BMD participates in National Reconciliation Week at Tiger Brennan Drive in Darwin

As a business, BMD is very proud of our culture, what we call ‘the BMD Way’. We are proud of our heritage and the values we advocate for both ourselves and for our people. As part of our family culture and commitment to our people, BMD has been participating in National Reconciliation Week, which falls from 27 May until 3 June.

Last Tuesday, the Tiger Brennan Drive Duplication project in Darwin hosted a Toolbox breakfast with over 150 site and office personnel in attendance.

Tiger Brennan Drive is located just outside of Darwin’s CBD and involves a nine kilometre duplication of Tiger Brennan Drive from Woolner Road to Berrimah Road. The duplication will ultimately upgrade the existing two lane single carriageway to a four lane dual carriageway (two lanes in both directions) with allowances for three lanes each way in the future.

Reconciliation can only be achieved through knowledge and the breakfast provided an opportunity for employees to connect to take notice of reconciliation.

It involved a presentation from the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) working group with an update on the group’s progression. The working group is made up of key contacts across the business including the three Indigenous employees who are pivotal to our aspirational plans to drive greater equality and the pursuant of sustainable opportunities.

As part of BMD’s ongoing commitment to supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, a national partnership with the Clontarf Foundation was formally introduced last year. Clontarf Foundation provided an update at the breakfast on this relationship and BMD’s commitment to supporting the Darwin academies, through mentorship opportunities and vocational opportunities on Tiger Brennan Drive and other key urban development projects in the region.

With Tiger Brennan Drive’s project vision being ‘Driving growth in the Territory’, a significant focus is placed on enhancing local capacity, value for money and Indigenous engagement while ensuring minimal traffic disruption and engaging the community’s support.

The project is a substantial example of BMD’s commitment to the local regions in which we work, with 91% of the program spent locally, and with 17% Indigenous engagement.

Tiger Brennan Drive, further established a site visit program with the Clontarf Foundation enabling young Indigenous men from the program to learn about construction environments and career opportunities.

In addition, a pilot program was implemented as a joint venture initiative between CEO Training and ICRG North and provided a value add to the project, funded through the NT Department of Business to support Indigenous training and employment. As part of the program, 14 operator trainees were engaged to complete a Certificate III Plant Operations, with all trainees approaching the program with positive attitudes and a willingness to learn.

Our commitment to providing long-term career opportunities for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples is demonstrated by the strong percentage of our work force of Indigenous decent. We are very proud of the contributions our Indigenous employees, subcontractors and suppliers make to our work and industry, and are committed to improving the relationships with the communities in which we work.