Our position
Lendlease has a long and proud history of supporting First Nations’ recognition and reconciliation. For the past eight years, Lendlease has publicly supported the vision of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We continue to support recognition of First Nations people and giving them a voice on matters that impact their lives.
We have had a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) in place since 2011 and we are today delivering on our third RAP. There are only a handful of organisations in Australia with an Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan and we are proudly one of them.
The Elevate status recognises our commitment to championing and implementing initiatives to empower First Nations peoples and create societal change. It also reflects our ongoing effort to lift the industry standard of placemaking by incorporating the self-determination principles, wisdom and voices of First Nations peoples in the places we invest, develop, build and operate.
We have committed to and delivered on specific targets for employment, procurement, and cultural awareness. We’ve invested in partnerships and programs that preserve First Nations language and culture. We’ve long advocated for community-led solutions to reduce incarceration and given hands on support to First Nations’ businesses enabling them to significantly scale and stretch.
Delivering on our RAP titled Country, Truth and Our Shared Story and in recognition of the unique role we play in shaping the built environment, we are engaging and centering First Nations voices at the earliest point in the placemaking and development process, when the most important and impactful decisions are being made.
This prioritisation of First Nations voices, languages and culture is redefining the way we consult, plan, design, procure, build, and operate – through the entire project lifecycle. And most importantly, over time, will enable Country to heal, truths to be told, and help shape a shared story for our nation. This is integral to our core purpose to create places where communities thrive.
Our bottom-up effort is consistent with our position on the unfinished business of reconciliation.
Collective response to the Uluru Statement from The Heart
Lendlease has publicly supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart since 2019.
Since then, our current Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), titled County, Truth and our Shared Story 2020-2023, outlines the actions that Lendlease is taking to respond to the call for Voice, Treaty, Truth. It includes supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart across Lendlease managed shopping centres, and through advocacy across corporate Australia and collaborative activities in the communities where we operate.
As an industry and business, we have a unique opportunity to incorporate the wisdom of the First Nations Peoples in the places we develop, build and operate. As individuals, we can bring that wisdom and influence into our daily lives.
Collective response to the Uluru Statement from The Heart
“We represent 14 diverse organisations across a range of sectors (academia, aviation, construction, energy, engineering, insurance, legal, professional services, sport and resources).
Collectively we educate, employ and provide services to people across all of Australia. Together, we make this response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart: ‘Thank you for your invitation to walk with you in a movement of all Australian people for a better future.
We recognise the Uluru Statement from the Heart as an historic mandate to create a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood.
We hear your call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution and for a referendum to amend the Constitution accordingly.
We hear your call for a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truthtelling about our history.
In a spirit of reconciliation, we look forward to working with and supporting you, as a matter of national priority, to develop and enact specific proposals in relation to Voice, Treaty and Truth. We call upon our people, industry colleagues and fellow Australians to join us in this important national dialogue.”
Read the full Uluru Statement from The Heart
1 As of August 2022, 12 organisations have an Elevate RAP. Lendlease is delivering our second Elevate RAP, but third RAP overall.