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MATES In Construction officially launches in New ZealandThe innovative MIC program leaps across the Tasman to help address the suicide rate among construction workers in New Zealand.“MATES In Construction actively encourages construction workers to keep an eye on their colleagues. It gives them information on how to recognise the warning signs and the confidence to intervene if they think that something is wrong.” - Scentre Group​, Senior Contracts Administrator, Tim Ingham.To enable our talent to thrive, one of Scentre Group’s eight diversity and inclusion pillars is the mental health and wellbeing of all employees. Our goal is to support our people to have balanced lives and healthy minds through a range of initiatives that contribute to a mentally healthy workplace and improve healthy behaviours.Aligning with this goal not only for our employees but the wider construction industry in New Zealand, in October 2019, our Design &amp; Construction team led the establishment of a suicide reduction charity, MATES in Construction (MIC). With rising suicide rates in New Zealand, particularly among construction workers, MIC seeks to help address the problem.A 2019 BRANZ report, Suicide in the NZ Construction Industry Workforce, reports that in the year to June 2019, 685 people died by suicide and of these, 6.9% (47) were attributed to the construction industry. According to the report, suicides have been rising for four consecutive years with men accounting for three out of four cases. It was clear that something had to be done.MIC was originally established in Australia in 2008 as a response to the high rate of suicide among Australian construction workers. Scentre Group became an accredited MIC partner in 2016, in line with its broader commitment to diversity and inclusion and the goal of creating a culture where employees feel safe to bring their whole selves to work.The catalyst to catapult the MIC initiative across the Tasman Sea came after Scentre Group’s Tim Ingham moved to Auckland in 2016 to work on the company’s Westfield Newmarket development.&quot;I&#39;ve worked on plenty of construction sites in Australia and have seen first-hand the positive impact of MIC on employee and contractor mental health. Soon after I arrived in New Zealand and was setting up our site health and wellbeing committee, I realised two things: firstly, MIC didn’t exist in New Zealand and secondly, it definitely should,” explains Tim.Simultaneously, Tim’s colleagues, Darren Ellis, General Manager, Construction and Donny Carroll, Regional Design &amp; Construction Risk Manager, had come to a similar conclusion. This led to Darren facilitating an information session for the Auckland construction market in 2017. The group then helped to form an Industry Steering Committee in 2018 and led a campaign to raise funds, coordinate stakeholders and launch the program in 2019.Scentre Group offered its Westfield Newmarket development as a pilot site with opportunities for all employees and contractors to participate. In total, three MIC General Awareness Training (GAT) sessions were held at Westfield Newmarket, including the inaugural MIC GAT session. In total the training was delivered to approximately 250 staff and contractors.The training has three tiers. GAT is the first which is delivered to everyone on a worksite. The second provides more in-depth information and resources to a group of selected participants. The third is the provision of mental health first-aid training to a smaller group of workers that helps them manage an immediate, critical incident.
Tim says the initiative is so successful because it is peer-to-peer.“The focus of MIC is to be an antidote to the macho culture that can sometimes prevail in the construction world. It helps construction workers open themselves up to having real conversations with their colleagues and peers about things that actually matter,” he says.After all the hard work establishing the program, MATES In Construction New Zealand CEO, Victoria McArthur, says it was exciting to finally launch the program in central Auckland in front of a packed room of industry, government agencies, local Iwi, member organisations, politicians, media and stakeholders.“Industry has welcomed the introduction of the MATES programme with open arms and it couldn’t have come soon enough. The influence of the programme is already being felt on sites across Auckland with over 1300 workers inducted through General Awareness Training. We have already grown the team to four field officers and one case manager and see this further expanding to meet the growing demand,” she says.“There is a lot happening behind the scenes with marketing the brand, precuring further partners, lobbying for Government support and forming our research and evaluation group. We are also looking to do a literacy review of materials and translations to ensure our audience can engage.”&quot;The reception that MATES has had here in NZ can be largely attributed to the ground work of the foundation organisations that drove its implementation into our industry. Leading this drive has been Scentre Group, who having worked with MATES in Australia and seeing its results, championed hard to bring the program across the Tasman,”  - MATES In Construction New Zealand CEO, Victoria McArthurAlthough Tim’s direct involvement is now largely complete, he says he will watch the nationwide roll-out of the program with great interest.“I’m very pleased to have worked with the steering committee. MATES wanted to approach it in a very practical way so it can continue to grow organically, and that’s exactly what’s happening now, which is great.”

