Our work in Reconciliation
In the context of our organisation, this represents equality in health outcomes and the elimination of challenges faced by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We recognise that the Indigenous health gap is inextricably linked to social and economic exclusion, unemployment, low income, poor education as well as cultural and historic factors. Our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) gives us an opportunity to genuinely reflect and respond to the Australian community, particularly given the unmet health challenges faced by our Indigenous people. At GSK, we believe that through partnership with the world’s oldest continuing culture and leveraging our expertise in the health landscape, we can bridge the Indigenous health gap and create a meaningful difference in Australia’s reconciliation journey.
Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) March 2024 - 2026)
Our Innovate RAP is guided by our vision for reconciliation to take meaningful steps where individuals are valued, respected and celebrated. Our new RAP reinforces our ongoing commitment towards reconciliation while providing us with a framework to turn our good intentions into action.
Through unity we can achieve a workplace that is culturally rich and proud and create a nation that is inclusive and fair.
Our commitment to social responsibility, globally and in the Australian community, is embedded into the way we do business, and we are proud to build our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) into our ways of working.
Endorsed by Reconciliation Australia, our new Innovate RAP March 2024 – March 2026, focuses on strengthening relationships, creating shared value opportunities and exploring our sphere of influence both internally and externally, as we aspire to embed our commitment to Reconciliation into our core operations.
Our vision for Reconciliation in Australia is a nation in which each individual is valued, respected, and celebrated. Critical to this success is the pursuit of equity in health so every Australian can achieve their full potential. GSK partners take a holistic view of health; our vision embodies the physical, social, emotional, cultural, and spiritual wellbeing of First Nations Peoples.
Through our health, science and technology efforts, we at GSK have a unique and important opportunity to address health inequity for First Nation Australians. We must provide meaningful opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make decisions that impact their own lives and communities. This includes constitutional, government, industry and community reform, coupled with cultural learning, appreciation and safety.
We will work together, in genuine partnership with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities, to learn, support and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to live long, healthy lives that are centred in their cultures.
Reports:
GSK is proud to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We accept the invitation from the Uluru Statement to all Australians to support constitutional and structural reform so Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can take their rightful place in our nation. We support the proposal for a Voice to Parliament enabled by the constitution that gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a say on matters that impact their communities.
The Uluru Statement was delivered to the Australian people in 2017, after extensive dialogue with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The call for a Voice to Parliament through the Uluru Statement from the Heart remains just as important as it was in 2017. It is a fair and practical reform that will make a real difference for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. I am proud to be leading an organisation on a reconciliation journey. Through our learnings, we have recognised how important this Statement is - and while it has been a few years since originally released, we nonetheless recognise that it is essential that we show our support now. I am proud to sign the Digital Canvas, representing both my personal support and the support of GSK Australia. I believe now is the time for our nation to make this change happen.
Patrick Desbiens, SVP & GM GSK Australia & New Zealand is also proud to support the From the Heart campaign to raise awareness and understanding of the Uluru Statement from the Heart around Australia.
You can read the Uluru Statement from the Heart here (PDF - 606KB) and you can find out more about From the Heart here.
See the press release here:
GSK Supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart, March 2021
Worawa Aboriginal College was formally registered in 1983. The College was founded by Aboriginal Visionary Hyllus Maris based on her personal and community ‘lived experience’ of education. An Aboriginal initiative, the College was made possible with the support of non-Aboriginal people who supported the vision of the Founder. As a result, the College embraces the philosophy of ‘Walking Together’ Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people walking together to make a difference through combining Aboriginal knowledge and wisdom with Western education.
Our Focus
We aim to implement symbolic and practical measures through leadership and career exposure, build long lasting relationships, enhance cultural respect, appreciation and provide valuable opportunities to young Aboriginal Women in our local communities.
Our focus of this partnership is to ensure reciprocity. We aim to implement symbolic and practical measures through leadership and career exposure, build long lasting relationships, enhance cultural respect, appreciation and provide valuable opportunities to young Aboriginal Women in our local communities. GSK will implement long-term partnership with Worawa College to provide students with exposure to the key elements of a successful transition into work, further education pathways (should they choose it) and a deeper understanding of the social and professional expectations of contemporary work environments through exposure to the careers and pathways GSK offers.
As an all-girls college, we understand the importance of female leadership and mentorship. We aim to establish professional relationships between our senior female leaders and Worawa Girls, with the guidance of Worawa teaching staff and students.
GSK hopes to create an emphasis on increasing our knowledge and understanding of the issues facing the Aboriginal community. Seeking to recognise these issues is a core component in the development to address issues affecting the Aboriginal community.
GSK Australia and Save the Children Australia have worked together to improve children's health across regions of Australia since 2007.
In 2013, this partnership grew when GSK announced an ambitious global partnership with Save the Children. Through our partnership we are committed to sharing our expertise and resources to make a lasting change for the world’s most vulnerable children.
Specifically, our work globally with Save the Children focuses on:
Developing child-friendly medicines to reduce child mortality and new-born deaths.
Widening vaccination coverage to reduce the number of child deaths in the hardest to reach communities.
Increasing our investment in the training, reach and scope of health workers in the poorest communities to help reduce child mortality.
Researching new affordable nutritional products to help alleviate malnutrition in children.
A critical part to making this partnership a reality is generous and enthusiastic fundraising from GSK staff across the world.
"At Save the Children, we believe that corporate Australia has an important role to play in advancing reconciliation. That’s why we’re delighted to see the commitments being made by GSK in their Reconciliation Action Plan which endeavours to make a tangible difference in the nation’s reconciliation journey. These commitments are reflected in GSK’s partnership with Save the Children that builds and strengthens relationships between health services and the community of Doomadgee. Importantly, and thanks to GSK’s investment in the community, this partnership will lead to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families accessing health and early intervention in illness"
- Mat Tinkler, CEO of Save the Children Australia
The Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation has kindly provided us with names in Woi-wurrung language for each of the rooms in our GSK Australia Head Office, which is located next to the Yarra River in Abbotsford, Victoria.
- yagilaith wilam (Learning room)
- nallei jerring (Join/Unite)
- umarkoo wominjeka (Everyone welcome)
- ganbu gulinj (One mob)
- dulaiwurrung (Platypus)
- djerring (Together)
- nanggit wilam (Leaders room)
- gama dji (Emerge)
- mungo galk (Message Stick)
- kirrip wilam (Friendly room)
- ngarn ga (Hear/Understand)
- wayi (Us)
- bunjil wilam (Eagle room)
- ngulu (Voice)
- yurlendj wilam (Wise room)
- birrarung wilam (Yarra River room)
- waa (Crow)
- berbert (Ringtail possum)
Our key activities for 2020/2021 include:
Activities planned for 2022/2023 include:
Children and Family Camps; International Women’s and Men’s Health Week; Child Health Expo; Library For All Writers Workshops, Babies Welcome to Country and Hygiene Packs.
The community is proud and resilient and the Elders, local leaders, community members, service providers, State and Commonwealth Governments are working together to create the environment for children to grow up strong in their identity and connectedness to culture and community. Together with Save the Children, GSK are committed to children in Doomadgee having the best start in life with our local team on the ground to ensure all children have access to the services they need when they need them.
Throughout our partnership we have seen the confidence and trust of the Doomadgee community in health services grow immensely. The men in the community who traditionally reluctant to engage are now actively participating and voicing their needs and suggestions for support going forward. Community members are relying less and less on Save the Children staff and are increasingly confident to play a facilitating role in the Family Camps and Health Expos.
