Panel hosted at our Global HQ on Yuggera land

A panel discussion examining tangible ways to embody National Reconciliation Week’s theme of ‘Be Brave. Make Change’ was held at our Global HQ last Friday. The event, held on Yuggera land, forms part of FCTG’s commitment to our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) we launched in February this year.

A $20,000 donation was presented to Deadly Choices, for its sub-fund within Queensland Community Foundation, to perpetually fund Aboriginal health programs. $10,000 was donated by FCTG and this was matched by Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC). Deadly Choices is a health promotion initiative of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health.

Discussing how to ‘Close the Gap’, panellists included CEO of the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health Adrian Carson, Indigenous Partnerships Manager at QIC Andrew Niven, CEO of Queensland Community Foundation Tara Castle and FCTG National Social Impact Manager Tyler Miscannon. The MC was Deadly Choices Ambassador, former professional Rugby League footballer, Steve Renouf.

The event highlighted the health gap faced by First Nations peoples and stressed the importance of educating younger generations about the historical traumas experienced so that we all start to understand why such gaps have occurred.

As part of our reconciliation journey, FCTG aims to increase engagement with First Nations communities - suppliers, industry partners and community organisations were all invited to attend, and First Nations businesses were invited to host stalls featuring Aboriginal art and other products. Together with Compass Group, who also hosted the event, we want to sincerely thank all those involved.

FCTG Global CEO Leisure Travel James Kavanagh said he was especially proud to launch FCTG’s Reconciliation Action Plan during the company’s milestone 40th year of business in 2022.

“We’re committed to advancing and refining our approach to reconciliation in our workplace and will continue to harness opportunities to learn and grow in our approach,” Mr Kavanagh said.

Other initiatives we have implemented this year include donating 390 digital devices to First Nations communities in far north Queensland through the charity Litehaus International. Work has also commenced to launch the First Nations Young People Creative Arts Competition in July. This is the second such competition we have run and will be promoted to 12 to 18-year-olds nationwide.