For those unfamiliar, National NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia in the first week of July each year (Sunday to Sunday) to celebrate and recognize the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
NAIDOC Week is an opportunity for all Australians to learn about First Nations cultures and histories and participate in celebrations of the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.
Through activities and events held across the country, you can support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities.
This year’s NAIDOC week theme is: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud.
From simple and small acts to wide-impact initiatives, leading companies understand—both morally and economically—the importance of reconciliation for the First Nations Peoples and are taking concrete action.
In this insightful piece, Endorsed Employers across Australia share best practices and advice to help other employers understand and support the careers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This includes valuable guidance on their employment strategies and recruitment plans.
Indigenous-owned businesses
Nurturing and developing First Nations Peoples’ businesses is an important focus for all the Endorsed Employers interviewed. Welcome To Country, smoking ceremonies, catering, printing, designing artwork, and publishing Indigenous newspapers are part of the services these companies have as part of their supply chain, but their efforts extend beyond this.
All Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology staff are encouraged to use Indigenous businesses for any work, not just for company-sponsored Indigenous events.
Mott Macdonald Australia set up measures to pay on time, offering supplier expos and marking upcoming opportunities for trade.
Community relations
Giving back to the community is fundamental for all participating employers, particularly in projects that improve the environment or promote public safety, well-being, health, or education. Here are just some of the stand-out initiatives introduced:
“The QFES workforce actively participates in learning opportunities relating to traditional burning practices. Through these learning opportunities, traditional burning practices are able to be incorporated in to hazard reduction burns methodologies that QFES conduct. Some examples of this include sending staff on traditional burning courses delivered by First Nations People and collaboratively participating in hazard reduction burns with traditional owners.”
– John Cawcutt | Assistant Commissioner at Queensland Fire and Emergency Services
Unitywater: The company shares their expertise in water and sewerage services with a remote community on Mornington Island as they work to improve their water supply network.
Through this partnership, Unitywater engineers provide advice, mentoring, and technical support to help the community build capacity and resolve issues with their wastewater treatment plant and water supply dam. The partnership has evolved to include provision of technical equipment to monitor their system.
Other programs include environmental and cultural projects, such as conserving the Pandanus tree and monitoring the vulnerable Water Mouse in culturally significant waterways.
Programmed: All of the organization’s training and employment initiatives are delivered in partnership with the local Indigenous Community who provide ongoing cultural mentoring and support for those involved.
Programmed also provides culturally appropriate Job Readiness Programs directly to Indigenous students and young people aimed at building confidence. This includes providing the right tools and training to build retention and sustainability in gaining employment in the Trade industry.
DEMIRS: Their Industry Regulation and Consumer Protection group works to ensure a fair trading environment and that building, plumbing, gas, and electricity services are safe for Western Australian consumers, traders, and the community.
A dedicated Aboriginal Community Education Officer and a team of Senior Regional Officers work hard to provide support and build formative relationships within the regional communities to gain a better awareness and greater insight into the local issues. More recently, this has involved working with Elders from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands to provide common words and phrases associated with consumer protection in two languages, Ngaanyatjarra and Wangkatja.
“If we cannot have meaningful and respectful conversations about the “Indigenous issues” in our society or workplace – how do we work towards positive and impactful solutions?”
– Deanella (Dee) Mack | Indigenous Cultural Capability Leader at EY
Indigenous staff networking
Networking is an increasingly popular part of organizations’ programs, with many employers facilitating and supporting their implementation.
Sandvik’s network is administered by their Community Engagement Officer, with the aim of being a communication point for all First Nations staff to share ideas.
TransGrid’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff have organically led the formation of a weekly catch-up called Yarn Up (a virtual yarning circle).
“This has been a great way to stay connected through COVID-19 not only through our jobs but also providing a platform and a culturally safe space for us to support each other’s mental health.”
– Sherrie Castaldini | Indigenous Engagement Team Leader at TransGrid
Indigenous employment strategy
Organizations such as Sandvik, BAE Systems, Programmed, Mott MacDonald, EY, DEMIRS, and TransGrid are continually reviewing their recruitment and employment policies to ensure they are inclusive and free of barriers for current employees and future Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. Some of these companies have even developed tailored strategies.
