Reconciliation Action Plan, Australia

Turner & Townsend acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

As part of our commitment to being a responsible business, we are seeking to improve the social and economic status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and other Australians.

Through our engagement with communities, work with partners and increased efforts to welcome indigenous communities into our industry, we hope to lead a lasting change – breaking down barriers and enabling the community to thrive.

Our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) was approved by not-for-profit organisation Reconciliation Australia and has been used to turn our support for Australia’s national reconciliation movement into tangible and measurable actions.

As a result, we are broadening our recruitment practices to provide additional ways to welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants and seek opportunities in our own business.

Our RAP working group is leading on this long-term commitment, by driving, implementing and engaging staff at all levels with inclusive initiatives and actions. As well as our recruitment changes, we have also been contributing to national reconciliation efforts through our community engagement activities and service offer.

Inspiring the next generation

Through our partnership with Yalari, our volunteers conducted a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) workshop with Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW), inspiring high school students to broaden their understanding of STEAM careers. Students drove train simulators used by TfNSW’s train drivers and participated in a virtual reality session.

This year, we employed a young person from the Yalari programme and hope to make greater links between our community programme and talent acquisition in future.

Developing communities

We were commissioned by the Department of Infrastructure Planning and Logistics, in conjunction with the Department of Local Government Housing and Community Development, to provide project management services to deliver a housing programme across remote Northern Territory indigenous communities.

At its core, the programme focuses on local decision making, consultation and participation. During this process, there have been 435 community engagement visits and 71 communities visited.

In line with the programme’s focus to develop Aboriginal Business Enterprises (ABEs) opportunities for joint ventures and local employment, 50.5 percent of contracts have been awarded to ABEs.

The programme is providing employment to 47 percent of local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members, which in turn is stimulating social and economic outcomes.

So far, 80 new homes were constructed, with a further 175 homes currently under construction.

Additional community projects include the Palm Island Housing project and culturally safe healthcare centre, overseeing an AUS$300m capital works programme in Darwin, and the refurbishment and construction of clinical staff accommodation facilities at Aurukun Primary Health Care Centre to support a self-managed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.