Relationships

Downer’s experienced Indigenous Engagement team not only brokers relationships with Indigenous partners, but also works with operational and bid/tender mobilisation teams to develop and implement Indigenous engagement and participation plans to meet customer requirements and Downer’s objectives and targets.

This team works closely with community to deliver social procurement and employment opportunities to build capability in the communities we operate in.

In a collaboration aimed at creating employment for the local Aboriginal community, the Western Australia State Government provided $1 million for a pilot program between Downer and Wiluna’s Martu-ku Yiwarra Training Centre. The joint initiative with Main Roads WA focused on providing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people through road construction and maintenance projects.

The project to seal five kilometres of the Goldfields Highway is a crucial starting point to connecting the remote Outback communities of Wiluna and Meekatharra.

Downer met with the Martu-ku Yiwarra Training Centre and the Martu people, including the local Elders, to develop a meaningful relationship with the community. The Martu people are the Traditional Owners of a large part of the western deserts of Western Australia, and continue to practise their traditional lore, language and culture.

Building a close and trusted relationship with the community Elders and fostering a collaborative approach has been key in the success of the project. The Martu people are invested in working on their own land in ways that contribute to the ongoing success of their community, for both current and future generations.

The program included training that equipped the Martu students with the necessary skills in plant operation and traffic management. The program was specifically tailored to balance the commitments the Martu students have to family and traditional lore as well as their desire to join the labour force.

Employment across the project has made a substantial positive change within the community which is currently affected by drugs, alcohol and lack of employment opportunities. Martu employees have now developed a transferrable skillset to seek employment opportunities in the surrounding regions of the Jigalong, Parnngurr, Punmu and Kunawarritji communities.

The successful pilot program has created significant interest in additional roles within the community, and Downer is working closely with Main Roads WA to continue using this model and the Martu-ku Yiwarra Training Centre to deliver other packages of work in the region.

Downer has also built long-standing commercial partnerships with Indigenous organisations, including:

• Bama Services – Downer has partnered with this multi award-winning Indigenous business on a range of initiatives since 2014. In 2020, we solidified this partnership by forming the Bama Downer Joint Venture. The partnership has already delivered more than $20 million worth of major road and associated civil infrastructure on the Peninsula Developmental Road in Cape York, Far North Queensland. The Downer-Bama partnership is improving the accessibility, safety and reliability of transport infrastructure for the local communities of Cape York, which positively contributes toward local Indigenous employment, training and economic development outcomes. But the partnership goes beyond that. It is also about Downer developing the skills, capabilities and experience of the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, leading to a greater sense of empowerment and broader employment and training opportunities. Downer’s support of Bama Services has been instrumental in Bama achieving a Department of Transport & Main Roads R2:B2 rating. Bama is the only wholly Indigenous-owned business to hold this prequalification level. The partnership with