Indigenous Engagement Strategy summary: Mater Health Services North Queensland Ltd

About the project

The Project will add a new six-level car park to Mater Private Hospital Townsville, which forms part of $116m Pimlico campus redevelopment under the ten-year Masterplan.

The Project will create up to twelve full-time jobs during the construction and participation opportunities for up to 40 local apprentices and up to 740 sub-contractors. Two full-time jobs will be created during the operations phase, with the possibility of additional jobs created due to the improved access to the Pimlico Campus.

Key commitments

Mater is committed to strengthening relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as staff, patients, and visitors.

The Indigenous Engagement Strategy will improve engagement and increase employment by improving the cultural capacity of staff with a targeted focus on providing training and education opportunities.

An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group will be established, and a Reconciliation Action Plan will be developed to support and enhance engagement, as well as offering scholarships to students to undertake a Diploma of Nursing to help build Indigenous workforce in the health sector.

Other commitments include seeking to achieve a 3% employment target during the construction phase and a two-phase procurement process to boost Indigenous contracting and participation in the supply chain.

Mater is seeking to access the younger, growing population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in providing opportunities for training, education, and employment – by building a regionally based, culturally competent health workforce. Mater will support up to ten scholarships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to undertake the Diploma of Nursing. Mater also supported the structured work experience for Indigenous students undertaking Certificate II & III in Primary Health.

Community engagement

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Reference Group will drive positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people within Mater. Participation will be made of local Traditional Owners, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and education professionals, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community representatives, and Mater staff.

Mater is committed to enhancing its cultural competency by extending the delivery of Cross-Cultural Awareness Training to reach 90% of onsite contractors and 60% of its permanent staff annually.

Key to Mater’s IES commitments is developing a Reconciliation Action Plan, which will provide an ongoing organisational platform to further embed and deliver on practical reconciliation actions.

Supporting stronger communities

The tender process involving Indigenous business and employment criteria at the EOI and tender stages seeks to boost Indigenous business participation. Contractor reporting will capture Indigenous business investment ($ value/% total procurement), employment (Indigenous labour hours FTEs), training offered, and any issues affecting performance.

During construction, the aim is to reach a 3% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment target with an internal review of Human Resources policies flagged to explore mentoring and training opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff to boost retention and attract staff to Mater as a preferred employer.

Forecast $7.6m in quantifiable public benefit. In addition to the calculated benefit, the car park will reduce congestion in surrounding streets and provide convenience for patients and visitors and improved safety for staff.

The project is expected to create 12 full-time jobs during construction and opportunities for up to 40 local apprentices and up to 740 sub-contractors. A further two full-time ongoing jobs will be created during operations as well as other indirect jobs due to the improved car parking amenities on offer.