MATES In Construction officially launches in New Zealand

Helping Indigenous Australian students, refugees &amp; asylum seekers find employment at Westfield“Scentre Group’s investment in these programs creates tangible social change in Australia. We acknowledge Scentre Group is contributing to towards reconciliation and faster resettlement with a shared purpose of greater self-determination for all Australians.”
Michael Combs, Founder and CEO of CareerTrackers and Founder of CareerSeekersAn underpinning aim of Scentre Group’s recruitment strategy is the desire that all our employees feel comfortable enough to bring their whole self to work. Diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I) are the key words here and in 2019, we were proud to launch two new D&amp;I initiatives which will help us continue to better reflect the communities we serve.
CareerTrackers and CareerSeekers are sister social enterprises that aim to improve opportunities for Indigenous Australians and refugees and asylum seekers.Established in 2009, CareerTrackers supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university students by linking them with high-quality employers for paid, multi-year internships. Each year the student completes a 12-week internship, matched to their career aspirations, with a partner organisation.In October 2019, Scentre Group signed up to pilot the program and Alison Pearson, Scentre Group’s Head of Talent, says CareerTrackers vision for reconciliation is well aligned to Scentre Group’s stated purpose of creating extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities.“Our objective, as outlined in our Reconciliation Action Plan, is to increase the number of full-time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders we employ by three to six new employees annually,” she says.“CareerTrackers demonstrates some compelling statistics about the employment success of their alumni so we jumped at the opportunity to partner with them. The program promises to become a prime channel to help us achieve our D&amp;I hiring objectives.”The statistics are indeed compelling. While only 47% of Indigenous Australian university students make it to graduation, if they complete the CareerTrackers program this increases to 89%. The program is also growing at speed from 486 CareerTrackers alumni in 2018 to 1,073 predicted for 2020 and, the most persuasive statistic of all, 100% of CareerTrackers alumni are currently employed as professionals.Founder and CEO of CareerTrackers and Founder of CareerSeekers, Michael Combs says, “Through our partnership with Scentre Group, students gain insight into corporate Australia which applies to their studies. Their internship makes them more motivated and gives a greater perspective of their industry and studies.”Matthew Fisk leads Scentre Group’s Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group and says he is very proud of the work the company is doing to attract and retain Indigenous Australian employees.“We are 100% committed to supporting First Nations Australians and are very much looking forward to seeing our three CareerTrackers students flourish in their internships in 2020 and beyond. We plan to review the pilot next year with a view to expanding our annual student intake, as well as paving the way to converting our interns to full-time employees once they graduate,” he says.“CareerTrackers had immediate appeal because we wanted to create genuine career opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through our Reconciliation Action Plan.”  Matthew Fisk, Chairman, Scentre Group’s Reconciliation Action Plan Working GroupAccording to Alison, it was through Scentre Group’s connection to CareerTrackers that the company became aware of CareerSeekers. Founded in 2015, CareerSeekers works with leading employers to create professional internship opportunities for refugees and people seeking asylum. The aim is to smooth their settlement into Australia, give them greater self-determination and build their professional networks.Charbel Kaiber, a refugee from Syria who joined the Westfield Parramatta team in NSW.
“We were immediately excited by this program which sees mid-career professionals, who have tertiary qualifications and professional experience, placed with an employer for 12-weeks of paid work in their field of expertise,” continues Alison.“It’s called the New Australian Internship Program and in October 2019, we welcomed two CareerSeekers to our Living Centre teams, including Charbel Kaiber, a refugee from Syria who joined our Westfield Parramatta team in NSW.”Alison says that although it has only been a few months, it has been a wonderful experience so far. “Charbel holds a Bachelor of French Literature and has considerable work experience in customer service roles. His work ethic is outstanding,” she says.Combs concludes “Scentre Group’s investment in these programs creates tangible social change in Australia. We acknowledge Scentre Group is contributing to towards reconciliation and faster resettlement with a shared purpose of greater self-determination for all Australians.”

