Coles’ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Plan, first launched in 2011, outlines Coles Group’s commitment to provide more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations to engage with our business. The plan focuses on three key areas – employment, supplier diversity and community engagement.
Employment – Provide more jobs for Indigenous team members and actively develop their careers
Coles is one of Australia’s largest corporate sector employers of Indigenous Australians. As at 30 September 2018 we employed over 4,100 Indigenous team members nationally, representing 3.5 per cent of our total workforce. We currently have over 180 Indigenous team members in skilled and leadership positions and retention for Indigenous team members is higher than for non-Indigenous team members.
We are proud of these achievements considering that in 2011, when the original plan was launched, there were only 65 Indigenous team members across Coles.
Supplier diversity – Create more opportunities for Indigenous suppliers throughout our supply chain
Coles continues to increase opportunities for Indigenous suppliers, with over 40 Indigenous businesses engaged in FY 2018 across categories including design, recruitment, professional services, printing, facilities management, liquor and fresh produce.
Community – Develop mutually beneficial relationships with Indigenous communities, organisations and individuals
As part of the implementation of an organisation-wide remote and rural location strategy, formal partnerships have been established with Aboriginal organisations in Broome, Darwin, Kalgoorlie and Kununurra to assist in creating stronger connections to the local community and drive improved employment outcomes.
We have also worked with local communities and artists to create murals and artwork for a number of new and recently renewed supermarkets.
This artwork was created by Indigenous artist Marcus Lee to represent Coles' connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities throughout Australia and the commitment and support of these communities through Coles Indigenous initiatives.
The artwork features open cut bush tomatoes which represent growth within communities as well as horticultural opportunities leading to sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander enterprises. The pathways represent the fostering of Coles relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to make a real difference.