Human Rights
We are proactive in ensuring that our business practices protect and respect human rights and we have prioritised the actual and potential human rights impacts relevant to our business as part of our ongoing human rights due diligence practices. These impacts alongside our double materiality assessment, inform the below key focus areas.
We recognise that to create long term value, we must build and continue to strengthen trusted relationships with a variety of stakeholders, and be accountable for our commitments. We collaborate with our customers, communities, property industry peers, investors, and wider industry network to understand and address important shared human rights challenges that are material to our business, such as modern slavery, gender equality and social equity, the rights of indigenous Peoples, climate change and community resilience.
Our People
GPT’s people are central to our ability to deliver on our strategy and generate value for stakeholders. We strive for a high-performance, experience-led, and inclusive culture, where employees feel empowered and embrace and live our values.
Highlights
(as at 31 December 2023)
5th
Ranked 5th globally in the annual 2024 Gender Equality Global Report and Ranking released by Equileap (based on assessment of 3,795 companies in 27 developed markets representing 103 million employees)
16.54%
Gender Pay Gap reduced to a mean of 16.54% based on fixed remuneration, and a median of 11.9% based on fixed remuneration (compared to an industry average of 18.1%)
Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation (2023 – 2025)
Signatory to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
Accredited as a Family Inclusive Workplace™ (2024‑2026)
Holder of Gold ranking in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion
GPT is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace by providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and creating an environment where our people feel safe, empowered to thrive, and have a sense of belonging.
We believe that our age, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religious and spiritual beliefs, ethnicity, family responsibilities, cultural background, experiences, perspectives and all the things that make each of us uniquely who we are adds positively to the richness of our workplace.
The wealth of skills, perspectives, and experience that our employees possess promotes greater creativity and innovation, ensures we can better reflect and serve the needs of our diverse customer base and drives improved business performance and employee engagement.
Our People Strategy guides us to:
Drive the workplace culture we need to succeed.
Provide our employees with the opportunities to build the capabilities and mindsets required to be agile in this ever-changing landscape.
Support the delivery of our Group strategy in alignment with our purpose and values.
Policies
Employee Engagement Surveys
Our people are our most important asset and central to our ability to generate value for our stakeholders. Their passion, expertise and capabilities drive our business activities and shape our corporate culture. Fostering an inclusive work environment and listening to our people are critical to creating the conditions for them to thrive.
Our annual ‘Your Voice’ Engagement Survey allows our employees to give us their feedback on what it is like to work at GPT. Along with our annual survey, we also conduct ‘pulse’ surveys as necessary to seek feedback and views on topical issues.
Key results from our 2024 Employee Engagement Survey
88%
Participation rate
76%
Employee engagement score
90%
Of employees are proud to work at GPT
89%
Believe GPT is a great place to work
Leadership, collaboration, and communication ranked well above industry benchmarks
Gender equality
Supporting gender equality is a key aspect of our Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and in recognition of our efforts, GPT has been ranked 5th globally for gender equality in the 2024 annual Gender Equality Global Report & Ranking released by Equileap, the leading global provider of gender equality data and insights.
In 2021, GPT maintained its fourth consecutive Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality citation for 2021-23 and we are currently awaiting the outcome of our application to retain this for a further two years. Our workforce is 57% female, with the representation of women in our top decile at 37.3% and the top quartile (both based on fixed remuneration) at 47.6%. In 2023, women constituted 59% of the new hires into the business and 65% of promotions and transfers during the year.
GPT is committed to closing our gender pay gap. 2023 saw GPT further reduce its average (mean) gender pay gap (based on fixed remuneration) from 20.7% in 2022 to 16.5% in 2023.
As published by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) our median gender pay gap (based on fixed pay) currently stands at 11.9% (compared to an industry average of 18.1%) and our median pay gap (based on total remuneration) is at 12.1%. GPT has no pay gap on like for like roles. For further details on the rigorous approach GPT takes to examining pay equity and further reducing our gender pay gap see our Gender Pay Gap Statement. For more information on our work in gender equality see our 2023 Corporate Governance Statement.