Helping Indigenous Australian students, refugees & asylum seekers find employment at Westfield

Boosting youth resilience and reducing loneliness in Casey&quot;Shopping centres are more than just buildings, they are places that offer social interaction; they’re places where people can feel part of things even if they’re on their own; and, in some people’s lives, they can feel like a second home.&quot; - City of Casey Mayor, Cr Amanda StapledonIn 2019, Westfield Fountain Gate became home to two initiatives that aim to significantly improve life for vulnerable members of the local community.The first is a collaboration with the Australian arm of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), an international humanitarian organisation that provides support for disadvantaged people.Every Thursday evening ADRA community leader volunteers, with backgrounds that include Sudanese, the Pacific Islands, Maori and Muslim, visit Westfield Fountain Gate to talk with young people and act as a referral point to professional services such as counselling, social workers or employment providers, depending on the situation.ADRA Director, Victoria and Tasmania, Rebecca Auriant says, “The community leaders outreach program is to engage with youth at Westfield Fountain Gate in an effort to prevent anti-social behaviour.“We also aim to identify if they require support with education, employment, youth services, legal and/or mental health services with social workers and counselling on the ADRA outreach community bus. The community leader’s outreach is an initiative between the Victorian Police, Community Leaders, Westfield Fountain Gate, ADRA and Afri-Aus Care.”According to Selba Gondoza Luka, the CEO of Afri-Aus Care who works closely with the ADRA volunteers, the project is underpinned by a deep awareness that life is hard for many young people from culturally diverse backgrounds, and the willing ear and advice of a wise elder from their community can provide manifold benefits.“This is a great opportunity for us to work with Westfield Fountain Gate knowing it is a popular place for our young people to gather. We can interact and identify with younger people who may be experiencing problems in their life and provide services then and there via ADRA’s outreach community bus,” she says.Photo: The Afri-Aus Care team at Westfield Fountain Gate.The program is one of a number of youth engagement initiatives as part of Westfield Fountain Gate’s Community Plan. All Westfield Living Centres have a Community Plan, which identifies the opportunities for engaging with their local communities in ways that are relevant, meaningful and have the most impact.Fountain Gate’s Risk and Security Manager, Adrian Bower, says he was thrilled to have so many committed and passionate community leaders onsite, working with and interacting with the younger customers.“Not only are we expecting to see the number of youth-related incidents decline but are delighted to support our younger people with such valuable onsite services.”Another successful community project at Westfield Fountain Gate is the Korus Connect Initiative which is designed to tackle social isolation, loneliness and disconnection among members of the local community by employing a Community Connector to work onsite. The six-month pilot, which is being undertaken at both Westfield Fountain Gate and Cranbourne Park Shopping Centre, is being undertaken in partnership with the City of Casey Council which is providing funding.City of Casey Mayor Cr Amanda Stapledon says embedding Community Connectors into shopping centres in the region offers a valuable support service for people who feel isolated or lonely.“Shopping centres are more than just buildings, they are places that offer social interaction; they’re places where people can feel part of things even if they’re on their own; and, in some people’s lives, they can feel like a second home,” she says.“That makes them the ideal place to identify and build rapport with individuals who may need some extra support, and to give them an extra connection.”Westfield Centre Manager Cathy Main says the program complements the fantastic community engagement work already underway.“This project is helping us to deliver on our commitment to connect and enrich our local community,” she says.
The Community Connector for Fountain Gate, Melissa Mcilroy, is onsite every Thursday and Friday and available for anyone to approach, seek advice from, or speak with about anything they’ve got on their mind.
Development Manager of Korus Connect, Richard Kolega, says the Community Connectors are skilled in providing ongoing support to both individuals and their families.“As highly trained professionals, Community Connectors are able to connect individuals into relevant aspects of local support and community networks and, importantly, ensure that these connections are sustainable and work effectively,” he says.