BAE Systems: To close the gap on employment opportunities for First Nations Peoples, their key initiatives include comprehensive reviews of their recruitment practices and subsequent enhancements to remove any barriers (i.e., establishment of First Nations recruitment supply panel, advertising via First Nations media channels, and bespoke candidate care programs); a formal commitment to engaging apprentices, graduates and interns via CareerTrackers; enterprise-wide Cultural Awareness training; and cultural capability interview training.
DEMIRS: All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees have the opportunity to participate in a structured learning and development program and corporate mentoring program.
DEMIRS has identified at least six established positions to recruit Aboriginal employees within the department. The department also participates in the Public Sector Commission’s Aboriginal School Based Traineeship Program to host and support trainees who successfully complete a Certificate II in Government (Public Administration).
Programmed: Their ambition is to provide at least 5,000 sustainable opportunities and employment pathways through direct employment with Programmed or employment as part of the workforces they deploy on behalf of their customers.
This includes training programs for disadvantaged youths (Youth Interchange Program), which provide them with insights into trades they would not normally be exposed to. These programs coordinate with their vendors, identify skill gaps in the market, and provide interested participants with the relevant training and certifications to walk onto a site and start an apprenticeship.
Cultural awareness:
Almost all WORK180 Endorsed Employers across Australia promote and are actively involved in key cultural celebrations and events, including National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week.
“Although some of these gestures are symbolic, they are the first steps towards a commitment to continue our cultural journey as an organization and improving our relationship with Indigenous Peoples in Australia.”
– Deanella (Dee) Mack | Indigenous Cultural Capability Leader at EY
Here are just some of the most meaningful initiatives that WORK180-endorsed businesses have been actively supporting:
EY: Many EY offices have completed room renaming projects, with client-facing and function rooms named after local Indigenous languages. These projects assist in further strengthening relationships with local traditional custodians and Indigenous groups who were consulted in the process. They are also aimed at encouraging staff and clients to become aware of local languages in their office locations.
DEMIRS: In addition to annual leave, the organization offers up to five days of paid cultural leave per calendar year for employees who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander to participate in cultural and ceremonial obligations, as well as community cultural events. DEMIRS also provides Aboriginal Cultural Awareness training for managers and work groups participating in their Aboriginal Employment Program.
The university’s staff Enterprise Agreements recognize and promote knowledge of and commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and cultures. Areas such as workload, staff development, promotion, and reclassification recognize Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values, academic achievements, and community achievements, including the consideration of cultural standards.
Creating a culturally safe workplace
This guidance on what more workplaces could and should be doing to attract, retain, and nurture Indigenous employees would not be complete without addressing the importance of cultural safety. All interviewed Endorsed Employers have formalized their approach to creating a more culturally welcome environment in their workplaces.
The initiatives in place include promoting events and significant celebrations, displaying Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags along with the Australian flag, as well as artwork, Acknowledgment to Country in all internal and external meetings, and requesting a Traditional Owner to perform a Welcome To Country in official meetings and events.
Additional practices include mandatory cultural safety and awareness training, among other formal and informal initiatives:
BAE System included cooking demonstrations, acknowledgments, short films, lunches, and morning teas. They have also established a dedicated First Nations landing page on the BAE Systems Australia intranet to create awareness, stimulate education, and promote key reconciliation initiatives.
Sandviks’ staff proudly wear their Sandvik RAP Polo Shirts, scarves, lapels, and, on occasion, Sandvik RAP Ties.
Mott MacDonald Australia recently committed to a 100% mandatory completion rate of Aboriginal cultural awareness training with Mirri Mirri, starting with a leadership visioning and creative storytelling workshop on a key project in NSW, Engineering Design Solutions, with Sydney Metro.
EY introduced a mandatory online cultural awareness module for all new staff during onboarding, providing access to extra cultural support for their Indigenous staff, including interns.
EY also included and acknowledged Indigenous kinship in their leave policies, such as sorry business and family and domestic violence Indigenous Governance. And importantly, an EY Indigenous Governance Council has been established, which includes two of our Executive Leadership Team Partners.
Reconciliation Action Plan
By focusing on addressing multi-causal systemic issues, companies can best contribute to sustainable First Nations Peoples’ development.
Employer seekers can find the Endorsed Employers with reconciliation plans in place on our WORK180 platform. So, if you’re looking for a workplace committed to First Nations Peoples’ careers, be sure to explore our Endorsed Employers’ current opportunities.
