White Pages® News

Indigenous-owned business wins Sensis Social Responsibility Award

September 1, 2010

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The White Pages^® team would like to congratulate Northern Project Contracting (NPC), winners of the 18^th National Telstra Business Awards, Sensis Social Responsibility award category announced on Friday 20 August.

NPC, a wholly Indigenous-owned company with offices in northern, southern and western Queensland, provides jobs for Indigenous people in mining and civil construction.

Established in 2004 as a joint venture between the Waanyi Nation Aboriginal Corporation and an experienced mining contractor, NPC has grown rapidly since buying out its partner in 2008, expanding into northern, southern and western Queensland.

Sensis, owners of the White Pages^®, has sponsored the Sensis Social Responsibility award category for the last three years as part of its commitment to sustainable business practices.

Sensis’ Chief Operations Officer, Gerry Sutton said Northern Project Contracting was an outstanding business selected from a group that had shown leadership through their commitment to sustainable business practices.

“By celebrating businesses such as Northern Project Contracting and the socially responsible way they do business, we hope to inspire all businesses to explore how they can become more sustainable and reduce their impact on the environment, while continuing to run a successful business,” Gerry said.

NPC Director, Derek Flucker, said the company’s staff retention rate is double the industry average for Indigenous workers and this was testament to its understanding of Indigenous culture, community and labour needs, while remaining commercially viable.

“The project has given young people educational, boarding and work opportunities, laying solid foundations for future self-reliance. Ensuring our business contributes to the community is at the heart of everything we do,” said Mr Flucker.

NPC employs more than 100 people - 80 per cent of them Indigenous - and enables local communities to generating wealth on traditional lands.

“Developing a viable business is one thing, but encouraging high levels of Indigenous employment and higher retention rates is one of our most significant achievements,” said Mr Flucker.

“Winning the Sensis Social Responsibility Award is an honour for NPC and will help create a sustainable economic future for Indigenous people to better their own lives by becoming business owners.”

If you’re a small business owner, you can find out more about Sensis’ free resources

Visit www.about.sensis.com.au/small-business to take advantage of some of the free resources Sensis has produced for small and medium sized businesses, including advertising and marketing book ‘Small Business, Big Opportunity’ as well as the ‘Sustainable Growth’ book with tips on how to reduce your impact on how to improve your bottom line while reducing your business’ impact on the environment.