Boosting youth resilience and reducing loneliness in Casey

Sensitive Santa’s softly, softly approach is a hit with families&quot;Watching Claire and seeing her hands go up when she met Santa… that’s going to stay with me all year.”- Amanda, mother of a five-year old girl on the Autism SpectrumSitting for the annual Santa photo is a special tradition for many families. However, the music, lights, queues of people and general excitement that comes with this much-loved tradition can often leave children with sensory challenges feeling overwhelmed and reluctant to take part.Recognising the need to curate a tailored experience for children with sensory challenges, in 2019 Westfield living centres across Australia and New Zealand are offering Sensitive Santa photo sessions before and after normal trading hours to extend the magical experience of Santa to more families.Westfield Sensitive Santa sessions allow for people who need more time with Santa and take place with subdued lighting, no crowds and no background music.“Sensitive Santa was initially introduced at Westfield Woden in response to a customer request, and the community response was overwhelmingly positive,” says Phil McAveety, Scentre Group’s Director Customer Experience.“We want to ensure special festive moments such as meeting Santa are accessible to all our customers, so we’re pleased that Sensitive Santa photography will be available at all Westfield Centres in Australia and New Zealand this year.”To raise awareness of the Sensitive Santa experience, Westfield filmed a documentary-style short film featuring Amanda and her daughter Claire, a five-year old girl from NSW South Coast who is on the autism spectrum and had the opportunity to meet Santa for the first time.“The idea of taking Claire to a shopping centre for a Santa photo is really daunting to me, she might get really overwhelmed, so the idea of it being outside usual shopping hours when the crowds are gone really excited me,” says Amanda.Families are able to book a spot for these calm and comfortable photography sessions for children with sensitive processing challenges, anxiety or disabilities. Best of all, Santa and his helpers are right on hand to accommodate any special requests as best they can.Photo from left: Scentre Group employee Nicola Burgess, who was on the working group for the roll out of Sensitive Santa across our portfolio, her son Josh (3), partner Paul and son Riley (7), who is on the Autism Spectrum take advantage of a Sensitive Santa sessions at Westfield Warringah Mall.

Sensitive Santa’s softly, softly approach is a hit with families

Westfield Parramatta doubles monthly cardboard recyclingIn mid-2018, just a few months into his new role, Assistant Facilities Manager at Westfield Parramatta, Akin Mehmet, was faced with a major challenge.“Driven in part by the global economic climate around cardboard recycling, and in part by a new waste services contract we had entered into with SUEZ, our cardboard contamination threshold dropped from five per cent to zero,” he explains.“This basically meant there was no room for error in our cardboard recycling stream.”As a result, his team suddenly found large volumes of cardboard waste – up to 40 or 45 tonnes a month – being rejected and sent to landfill. This not only clashed with the team’s passion, environmental targets and commitment to waste reduction and recycling, but presented an increased cost to the business.“Between September 2018 and June 2019, we lost 185 tonnes of cardboard to contamination which is a lose-lose situation – it’s a loss for the environment and our stated recycling targets and practices, and it’s a loss for our operational costs due to a reduction in our cardboard recycling rebate and increased landfill disposal costs,” says Akin.SUEZ National Key Account Manager, Neil Thornley, explains that contamination occurs when any waste other than cardboard or paper is placed in the cardboard bin.“The most common cause of contamination is boxes not being broken down or flattened. Inside the boxes will be plastic, polystyrene, coat hangers, food scraps etc. The next most common is general waste bags being thrown into cardboard bins,” Neil says.For Akin and the Westfield Parramatta team, the challenge was clear – they needed to figure out how to dramatically reduce cardboard contamination in an efficient and financially-viable way.“My first steps were to work with SUEZ to get their take on the problem, then I surveyed our retail partners to get a better understanding of their waste disposal requirements and habits. It was really successful and we got a 90 per cent return rate,” says Akin.Armed with the survey data, Akin developed a business case to support the need for resources to man key locations at peak times to help educate retailers and minimise contamination risk.“I also worked closely with Ezko, our cleaning contractor, who provided a team member to rotate between the two main loading docks during the day to intercept any incorrect waste disposal habits by our retail partners,” he says.“This SUEZ team, along with everyone on my team, has a strong focus on tenant education, particularly during the busy periods identified in the survey. We also run ‘Dock Day’ training for half a day once a month in collaboration with SUEZ,” Akin explains.SUEZ worked alongside the Westfield Parramatta team implement the Dock Day training in order to focus on tenant education.“One of the best ways to avoid contamination is to separate waste at the source,” says Neil.“This involved SUEZ discussing the current waste separation practises with each visitor to the dock and supplying best practise separation guides. Follow up visits were arranged with food retailers and larger retail stores to help them improve their waste separation within the tenancy. Part of the education program was to explain what happened to each of the recycling waste streams, and how they became new products again. We also explained the environmental impact of recycling and reducing the amount of waste going to landfill,” he said.The results speak for themselves. Westfield Parramatta doubled its average recycled cardboard from 40 tonnes per month for the six months to June 2019 to almost 80 tonnes in July and August 2019.Overall, Akin says he is incredibly proud of his team and what they have achieved for both the business and the wider environment.“Although this strategy brought us exceptional results (our rejection rate is now under 10 tonnes a month), it is not 100 per cent foolproof. We will continue to monitor the situation and I plan to do another survey in February 2020 to see what else we can learn,” says Akin.As for waste reduction advice for his peers, he is emphatic:
“Research, research, research! The most powerful weapon we have is data and the relationships with our retail partners. Without the survey we would never have been able to do what we did.”In 2020, Scentre Group will increase its focus on improved environmental best practice sharing and learning across its portfolio of Westfield Living Centres.To read more about Scentre Group’s environmental targets, visit https://www.scentregroup.com/about-us/sustainability