A diverse and inclusive workplace
We are dedicated to actively recruiting and harnessing diverse talent while nurturing an inclusive workplace culture. As such, we are committed to executing our three‑year Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, and since its inception in 2021, we have made substantial progress against the three key focus areas:
- A diverse and equitable workforce
- Inclusive culture and leadership, and
- Inclusive assets – customers and communities.
The Human Resources and Remuneration Committee (HRRC) is responsible for approving and overseeing the implementation of GPT’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, initiatives, and policies.
These are also supported and guided by the Diversity and Inclusion Council, who have a role to play in guiding and driving GPT’s Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and agenda.
Under our strategy we devote significant attention to four key demographic areas of focus: improving gender equality, supporting working carers, driving LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and seeking to both improve First Nations representation within our workforce and to support pathways for First Nations employment more broadly.
Female representation in GPT’s workforce
Supporting families and working carers
GPT has a strong focus on supporting families and working carers to enable all our people to thrive both in the workplace and at home. We have been accredited as a Family Inclusive Workplace since 2022 (one of the first in our industry to achieve this) and have a suite of industry-leading policies and practical resources to support our people in navigating their priorities across career, wellbeing, caring and family. This includes our Parental Support Policy which offers 22 weeks paid leave for all new parents.
For more details on our support for working parents and carers see our 2023 Corporate Governance Statement
6%
Of GPT’s workforce took parental leave.
100%
Of employees who expected to return to work did so following their leave.
72%
Of employees who returned from parental leave in 2022 remained with GPT 12 months later, noting this statistic is on the incline.1
- These percentages are based on GPT’s formal leave policies and systems, which are in part captured in financial assurance processes, as related to employee remuneration.
LGBTQIA+ inclusion
GPT is proud to actively support the LGBTQIA+ community and to offer an environment across our workplaces and assets where everyone feels safe, valued, and has a sense of belonging with the ability to be authentically who they are.
Our growing and active Pride network, GLAD, supports GPT’s efforts in this space with over 25% of GPT employees registered as LGBTQIA+ allies. During 2023, GPT rolled out LGBTQIA+ education and awareness sessions across the business. GPT participates in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) each year (run by Pride in Diversity) and since 2022 we have held a Gold ranking.
First Nations Peoples
GPT’s second Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2023-2026 outlines our formal commitments to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australia, with a focus on exploring employment and development opportunities for First Nations people. A robust First Nations People Inclusion Plan was endorsed by GPT’s External First Nations Advisory Group in 2023 and supports the goals and commitments in our Stretch RAP.
The CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program offers work experience and internship opportunities for First Nations people with the aim to create pathways for university students into the workforce.
GPT has committed to the Program for a ten year period and in 2023, we hosted six CareerTracker interns and high school students.
We continue our efforts to recruit First Nations candidates through targeted programs like CareerTrackers, as well as specialist services and a University of Western Sydney scholarship, in 2023, First Nations employees constituted approximately 0.75% of GPT’s permanent workforce (excluding interns). Additionally, we collaborate with partner organisations to promote positive employment outcomes for First Nations people in the broader community. GPT will also continue to invest in cultural awareness training for all GPT employees.
Investing in our people
We are proud of the learning culture we have created through our passion for developing our people. Our talent framework supports the attraction, development, and growth of our people, with a key focus on individual development needs and fostering leadership.
Investing in our talent approach ensures robust talent and succession planning programs, tailored development for our people and an environment where employees are empowered to seek opportunities to gain experience and grow. Our employees are clear on how their role contributes to the Group’s Strategy, and they embrace our company values which drives overall business performance.
We believe that our focus on developing our people is vital to our success and encourage all employees to set development goals, alongside their performance goals. These goals help our managers to have more supportive development conversations, helping to inform the development opportunities we should offer our people while also ensuring we provide equitable access to skills development and talent programs.
Our talent review process is conducted annually with regular reviews in consultation with our people leaders to inform our talent retention and succession planning activities.
The succession pipeline is discussed with and reported to the Leadership Team and the Human Resources and Remuneration Committee of the Board.
