A “Reconciliation Breakfast” was hosted by Grocon at their Parklands Project site this morning to recognise and celebrate the participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander personnel and businesses working on the project.
The breakfast marked the commencement of National Reconciliation Week, and was attended by guest speakers the Hon Stirling Hinchliffe Minister for the Commonwealth Games, Preston Campbell (former NRL player), employees and companies involved in the project. Indigenous performers entertained and educated those attending with traditional dance and song stories.
Parklands Project General Manager, Steven Grimes, said that the event aimed to celebrate and build on the respectful relationships shared with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“At Grocon, we are committed to supporting the local community and undertaking practical action that seeks to build relationships and create opportunities for all Australians,” Mr Grimes said.
“We are pleased to announce that Grocon is developing a Reconciliation Action Plan over the next six months, in order to better reflect the relationship that the company seeks with Indigenous Australians, be they members of local communities in which we are working or more broadly the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.”
To date Grocon have worked with nine indigenous owned businesses and with twenty seven indigenous employees on the Parklands Project. Through these relationships the Parklands Project has already achieved over 25,000 indigenous employee hours.
In addition to developing a Reconciliation Action Plan, Mr Grimes outlined other positive initiatives undertaken by Grocon aimed at increasing indigenous participation.
“An Indigenous Liaison Committee has been established on the Parklands Project in order to provide guidance and advice on cultural related matters with representation from Traditional Owner Elders. Furthermore, a partnership has been formed with the organisation ‘yourtown’ to increase indigenous participation and to develop and implement training programs,” Mr Grimes said.
Minister for the Commonwealth Games, Hon Stirling Hinchliffe, spoke of his support for the positive work by Grocon to make the Parklands Project a diverse and inclusive workplace and by providing an enduring legacy for the Gold Coast beyond the buildings that will result at Parklands.
Melinda D’Cruze
0408 202 598
melindad’[email protected]
Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs), as outlined by Reconciliation Australia, provide a framework for organisations to realise their vision for reconciliation. RAPs are practical plans of action built on relationships, respect and opportunities, which aim to create social change and economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The RAP community is a diverse and fast growing collective of organisations, ranging from big corporations to not-for-profits.
The Parklands Project features over 1,250 dwellings, including 1,170 apartments and 82 townhouses, together with a 5,840sqm retail precinct and 7ha of landscaped spaces built around a ‘Village Heart’. In late 2017, Parklands will be leased to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) and transformed into the Commonwealth Games Village for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. Following this major event, Grocon will then convert the development into a thriving, mixed-use residential community, offering a selection of apartments (1 and 2 bedroom) and townhouses (3 bedroom) available to rent from early 2019.
Grocon is the largest privately owned property development, construction and funds management business in Australia.
Our emphasis is on building for a sustainable future and ensuring that we leave a positive footprint on our planet – physically and socially. This is evidenced by our commitment to safety, sustainability, community and innovation as the core values that drive everything we do.
We specialise in large scale projects, be they commercial office spaces for premium clients such as ANZ, HSF or BHP Billiton, or Public Private Partnerships (PPP’s) such as the new Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) for the Federal and Victorian Governments. Grocon also specialise in residential projects for a range of clients, having completed Eureka Tower and Swanston Square Apartments in Melbourne, Soul and Oracle on the Gold Coast, and Cove and Hyde apartments in Sydney.
Some of the other iconic buildings we have produced include the Rialto Towers, the MCG Northern Stand and AAMI Park in Melbourne, No 1 Martin Place, ANZ Tower and 1 Bligh Street in Sydney, and 55 Elizabeth Street and 480 Queen Street in Brisbane. Grocon has also completed Common Ground projects in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane as a contribution to trying to break the cycle of homelessness.
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