Reconciliation Australia has joined Broadspectrum to launch the company’s fourth Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) at Chinchilla in Queensland.
The launch comes off the back of successes the company has had in this space. Broadspectrum has successfully increased Indigenous employment from 2.2 to 4.8 per cent, contributed $88 million to the national economy through the Indigenous employment program, and won the Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year Award at the Supply Nation’s 2018 awards.
The latest RAP for 2018 to 2021 outlines actions the company will take to provide opportunities for Indigenous people and businesses.
“As a services provider with operations across remote and regional Australia, our legacy is focused on building the skills, talents and experience of Indigenous people and businesses to ensure they can secure meaningful employment and opportunities with Broadspectrum and other businesses,” Broadspectrum’s Managing Director and CEO Nick Miller said.
“We are also committed to creating career pathways for Indigenous people, including into leadership positions. By 2021, we hope to have 6.5 per cent Indigenous employment in our business.”
“We care about what we do and the people we work with, and this has been a strongly held value throughout our company’s 60-plus years of operations. These values led to us being the first services company to launch a RAP in 2009, and our latest RAP strengthens our ongoing commitment to share our success with the communities where we work.”
“Broadspectrum’s fourth Reconciliation Action Plan will continue to deliver positive and far-reaching economic and behavioural transformations, contributing significantly to national reconciliation,” Reconciliation Australia’s Deputy CEO Andrea Kelly said.
Broadspectrum aims to employ another 450 Indigenous talent by 2020, partly through a contract with the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The company is also part of the Emerging Indigenous Executive Leaders Program run by UNSW, which promotes Indigenous leaders in businesses.
The launch of Broadspectrum’s fourth RAP was commemorated by a commissioned artwork – Chinchilla on Charlies – by students from the Chinchilla State High School, working with local Barunngam Elder Uncle Reg Warner and Broadspectrum employee and Indigenous artist Anthony Turnbull. The artwork was also reproduced and wrapped on a vehicle and hard hats, which will be displayed throughout select operations in the Surat Basin region of Queensland.
Broadspectrum’s targets in its 2018 to 2021 RAP include doubling Indigenous procurement to support 100 businesses, support 10 Indigenous interns per year over a decade in partnership with CareerTrackers, work with government to create a framework to enable Indigenous people with minor criminal records to gain meaningful employment, and build a formal mentoring program that results in a four per cent Indigenous representation in the company’s “High Potential” employee talent pool.