Throughout 2023, employees completed mandatory training on topics such as Code of Conduct, Safety Leadership, Sexual Harassment and Bullying Prevention, Cyber Security, Privacy and Modern Slavery, among other compliance related topics. Non‑mandatory learning at GPT consists of leadership development (such as the Leading GPT suite of programs), cultural awareness training, professional development, and role‑related skills training.
Accompanying GPT’s ongoing role and skills-based development, the broader learning and development initiatives were:
Support for leaders
Increasing quality of development goal setting, feedback skills and coaching support for leaders
Corporate employee induction
Redesign of our corporate employee induction day to welcome and support the onboarding of new hires
Proactive management
Sexual Harassment and Bullying Prevention training with a focus on proactive management responsibilities
Cultural awareness training
Online cultural awareness training and tailored workshops for targeted groups, supporting our RAP commitments
Wellbeing
Wellbeing and resilience-focused webinars and presentations offered across the year
Safety Leadership training
Safety Leadership training reinforcing GPT’s safety first culture, removing barriers to effective safety conversations, including psychological safety awareness, and learning the skills to speak up about safety
Training and industry mentoring programs
Continued support for external training and industry mentoring programs for our key talent, such as the Property Council of Australia’s 500 Women in Property Program, Inclusive Leadership Mentoring Program and National Mentoring Program.
Workplace health and safety
Training to support workplace conduct, workplace health and safety, privacy awareness, fraud prevention, modern slavery, and cyber security.
Wellbeing
GPT is committed to supporting the holistic wellbeing of our people through our dedicated Wellbeing@GPT program which offers practical and tailored assistance. We focus on empowering our people by raising awareness and providing resources to help them identify when their own or others’ wellness is at risk. A key part of this is equipping our people with the tools to cultivate healthy habits that enhance personal and family welfare and productivity both in and beyond the workplace.
Our holistic Wellbeing@GPT portal, in partnership with our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider, offers complimentary and confidential access to a suite of workouts, podcasts, toolkits, articles, videos and self-guided learning and therapy modules covering various health, finance, work, family, and life matters.
We also provide access to a Family & Work hub which provides resources to support family, career, and wellbeing. GPT is committed to supporting those in our workforce who may be impacted by Domestic and Family Violence (DFV). Our DFV Policy aims to provide meaningful and practical support to employees and workers who are subjected to DFV, those who are supporting a family member who is being subjected to DFV, and those who may be using DFV and are committed to addressing their behaviour.
Flexibility and our hybrid workforce
At GPT, we believe in a flexible work culture. We offer a variety of formal and informal options, to help all employees achieve a healthy work‑life balance that benefits them and contributes to a productive workplace environment.
We offer a flexible work environment that empowers employees to choose the setting that best suits their needs. Recognising the value of in‑person collaboration, our offices remain a central hub for fostering cultural exchange, learning, and problem‑solving. To encourage this, we ask employees to spend a portion of their work week in the main office.
Safety
Highlights
(as at 31 December 2023)
23%
Reduction in serious/notifiable incidents at GPT managed assets compared to 2022, including a 73% reduction in incidents involving contact with electricity
The establishment and delivery of Executive Team asset safety walks (refer to case study)
Transition to a single contractor induction platform across the whole of the GPT managed portfolio
Delivery of a comprehensive risk-based safety training plan
Safety first culture
The GPT Group is committed to a safety first culture. People really matter to us and we recognise that the health and safety of our employees, service providers, contractors, customers, and members of the public is critical to our success.
We strive to eliminate all workplace hazards that create the risk of illness and injury across all aspects of our business through our uncompromising approach to safety performance. This includes ensuring any person visiting or working at a GPT asset is safe, and regular training is conducted with tenants and contractors.
GPT’s safety policies, processes and action plans are embedded across all our operations, asset management, development and capital expenditure projects (including for minor to major renovations, and new construction projects). All contractors who work at GPT sites complete a safety induction which includes information on how to report incidents, work permit requirements, and emergency evacuation procedures.
