investment. |
| Through spending decisions | High | Procurement from Indigenous businesses creates immediate economic participation. |
| Through influence in finance | High | AMP can set industry standards for how financial services engages with First Nations economic development. |
| Through employees | Medium–High | Deep immersion experiences can transform organisational culture beyond training modules. |
| Through products & operations | Medium | Indigenous-specific financial products and culturally safe service delivery are longer-term opportunities. |
| Through government influence | Medium | Advocacy for food security inclusion in Closing the Gap; policy influence on economic development. |
If I Were in Charge
Select one remote or regional First Nations community and commit to a five-year partnership focused on food security. Work with community leadership to co-design food supply solutions, establish community-controlled food enterprises, and build local capacity for food sovereignty.
Establish an AMP-backed First Nations Social Enterprise Accelerator. Combine AMP’s financial expertise with on-the-ground capability building; mentorship, financial literacy, market access, and startup capital; delivered through Indigenous-led organisations with existing community relationships.
Move beyond standard cultural awareness. Send AMP leadership to communities like Cherbourg or the Torres Strait Islands for deep immersion on Country. When your people have sat with Elders, shared meals prepared by young First Nations cooks, and seen what community looks like up close, the RAP stops being a document and becomes a personal commitment.
Accountability
Most RAPs are measured internally; through self-reported metrics and board presentations. This creates an inherent bias toward reporting success. A genuinely accountable RAP includes an external, community-led evaluation.
Standard organisational KPIs: Indigenous procurement spend, Indigenous employment, staff engagement, programme delivery milestones.
Annual evaluation conducted by the partner community against community-defined priorities. Published alongside internal reporting. This would be unprecedented in corporate RAP practice.
Culture Change
Collective Impact
AMP does not need to do this alone. Of the 2,283 organisations with a RAP, only 155 have reached Stretch level and just 14 hold Elevate status. These are the organisations with the deepest commitment, the strongest track records, and the most to gain from collaboration.
I would encourage AMP to actively seek partnerships with other Stretch and Elevate RAP holders to co-invest in the one-community-deep model. Organisations like KPMG, Wesfarmers, and NAB have demonstrated sustained commitment at the highest levels. A consortium approach would pool resources, share learnings, and create a national demonstration project that no single organisation could deliver alone.
Summary
| # | Recommendation | Mechanism | Timeframe |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adopt food security as the anchor priority of AMP’s RAP | AMP Foundation partnership with Indigenous food security organisations | Immediate |
| 2 | Select one community for a 5-year deep partnership | Community selection with Indigenous advisory guidance | 6 months |
| 3 | Establish a First Nations Social Enterprise Accelerator | AMP Foundation funding; Indigenous-led delivery partners | 12 months |
| 4 | Deploy a culturally grounded entrepreneurship programme in the partner community | Indigenous-led delivery partners with existing community relationships | 12 months |
| 5 | Implement community-led RAP evaluation | Independent Indigenous evaluator; annual published scorecard | Year 1 |
| 6 | Deep cultural immersion for AMP staff and leadership | On-Country programmes in Cherbourg, Torres Strait Islands, and other community partners | Ongoing |
| 7 | Advocate for food security in Closing the Gap | Government and industry influence channels | Ongoing |
| 8 | Form partnerships with other Stretch and Elevate RAP organisations to co-invest in the one-community-deep model | Consortium approach with like-minded RAP holders; shared investment and shared learnings | 6–12 months |
| 9 | Appoint an Indigenous strategic advisor to the RAP | Advisory contract; ongoing relationship | Immediate |
Stuart, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this process. The challenges facing First Nations communities are real and complex, but so are the solutions.
I hope the perspectives and recommendations in this report are useful as AMP shapes its next steps. I would welcome the chance to continue the conversation if any of this resonates.