As a large employer, we realise the role we can have in providing genuine, sustainable employment opportunities for all Australians, including Aboriginal Australians. We are committed to ensuring that our businesses are places where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel welcome and valued, as employees, customers, suppliers and citizens.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) outlines the measurable actions we are committed to across the Wesfarmers Group, with an overarching goal of having a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate.
Creating opportunities
Over the past year, three business units and Corporate Office implemented Aboriginal employment programs with customised recruitment, training and support mechanisms. An additional four business units supported community-driven Aboriginal employment programs. As a result, our overall Aboriginal employee numbers increased from 1,012 to 1,164. This is 0.6 per cent of our total employees.
Nearly all of our business units entered into purchasing relationships with businesses certified by the Australian Indigenous Minority Supplier Council (AIMSC).
Building relationships
All of our business units had team members who participated in the Jawun Secondment Program. This year we provided 18 one-month secondees and one three-month secondee. We also sponsored the inaugural Jawun Emerging Leaders Tour, in which 11 emerging leaders from four Jawun regions were involved in a specialised regional tour, sharing learnings and receiving leadership training.
Many business units have been focused on developing relationships with Aboriginal community members, organisations and service providers to support their Aboriginal engagement and employment strategies. For example, WesCEF team members participated in Kwinana, (Western Australia) Aboriginal community events and the Wesfarmers Industrial and Safety Indigenous Steering Committee held a meeting at the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Redfern, Sydney.
Within the Wesfarmers Group, we have an established Wesfarmers Indigenous Network, a forum where all business units can share Aboriginal engagement and employment learnings.
Fostering respect
Building respect and understanding of Aboriginal people and their cultures within our businesses is an important aspect of our RAP.
We appreciate the critical importance of strong leadership in relation to our RAP. We have prioritised activities that build the cross-cultural competence of our leaders; to date, senior managers in six business units have completed cultural awareness training.
Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country protocols were observed at major events, including the Wesfarmers 2011 Annual General Meeting.
Wesfarmers continues to support Aboriginal communities and cultures through its Arts program. During the year, Wesfarmers was announced as the inaugural Indigenous Art Partner of the National Gallery of Australia, presenting the Gallery’s national schedule of Aboriginal exhibitions, public programs and education. The Wesfarmers Arts National Indigenous Arts Fellowship program, also in association with the National Gallery, entered its third year, with 32 individuals from Aboriginal communities across Australia participating in the Fellowship Leadership program since its inception in 2010.
Our full report against the actions identified in our 2012 RAP and the 2013 RAP can be found under the ‘Reports’ section at www.wesfarmers.com.au