Our Safety Principles
- All work related injuries can be prevented
- Working safely is not negotiable
- Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, and
- Everyone has the authority and is expected to speak up if they observe unsafe work practices or conditions.
In 2023, key areas of focus for mitigation of GPT’s safety risks have included:
- Contractor management
- Permit to work
- Electrical safety
- Plant and equipment
- Work at height
- Coring, cutting, drilling and excavation
- Workplace inspection
- Incident investigation
Safety management
GPT enables employees to deliver consistent and competent safety outcomes through the application of processes collectively known as the GPT Health and Safety Management System (H&SMS). The system comprises our overarching Health and Safety Policy supported by a comprehensive set of safety management procedures that provide a framework for the identification and treatment of health and safety hazards. The system is regularly reviewed and updated to maintain currency in an evolving risk environment.
The H&SMS is introduced to all new employees through a range of induction touchpoints, with specific risk-based training provided to asset-based operational employees as necessary for their role. All new employees undertake a GPT specific Safety Leadership Program focused on effective safety decision making, understanding and developing key safety behaviours, and how each person can contribute to the prevention of injuries and incidents. The GPT Safety Principles underpin this training, setting clear expectations of what is required of all employees.
Read moreExecutive Team Safety Walks
In 2023, the GPT Board endorsed a new safety KPI for the Executive Team (ET) which required each LT member to undertake a minimum of three asset visits with a specific focus on safety.
The visits included a Retail asset, an Office asset, and a Development/Capex project, with the walks facilitated by the Group Safety team in conjunction with relevant asset operational team members.
The ET embraced this new way of looking at assets with many of the ET completing four or more walks. Asset teams enjoyed the opportunity to showcase their assets from a unique perspective, with a number of safety improvements identified through the year.
Social Value
At GPT, we create experiences to meet the diverse needs of the communities where we operate. We are committed to being a trusted and positive contributor and ensuring our buildings are inclusive, safe, and healthy places for all customers and communities to enjoy.
Highlights
(as at 31 December 2023)
$6.3m
Community investment spend in 2023
93%
Employee participation in the GPT Foundation, through volunteering, fundraising and donations
Policies
Sustainable Community Investment
At GPT, we focus on creating measurable economic benefit and improving the social and environmental outcomes in and with our communities. We work with local and national partners to understand our role in helping address social and environmental risks and take opportunities to collaborate on innovative initiatives that support long term, positive socio-economic and environmental change.
GPT’s Community Investment includes:
- Tailored social plans for the properties we own and manage, where we seek to build relationships with our local communities
- Establishment of two-way partnerships that support key societal issues at both the national and local level, particularly through our First Nations engagement, The GPT Foundation and our asset-specific social plans, and
- Working together with other property companies, industry networks such as the Property Council of Australia, and other national and international networks and partners, on shared aspirations including benchmarks.
The investments GPT makes are not just financial, they include sharing the time, skills and expertise of our people and other resources such as space at our assets. We are committed to building our knowledge and skills to continuously improve our activities, as well as our measurement frameworks and performance.
GPT’s Corporate Community Investment is one measure of our social sustainability contributions. This annual dollar figure includes investment by The GPT Foundation, our ongoing actions aligned to the commitments in our Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan and engagement with First Nations partners, and our social inclusion initiatives. These activities build social capital in communities across Australia.
Our Corporate Community Investment captures all material community-related investments associated with our operations, including the assets that we own and manage. This data is externally assured and the inclusions and exclusions within the underpinning definitions are reviewed regularly to ensure these meet stakeholder expectations and appropriately reflect our social sustainability actions.
For further information on our definitions, see our latest GPT Sustainability Basis of Preparation and Glossary document (Appendix C).
For further detail on our Community Investment data, see our Sustainability Data Dashboard.
Our development and asset engagement activities provide for significant direct community investment, and this framework guides our approach.
The GPT Foundation
Established in 2017, The GPT Foundation coordinates and funds GPT’s philanthropic initiatives including workplace giving, fundraising, volunteering, and strategic non-profit partnerships. The Foundation’s mission is to support our communities to thrive.
