Brookfield Properties and its partners have awarded more than $1.2 million of work to First Nations enterprises since the launch of its inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 12 months ago.
It comes as the business kicks off a series of cultural events and activations across its national portfolio of office buildings and mixed-use precincts.
Danny Poljak, President of Brookfield Properties in Australia, commended Reconciliation Australia’s RAP program as a significant driver of positive social change in Australia.
“As a business, we are young in our reconciliation journey but we are already seeing benefits. Beyond the important cultural connections and education our teams have experienced, our reconciliation journey has influenced how and what we deliver across our entire property operations and development pipeline within Australia,” said Mr Poljak.
“In pure economic terms, we are increasing our supplier diversity and the engagement of First Nations businesses simply by ensuring they are more purposefully included in our tendering processes. As a result, we’ve now worked with a great number of First Nations suppliers across a range of services from catering, creative design, murals, sculpture, music, performance, architecture, landscaping, cultural competency, business consultancy and building trades.
“As a property company, we are always rethinking how we design our buildings as better, inclusive spaces – and this includes opportunities where we are able to better represent the stories, cultures, landscapes and histories of First Nations peoples. We are curating first-hand experiences for our tenants and the public through our annual placemaking programming.”
In Perth, Brookfield Properties recently completed its +$800 million One The Esplanade office development at Elizabeth Quay. Significantly, many of the design, landscaping and public art outcomes resulted from direct engagement with Whadjuk Working Group representatives. And, at Brookfield Place Tower 1, also in Perth, a $108 million precinct revival will be substantively influenced by First Nations engagement.
In Sydney, more than $900,000 in trades and services has been awarded to First Nations registered enterprises as part of the $40 million+ refurbishment and repositioning of 52 Goulburn Street – part of the World Square precinct.
Across Australia, Brookfield Properties has engaged various First Nations artists and their collaborators to contribute to our permanent and temporary public artworks including Noni Cragg in Sydney; Adenate and Tom Day in Melbourne; and Kambarni, Justin Martin, Jilalga Murray, Fiona Reidy, Jarni McGuire, Stuart Green and Sandra Hill in Perth.
Mr Poljak said: “As a business, we benefit from the diversity of thought and ideas in our decision-making process and delivery; our people benefit from the opportunity to engage with First Nations cultures and communities; and the community benefits from our programmatic placemaking, building designs, public art and activations that better reflect Australia’s diversity.”
Other highlights of Brookfield Properties’ RAP program include a silent auction at Brookfield Place Sydney, which raised $2,750 for the Yibirmarra Foundation – a profit-for-purpose foundation supplying training, housing and crisis support for First Nations communities – as well as Brookfield’s co-sponsorship of the Melbourne Fashion Festival’s First Nation’s Runway and Mob in Fashion Exhibition. In Perth, over $80,000 has been raised towards RUAH Community Services, an organisation which has been supporting and empowering vulnerable and disadvantaged people including First Nations to create positive changes in their lives for more than 60 years.
Across Australia this week, the office lobbies and precincts Brookfield Properties manages are being enlivened by a series of cultural events and activations aimed at elevating the stories and culture of First Nations Peoples.
National Reconciliation Week 2023
National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June – is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. National Reconciliation Week 2023: Be A Voice for Generations.
Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan
Reconciliation Australia’s RAP Framework provides organisations with a structured approach to advance reconciliation.
The four RAP types – Reflect, Innovate, Stretch and Elevate – allow organisations to continuously develop their reconciliation commitments.
Committing to a Reflect RAP means scoping and developing relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, deciding on your vision for reconciliation and exploring your sphere of influence.
Related Articles
