Head of procurement Jackie Aggett said the new Indigenous Procurement Policy was developed to help boost the capabilities of Indigenous businesses in the construction sector. “This policy sets a new standard for engaging with our Indigenous supply chain and delivery partners,” she said. “It includes a new minimum target spend (of the total value of goods and services procured) for all projects, regardless of the client requirements, starting at 1.5 percent this year and stretching to 4 percent in the long term.”
In 2016 the Australian Government made a number of changes to its Indigenous Procurement Policy, requiring all Commonwealth and state government construction contracts to meet mandatory minimum requirements for Indigenous employment and subcontractor engagement.
“I am proud to say Laing O’Rourke will go even further than the government’s new requirements to ensure we are engaging with local Indigenous businesses on every project across the country,” Aggett added.
Laing O’Rourke’s head of diversity, inclusion & indigenous affairs Jacqueline Minney said the policy will be incorporated into Laing O'Rourke's new Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan, to be released in coming weeks. “Our involvement on large-scale projects located in or close to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities give us a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to help close the gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people,” she said.
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