At GPT we recognise that we are great at relationships and that our reach through our assets and wider network is broad. The GPT Foundation enables us to collaborate with the non-profit sector to share capabilities, networks and opportunities that enable positive impact across Australia and empower our people to do good.
An employee committee is responsible for the governance of The GPT Foundation and oversees its activities. Committee members are responsible for managing GPT’s relationships with its key charity partners, building awareness across GPT regarding these organisations and their important work, and delivering on the Foundation’s annual campaigns supporting employee and community engagement outcomes.
The GPT Foundation’s 2023-26 Strategy marks the start of the Foundation’s second round of three-year grant funding to specific Australian registered charities. GPT’s charity partnership opportunity includes both a direct annual financial contribution to these charities as well as annual innovative fundraising and in-kind support initiatives.
We also partner with a wide range of non-profits and charities on our Give for Change and volunteering campaigns.
Community partners
GPT is proud to partner with three leading Australian charities, who are actively building positive socio-economic outcomes for Australians.
Australian Childhood Foundation
GPT has supported the Australian Childhood Foundation (ACF) since 2017, and during this time we have built a strong and active partnership.
GPT is pleased to join other corporate partners to support the ACF with “On Us” – the Australian business coalition to support child safeguarding.
The ACF was started in 1986 by a small group of processionals and community advocates who wanted to fix major problems in child protection. The ACF became the body to give children, whose pain was unacknowledged, a voice to ensure their safety and care became a priority within the community.
Today, the ACF is the leader in driving collective change in the care and protection of children and young people, keeping them safe from harm and helping them heal in safe and loving relationships.
Property Industry Foundation
GPT has been a long standing partner of the Property Industry Foundation, and in 2023 we celebrated our $1 million donation milestone.
PIF brings together the property and construction industry in a unique collaboration to have a tangible impact on youth homelessness.
Powered by the property industry, PIF builds homes for homeless youth and provides ongoing support for homes where young people can rebuild their lives.
ReachOut
GPT has supported ReachOut Australia (ReachOut) since 2017, and during this time we have built a strong and active partnership supporting thousands of Australians access support for their mental wellbeing.
Anonymous and confidential, ReachOut is a safe place where young people can openly express themselves, get a deeper understanding and perspective on what’s happening in their lives, connect with people who will provide judgment-free support, and build the resilience to manage their challenges now and in the future.
Designed with – and specifically for – young people, ReachOut is 100% online and lets young people connect on their terms. From one-to-one peer support and moderated online communities, to tips, stories, and resources, ReachOut offers a wide range of support options that allow young people to engage in the ways they want to, when they want to.
Engaging our people
The GPT Foundation serves as the conduit through which our employees engage in various philanthropic activities, fostering a culture of giving back and making a positive impact in our communities.
GPT’s workplace giving program, Give for Change, enables our people to make a regular pre-tax financial contribution to an Australian registered charity.
In 2023, we proudly facilitated an array of corporate volunteering activities, enriching both the lives of our employees and the communities we serve.
By providing opportunities for team members to engage directly in hands-on volunteering experiences, we fostered a sense of team building with purpose.
The Foundation’s annual Acts of Kindness campaign enables our people to donate, host, fund raise, or volunteer their skills and time. Employees are allocated an individual budget of ‘kindness cash’ which they can donate to The Foundation partners or Australian non-profit organisations they value and love.
Reconciliation in Action
Highlights
(as at 31 December 2023)
GPT’s second Stretch Reconciliation Action plan launched in October 2023
Formalised GPT’s First Nations Procurement Strategy
Supported our people and customers to learn and engage with First Nations culture and truth-telling through events and training initiatives
Hosted six CareerTracker interns and high school students and supported a scholarship at the University of Western Sydney
Hosted initiatives to help inform our people and customers on the Voice to Parliament referendum
Policies
Our commitment to First Nations Australians
GPT stands for change: Our vision for reconciliation is that we work together to create a nation grounded in equity, respect, and reciprocity.
