Materiality and
stakeholder inclusiveness

The material issues addressed in this report directly reflect priorities identified for Downer and our stakeholders, in line with GRI Standards requirements.

In 2017, KPMG facilitated a materiality assessment via a series of workshops across the business to identify issues material to Downer. This year a consultative review process was undertaken to confirm and identify any new material priority issues through reviews of risk registers, industry ESG ratings, media analysis and peer reviews and engagement with key stakeholders. This ensures our reporting reflects significant economic, environmental and social issues that may influence the assessments and decisions of stakeholders.

In 2015, the United Nations agreed on 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as part of a 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to: end poverty, promote prosperity and wellbeing for all, and protect the planet. Downer is a supporter of the SDGs and we recognise that we are well placed within the sectors we service to contribute to the SDGs. In this year’s report we have aligned our material issues to the SDGs and demonstrated Downer’s contribution to deliver on the SDGs.

Material Issues

Business
Resilience

Interest

  • Financial returns
  • Operational efficiency and productivity
  • Sustainable strategic growth
  • Enduring, collaborative partnerships
  • JV and overseas risks
  • Innovation

See further details in the 2018 Annual Report.

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Community
Investors

Sustainable development goals

People

Interest

  • Talent attraction and retention of skilled employees
  • Diversity and inclusiveness
  • Employee development and capability
  • Leadership and knowledge management

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Regulators
Community

Sustainable development goals

Health
and Safety

Interest

  • Managing health and safety risks with a focus on critical risks
  • Maintaining a high standard Zero Harm culture through accountability
  • Employee health and wellbeing

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Regulators

Sustainable development goals

Environment

Interest

  • Legislative and regulatory compliance and impact minimisation
  • GHG emission reduction
  • Climate change related risks
  • Responding to emerging issues and industry trends

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Regulators

Sustainable development goals

Community

Interest

  • Employment and training opportunities
  • Local purchasing
  • Community investment
  • Socio economic benefits

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Community

Sustainable development goals

Governance

Interest

  • Legislative and regulatory compliance
  • Risk management
  • Standards of business conduct
  • Continuous improvement

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Investors

Sustainable development goals

Interest

  • Financial returns
  • Operational efficiency and productivity
  • Sustainable strategic growth
  • Enduring, collaborative partnerships
  • JV and overseas risks
  • Innovation

See further details in the 2018 Annual Report.

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Community
Investors

Sustainable development goals

Interest

  • Talent attraction and retention of skilled employees
  • Diversity and inclusiveness
  • Employee development and capability
  • Leadership and knowledge management

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Regulators
Community

Sustainable development goals

Interest

  • Managing health and safety risks with a focus on critical risks
  • Maintaining a high standard Zero Harm culture through accountability
  • Employee health and wellbeing

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Regulators

Sustainable development goals

Interest

  • Legislative and regulatory compliance and impact minimisation
  • GHG emission reduction
  • Climate change related risks
  • Responding to emerging issues and industry trends

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Regulators

Sustainable development goals

Interest

  • Employment and training opportunities
  • Local purchasing
  • Community investment
  • Socio economic benefits

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Community

Sustainable development goals

Interest

  • Legislative and regulatory compliance
  • Risk management
  • Standards of business conduct
  • Continuous improvement

Issue relevance to broader value chain

Suppliers
Sub-contractors
Customers
JVs and alliances
Investors

Sustainable development goals

Downer recognises that our business operations have a direct impact on a wide range of stakeholders. To ensure we are capturing the most relevant material issues in this report, we continually review issues raised by our stakeholders. These reviews inform the issues raised above.

How we engage with our stakeholders

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Stakeholders

How we engage

Directly affected

Customers

Meetings, surveys, joint sustainability initiatives, social media channels

Communities

Project-specific community engagement plans, local media, social media channels, employment opportunities, local supply arrangements, community investment projects

Business partners

Joint venture boards and operating committees, meetings, workshops

Shareholders and investment community

Annual General Meeting, Annual Report, Sustainability Report, ASX releases, half-year and full-year results presentations and webcasts, Investor Day (annually), social media channels (ongoing)

Suppliers

Inductions and training, meetings, contractor Zero Harm Days, tender and contract documents

Actively interested

Government and regulators

Reporting, meetings

Industry associations

Representation on boards and committees, meetings

Media

Media releases, briefings and interviews, website, social media channels

Non-government organisations

Participation in forums, meetings

Trade unions

Meetings

Material
priorities

People

Downer recognises that to create a high-performance culture our employees need to be inspired, engaged and empowered.

We believe that embracing difference fuels innovation and enables more informed decision making, which is why we are committed to diversity and inclusiveness in our workplace. Downer works to foster an environment that facilitates opportunity and respect for all employees. We are committed to developing a workforce comprising engaged employees from a wide pool of talent.

Recruiting and retaining the right people is fundamental to being able to deliver the best service options to our customers and providing a workplace that motivates people to excel. We aim to not only recruit and retain the best talent but also to develop the capability of our people with an emphasis on leadership and the sharing of knowledge.

Governance

Downer is committed to ensuring that the company maintains an effective system of corporate governance which is an integral part of our culture and business practices.

Downer is committed to the highest level of governance and is committed to building a culture that rewards high ethical standards and personal integrity.

Our corporate governance framework provides the platform from which:

  • The Downer Board is accountable to shareholders for the operations, performance and growth of the company
  • Management is accountable to the Board
  • The risks of Downer's business are identified and managed
  • Downer communicates with its shareholders and the broader investment community.

Zero Harm

Zero Harm means working in an environment that supports the health and safety of our people, allows us to deliver our business activities in an environmentally sustainable manner, and advances the communities in which we operate.

Our Zero Harm culture is built on leading and inspiring, managing risk, rethinking processes, applying lessons learnt, and adopting and adapting practices that aim to achieve zero work-related injuries and minimise environmental harm.

Health and safety

The health and safety of our people and the communities in which we work is our first priority. Our approach to safety is a market differentiator as it enables us to work in industry sectors that may be inherently hazardous.

Environment

We conduct our business in a way that is sustainable, taking into account a range of factors, including climate related risks and opportunities. Developing and delivering environmentally sustainable solutions for our customers is a priority. While focusing our attention on managing our risks associated with environmental management, we also take advantage of the commercial opportunities this presents for our business.

Communities

Downer is committed to supporting the success of the communities in which we operate, by fostering and maintaining enduring relationships built upon trust.

Downer recognises the significant and lasting socio-economic benefits our presence in the community can bring. For this reason, we seek to engage with local suppliers and contractors, and actively participate in regional business groups and chambers of commerce.

We implement a range of strategies focusing on social responsibility, local and indigenous employment, cultural heritage management and stakeholder engagement.