2015-2019 Reconciliation highlights

Our last RAP expired in 2018, and we spent 2019 working with partners and team members to capture learnings and formulate the next Elevate RAP, which covered FY21 – FY23 RAP. 

The impact of COVID-19 on the Qantas Group meant we could not publish the next iteration of our Elevate RAP. As the business recovers, an Interim RAP will play a role in ensuring the Qantas Group remains committed to reconciliation and building a more inclusive society for all.

The following account includes achievements up to and including 2019.

Employment

Highlights:

• As of 30 June 2019, Qantas employed 408 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This total equates to 1.4% of Qantas' Australian workforce.
• Over 100 CareerTrackers placements were offered at Qantas since January 2015. In summer 2019, Jetstar welcomed their second-ever CareerTrackers intern in Melbourne.
• 103 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander young people completed school-based traineeships with Qantas between 2015 and 2019. We employed a further 40 school-based trainees.
• We track intern and trainee career journeys throughout Qantas and, where data permits, we track careers beyond Qantas. Retention rates are strongest when career pathway programs are aligned with participants' longer-term career aspirations. 
• We launched the Qantas Group Pilot Academy in 2019 in partnership with Flight Training Adelaide (FTA). In line with this RAP goal to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aviation leadership, we launched a scholarship program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants to the Pilot Academy. To date, we have granted one Indigenous accommodation scholarship (valued at $25,000).

Learnings:

Our dedicated Indigenous Programs team continues to be critical to the engagement and support of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and their managers.

The team strives to ensure the cultural competency of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees' workplaces and provides daily support across the Group. This support includes a specialist sourcing recruiter working alongside the broader Talent Acquisition team to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander considerations are part of 'business as usual'.

Engagement, development and mobility 

Highlights:

• In 2019 we completed a review of our employee value proposition to retain and attract Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent. 
• In 2017, we piloted a leadership roundtable attended by 17 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, where Adam Goodes shared insights into personal resilience.
• We engage with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees through the Daramu Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Yammer page and newsletter. We continue to look at new ways to connect and engage with our existing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to ensure the focus and direction of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives is reflective of the communities' needs and aspirations.

Learnings:

We did not achieve our 2015-2018 RAP target to introduce a leadership module for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. We recommend developing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement and development strategy through our new RAP. While we did not launch a structured leadership program, we learned that our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees appreciate opportunities to come together to share experiences, even in an informal manner.

Long-standing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees play an essential role in developing and focusing our strategy and execution of subsequent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment and retention efforts.

Partnerships

Highlights:

• We continued to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education and school-to-work transitions through our partnerships with CareerTrackers, the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation and The Clontarf Foundation. Additionally, we provided contra flight support to the CareerTrackers alumni program and hosted the Sydney winter CareerTrackers program day in 2017. We also provided pro bono support to CareerTrackers to develop their social media capabilities in 2018. We regularly participate in The Clontarf Foundation careers fairs and host airport and campus tours for Clontarf students.
• A focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to complete their education and work towards sustainable employment was achieved through our partnership with Maxima and the school-based trainee program, which ran nationwide. Due to the impact of COVID-19, this is on hold for FY21.
• We trialled an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment pathways program with Accor and Voyages Indigenous Tourism. Through this program, we shared a candidate pool and worked together to appoint candidates across our organisations to have the best opportunity to succeed.
• QantasLink CEO John Gissing hosted a networking event on behalf of the Clontarf Foundation to introduce new organisations to the work of Clontarf.

Learnings:

Our partnerships are critical enablers of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment programs. They help us access Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander talent and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates with professional development before and during employment.

Our partners also create high-impact engagement opportunities for our prospective and current managers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, such as Clontarf experiences (multi-day trips to Clontarf Academies) and the CareerTrackers annual gala dinner.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander procurement

Highlights:

• In the 2016-2019 financial years, we spent over $7.2m with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned and operated businesses, including over $5.6m with Supply Nation suppliers (including certified and registered suppliers). This spend was more than our 2015-2018 RAP target of $1.75 million (cumulative) with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander supplier Dreamtime Tuka was showcased as the in-flight snack supplier for the month-long FlyPink campaign, which raises money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation and the Movember Foundation. The Qantas LinkedIn feed promoted this collaboration.
• In 2019, we finalised a five-year, multimillion-dollar agreement on the purchase of carbon offsets from the Kimberley Land Council to be on-sold to business and retail customers under Qantas' Fly Carbon Neutral program.