We are committed to working towards our vision for reconciliation, ensuring that we:
Honour
our responsibility for Country, culture and community in the places we create and how we operate
Advocate
for truth-telling, shared understanding, and learning
Respect
the knowledge, leadership and diversity of First Nations people and cultures, and
Act
in partnership with First Nations people and others, to create opportunities for everyone.
As a leading Australian property company, we recognise First Nations engagement and self-determination is a priority human rights focus and our business takes action to contribute meaningfully to reconciliation in Australia through our partners, people, places, and procurement.
We are committed to continuing to enhance business practices in the property industry. This includes protecting and restoring culture and ecology, ensuring economic and social equity in projects and partnerships, and continuing to advance First Nations engagement in placemaking.
Our Human Rights Statement is aligned to the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and guides us on how to be a trusted and positive contributor to the communities in which we operate and to our partners.
For GPT, Reconciliation is about empowering and supporting First Nations People in our communities and building stronger relationships between the wider Australian community and First Nations People. We recognise the path to reconciliation is complex and we are committed to making a difference in our sphere of influence to help achieve a better future for all Australians.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan
Since 2015, GPT has formally supported Reconciliation Australia’s vision of national reconciliation which is based on five critical dimensions: race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity, and historical acceptance.
In October 2023, we launched our second Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan which is a three year, public commitment to our vision. Significant stakeholder engagement and collaboration was undertaken during 2022 to inform our 2023‑26 Stretch RAP, including engagement with our First Nations partners, our people and our wider business network to inform the updated RAP vision and commitments.
Our RAPs provide a practical plan of action to drive genuine and positive action. They enable GPT to gain a deeper understanding of our responsibilities to Country, culture, and community, to build stronger connections and partnerships, and importantly enhance how we co-create thriving communities across Australia.
The GPT RAP Working Group oversees the delivery of our Reconciliation commitments and its membership includes First Nations employees and Leadership Team members.
Our efforts are further supported by a First Nations External Advisory Group which provides guidance to ensure we are adhering to cultural protocols in our activities, and advancing on our RAP commitments.
Both groups meet regularly and alongside this, employees from across the wider business are responsible for local engagement with Traditional Custodians and other First Nations partners in the communities and networks that we operate.
Partners
We continue to learn from and build on our relationships with First Nations partners across our business.
We have both formal and informal relationships with First Nations partners across Australia, through our RAP Working Group, direct engagement on specific projects, and through our asset-based Social Plans.
Our First Nations Engagement Strategy provides a framework for our people and stakeholders to engage and build trusted two-way relationships with First Nations partners.
We engage with First Nations businesses, organisations, and communities at an asset level and in our corporate activities and networks. Our First Nations Engagement Strategy supports our action to develop two-way, reciprocal partnerships with First Nations stakeholders in the communities and networks where we operate.
People
Our First Nations People Inclusion Plan continues to mature with the launch of our new RAP. We are proud to be a 10×10 Program partner with the CareerTrackers Indigenous Internship Program which provides internships, work experience and employment opportunities for First Nations Australians.
GPT fosters cultural understanding through a comprehensive program. This includes a cultural leave policy for all staff and a structured learning and development program designed to deepen their knowledge of First Nations’ history and culture.
Partnering with Cultural Grounding for formal learning, we also offer an introductory e‑learning module and facilitate local engagement activities with Traditional Custodian groups and other partners.
Places
We continue to enhance and embed First Nations engagement into our asset management and development practices which is critical to our responsibilities as an Australian property company.
Each GPT managed retail and office asset has annual RAP objectives, in line with our broader RAP and social asset goals. GPT’s ESG framework for development incorporates best practice models for First Nations engagement in development and design, such as the NSW Government Connecting with Country framework and the Indigenous Design Charter.
All GPT properties participate in National Reconciliation Week during May and NAIDOC Week during July, sharing digital campaigns and supporting our people, tenants and communities with information and opportunities to learn and engage with culture and community.
Across our portfolio we also continue to acknowledge First Nations people on January 26 in our asset social media platforms, encouraging our network to learn more from First Nations organisations directly about our history.
