IAG has launched a reconciliation action plan to support indigenous communities and help “right a long-standing wrong”.

The plan sets out 16 commitments, including increasing awareness of indigenous cultures among staff and providing career opportunities for Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.

MD Mike Wilkins says IAG has always supported indigenous Australians but the plan brings existing work together “as part of a formal reconciliation journey”.

“Today, we are simply doing what we believe is right,” he said. “We are saying that Australian business has a role to play in helping to right a long-standing wrong, and as one of Australia’s leading companies, we can make an important contribution to addressing this inequity.”

The plan is the first signed by an insurance company, and the 500th accredited by Reconciliation Australia.