Developing capability and markets

Highlights:

• We sponsored Supply Nation Connect from 2015 to 2018. Additionally, in 2019 we committed to a partnership agreement as a Gold Sponsor of the Supply Nation Connect Gala Dinner 2019 for three years.
• More than 50 Qantas Group employees and suppliers participated in Supply Nation Connect events between 2015 and 2019 (including the Knowledge Forum, Trade Show and Gala Dinner).
• We are members of Supply Nation's Leadership Roundtable and participated in the co-design process for the Supply Nation and Business Council of Australia's Raising the Bar initiative throughout 2018. This initiative was launched in 2019, committing Qantas to procure 3% of contestable spend from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned and operated businesses by the end of FY24.
• We hosted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander markets during NAIDOC Week in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander suppliers into our monthly campus markets.

Learnings:

It is critical to engage both procurement and end-users (buyers within the business) to drive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander procurement outcomes. We will continue to build the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander procurement awareness and capability.

Cultural competency training

Highlights:

• Our bespoke online Indigenous Cultural Competency Training (ICCT) was available to all employees via our learning management system. Around 3,085 current employees completed this training, including approximately 1,000 people leaders who completed the ICCT as a pre-requisite for our People Leaders Development Program.
• We developed a face-to-face version of the ICCT program in 2018, which has since been rolled out to 13 teams (over 120 people).

Learnings:

Making cultural competency training mandatory under our 2015-2018 RAP didn't drive the desired behaviour and cultural understanding needed to drive cultural competency across the Group. Our cultural competency strategy is continually evolving as we seek feedback on existing programs and work across the organisation to fine-tune and enhance the offering.

We offered a suite of diverse learning touchpoints outside of online or face-to-face training, such as didgeridoo workshops held during NAIDOC Week 2019 at Qantas Head Quarters, Freight Terminal, and Engineering Supply Chain.

Capability development and immersions

Highlights:

• We provided 42 six-week secondments to Aboriginal organisations through our partnership with Jawun Indigenous Corporate Partnerships.
• Seventeen executives and senior managers took part in Jawun Indigenous Corporate Partnerships visits.
• Twenty-five employees attended the Garma Festival, and 15 of these leaders also attended Bawaka homeland, hosted by Qantas partner Lirrwi Tourism.
• Twenty-three employees attended multi-day 'Clontarf experiences'.
• Four Qantas Future Planet team members attended meetings with the Kimberley Land Council (KLC), including attendance at the Kimberley Ranger Forum (totalling 15 days in the community), as part of our relationship with the KLC on the purchase of carbon offsets.
• At the beginning of 2020, 28 Qantas employees were engaged as mentors for Australian Indigenous Education Foundation scholars.

Learnings:

Due to the impact of COVID on the Qantas Group business, cultural immersion have been on hold for 2020 and 2021. Once they return, we anticipate a high demand for cultural immersion once the company is in a position to offer them again. In future, we'll seek to better leverage attendees' learnings and engagement when they return.

Cultural celebration

Highlights:

• We celebrate National Reconciliation Week (NRW) and NAIDOC Weeks annually around our network. We organise national events and customer communications campaigns and empower local teams to host events using toolkits that are available on our intranet.
• We host an annual NAIDOC Week Awards ceremony to recognise outstanding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and their managers. This ceremony includes a Welcome to Country and high-profile entertainment. In 2019, Dan Sultan and Australian Indigenous Education Foundation alum Lachlan Thomas (Lachy John) performed, and Carla Grant was the master of ceremonies. In 2018, Bangarra Dance Theatre performed, and past masters of ceremonies include Luke Carroll and Adam Goodes. In 2017, we moved the awards ceremony from an enclosed auditorium to an open plaza-style space on our Mascot campus. This shift in location led to a much higher profile event and more attendees. 
• In all years, we also engaged customers in NAIDOC Week through Qantas Club 'pop-ups'. In 2019, this included a display about Qantas' partner AIEF and an acoustic performance from Lachy John. We displayed the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages map of Australia in all capital city lounges prompting guests to think about whose Country they travel on.
• We sponsored the National NAIDOC Ball in 2018 and 2019.
• We had a reconciliation programs stand at a recent 'Jobs in Qantas IT' exhibitions designed to encourage Qantas contractors to apply for permanent IT jobs at Qantas.
• We celebrated the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IYIL) 2019 with a multi-channel communications campaign including articles in the Qantas Magazine, Travel Insider, and AWOL and a social media video featuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous staff speaking in Indigenous languages. The IYIL culminated in the arrival of a new 787 Dreamliner bearing the name 'Gangurru' in honour of the Guugu Yimithirr word that gives the kangaroo its name.