We host important cultural ceremonies to acknowledge Traditional Owners and First Nations partners in placemaking throughout the year.
In addition to ongoing collaboration on our major development projects, including 51 Flinders Lane in Melbourne and Rouse Hill Town Centre in Sydney, First Nations cultural design principals have been adopted into our fitout activities including GPT’s DesignSuites and Space&Co. venues. It is a pleasure working with First Nations urban design practitioners across the portfolio, embedding truth-telling and recognition of Country, culture, and community in the experiences we create for our people and customers.
Procurement
We recognise the significant role and meaningful opportunities procurement with First Nations owned businesses provides in Australia. GPT is a member of Supply Nation – a non-profit organisation focused on growing First Nations business through supplier diversity and we work with a range of First Nations-owned businesses, including Supply Nation registered and certified organisations.
Our formal First Nations Procurement Strategy was endorsed across our business in 2023, ensuring First Nation supplier considerations in our tender processes, and that retail and office asset social plans implement specific First Nations procurement targets by either financial value or number of First Nations suppliers, with targets to be increased year on year for the term of the RAP.
We have incorporated reconciliation matters into our supplier tender pre-qualification questionnaire to provide supply chain partners with the opportunity to share details about their reconciliation actions, formal First Nations employment initiatives, procurement strategies and other relevant activities.
Favourable recognition is given to potential suppliers that can demonstrate their reconciliation commitments.
Modern Slavery and Supply Chain
Highlights
(as at 31 December 2023)
Participated in the Government’s review of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 through the Property Council of Australia and the UNGC
Cleaning Accountability Framework (CAF) building certification of 32 Smith, Parramatta, Queen & Collins, Melbourne and Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Gold Coast
Completed FairSupply modern slavery assessment of Office portfolio security contractors
Engaged Australian Red Cross to develop our modern slavery training and engagement program, and enhance the voice of the impacted stakeholder in our approach and actions
Implemented an automated Supplier Management System, which improves the transparency of supply chain modern slavery risks and increases GPT’s capability to screen new suppliers for modern slavery risks
Onboarded 58 contractors via GPT’s supplier onboarding structures in connection with the UniSuper and ACRT mandates
Policies
Modern slavery covers a range of unethical practices that result in serious exploitation, including forced labour, debt bondage, child labour and human trafficking. GPT continues to prioritise work to minimise the risk of modern slavery in our supply chain and operations, embed human rights in our business practices, and report transparently on our progress.
For further detail on for how we have further developed, refined, and enhanced our business processes to better identify and guard against human rights abuses, including modern slavery, in our operations and supply chain, see our fourth Modern Slavery Statement.
The Statement is an integral part of our commitment to fostering a corporate environment that adheres to high standards of ethical and professional behaviour.
Supply chain
Our supply chain includes all organisations from which GPT sources goods and services for use in the development and operation of our assets and our corporate business activities.
GPT engaged directly with approximately 2,064 suppliers in the 12 months to 30 June 2023. This included the supply of cleaning services, building maintenance, consultancy services, capital works, construction works, and facilities management.
We aim to build long term collaborative partnerships with suppliers that share our values and are capable of helping us achieve our aspirations. We expect our suppliers to share our commitment to sustainability and demonstrate how they fulfil this commitment, consistent with our policies.
Our supplier relationships are guided by GPT’s Supplier Policy and the Supplier Code of Conduct. Part of our procurement and supply chain commitment is the timely payment of our suppliers, and in 2023 we paid 94 per cent of small businesses on time.
Assessing supply chain risks and opportunities
We rank all our suppliers by economic risk, geographic risk, and sustainability risk using high level indicators, including spend amount, country of origin and business type. This information informs how we manage and mitigate our supply chain risks.
Supplier engagement
GPT uses regular meetings and reporting to engage with and monitor supplier performance against our contractual key performance indicators, service delivery, and adherence to GPT’s Supplier Policies. During the year, we conduct regular asset level supplier meetings which are complemented by regular contract level reviews between GPT and suppliers focusing on performance, safety, and all aspects of sustainability.