Learnings:

High-profile and high-quality national events, with strong executive support, generate interest and pride in our RAP. It is essential to equip teams with resources to engage local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities respectfully.

Cultural celebration

Highlights:

• We welcomed our fifth aircraft in Indigenous livery, named Emily Kame Kngwarreye, into our fleet in March 2018. The livery is inspired by Emily Kame Kngwarreye's 1991 painting Yam Dreaming. Yam Dreaming was conceptualised for the Dreamliner fuselage by Indigenous design studio Balarinji. Boeing 737-800 Mendoowoorrji continues to fly domestically. Learn more about Qantas' Flying Art Series.
  
• We promoted National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week to our customers annually with Aboriginal art in-flight service items (cups), Traditional Owner maps in our lounge network and an in-flight Acknowledgement of Country at the top of descent into all domestic ports.
• Our 2018 National Reconciliation Week campaign consisted of in-flight service items and contra marketing, in-terminal advertising, Indigenous publications in select Qantas lounges, and an in-flight Acknowledgement of Country at the top of descent into all domestic ports.
• Our 2018 National Reconciliation Week Campaign reached 1.8 million people^* and accounted for $375,000 in value-in-kind marketing activity^. 
• In 2019,  we marked National Reconciliation Week with a social media campaign showcasing Indigenous and non-Indigenous relationships at Qantas; an NRW 'pop up' at our Mascot campus (including distribution of Indigenous lanyards and wallet-size Acknowledgement of Country guides); Indigenous service items and publications in Qantas Lounges; and screening of the NRW TVC in-flight.
• In August 2018, we released a video featuring a selection of our partners, including Adam Goodes and the Bangarra Dance Theatre, celebrating the importance of inclusion and diversity to national life, the Australian spirit and "standing up for a fair go".
• We maintain a portfolio of sponsorships that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned and operated tourism and cultural activities. Over the 2015 to 2018 RAP, these included Bangarra Dance Theatre, the Yothu Yindi FoundationOpens in a new tab or window (Garma Festival), Lirrwi Tourism and the 2018 Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference.
• We supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tourism sector development through our sponsorship of the Indigenous category in the state and national Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.
• In 2019, we promoted ethical Indigenous tourism through an interview with Professor Marcia Langton, author of 'Welcome to Country' on the AWOL youth travel website

Learnings:

While many of the RAP actions under 'Creating an Australian experience' are focused on our customers, we found that high profile, public statements – such as the arrival of Emily Kame Kngwarreye – also generate heightened internal awareness and garner support for our RAP.

Thought leadership

Highlights:

• We provided marketing and sponsorship support to the Recognise campaign for Constitutional recognition from August 2014 until the conclusion of the Recognise campaign in August 2017.
• We hosted Uluru Statement Working Group Co-Chair Suzanne Thompson at the 2017 Garma Festival. We provided contra flight support to the Uluru Statement Working Group 'Think Tank' held in Victoria in November 2017.
• We continued our partnership with Adam Goodes as a Qantas Ambassador. In 2017-2018, Adam presented at a series of internal 'town hall' events to employees in Mascot and Melbourne and Brisbane domestic airports.
• We joined 13 other Elevate RAP organisations to announce our support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in May 2019. Since then, we provided free of charge flights to facilitators and organisers of two Uluru Statement dialogues held in 2019 in Cairns.
• In our 2019 NAIDOC Week celebrations, Professor Megan Davis addressed over 100 staff on the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including its development and the next steps.

Sharing learnings

Highlights:

• In June 2015, we hosted more than 100 employees, partners and corporate customers at a Reconciliation Partnership Forum to share good practice and promote networking.
• We regularly participate in the Business Council of Australia's (BCA) Business Indigenous Network meetings and complete the BCA's biennial Indigenous Engagement Survey.
• We regularly share learnings with other organisations that are developing or implementing RAPs. In 2019, these included the Clean Energy and Finance Corporation, Transport for NSW, Western Sydney Airport, Accenture, Bunnings and Bank Australia.
• In December 2019, we hosted Jawun's annual secondee alumni event at our Mascot campus.

Learnings:

The RAP community is a valued and generous source of knowledge and networks. A lot of information sharing happens informally; therefore, it is crucial to attend forums such as the BCA Business Indigenous Network to build valuable peer relationships.