Westfield Parramatta doubles monthly cardboard recycling

Making Westfield Geelong more accessible and inclusiveAs part of the Revitalising Central Geelong Partnership with The City of Greater Geelong and the Victorian Government, we opened our Changing Places facility at Westfield Geelong today.Changing Places is an accessible adult change facility and meets the needs of individuals with high support requirements and their carers, by including a full-size height adjustable bench, hoist, shower, peninsular toilet and more space to use the toilets safely, privately and comfortably.Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens and our local customer, Jack Tori, officially opened the facility, which is the third of its kind in the city.
Jack made an impromptu and heartfelt speech, saying that services such as these “help me feel more independent and human”.Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens, said: “Geelong is an inclusive, diverse and close-knit city deserving of all-access facilities to benefit the local community. All members of the Geelong community should be able to make use of the Westfield shopping centre, and central Geelong, and we’re making that a reality.”Westfield Geelong Centre Manager, Lauren Frew, said: “We want our living centres to be inclusive and welcoming, and to empower our customers of all abilities to experience our living centre with dignity and respect. This changing places facility is an important step in creating a more inclusive community environment as well as improving access, facilities and services for Westfield Geelong customers to support them enjoy an easy and positive experience with us.”

Making Westfield Geelong more accessible and inclusive

Local Heroes, Local KnowledgeWhat our community recognition and engagement program has taught us about our customers and communitiesThrough his organisation, Rap 4 Change, Ned uses a love of music to build connections with young people and help them tackle issues such as substance abuse, self-harm, bullying and racism with positive influences in music, sport and creativity.“It’s all about encouraging young people to make positive choices in their lives, and showing them it can be done,” says Ned, who was himself released from juvenile detention at the age of 17.Over in Auckland, New Zealand, domestic violence survivor Anita Hinton has created I Got Your Back Pack (IGYBP), a charity which provides backpacks filled with essential items so women and children have something of their own in a time of need.“I work as a cleaner to live and eat, but my passion is IGYBP and being a positive role model for my daughter,” says Hinton“It’s what we do that defines us, not what happens to us.”In its four years of existence, IGYPB has distributed 2500 backpacks to women in need, and has been averaging 300 a month in 2019, with packs distributed throughout NZ.Anita and Ned might work in different areas and in different countries, but one thing they have in common is that they have both been recognised as 2019 Westfield Local Heroes, Scentre Group’s community recognition and engagement program.In the outer Sydney suburb of Mount Druitt, Ned Narouz is using rap music to inspire young people who have experienced contact with the juvenile justice system.Scentre Group announced 121 Westfield local heroes today – three for each of its operating centres - all of whom will receive up to $10,000 to help their community-based organisation or project grow and thrive. Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their local communities.Scentre Group Director, Customer Experience, Phil McAveety, said this year’s 121 Westfield Local Heroes received more than 107,000 community votes from across Australia and New Zealand.“The program is designed to discover and celebrate people who are doing great things in our communities,” he says.“And for us, it all comes back to our purpose of creating extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities. The program recognises that our centres are that third place for people, outside of the people’s homes, workplaces or places of study and they are a social hub for our communities.”McAveety explains that each of the Local Heroes are community focused with locally based activities designed to “create a sense of inclusion.”“We often find that the causes and organisations that our Heroes are so passionate about align with the social fabric of the local community in which we are operating our living centres every day.“This means the program gives us some really valuable insights into what makes that community tick and what’s most important to our customers in that particular community.”In 2018, 117 inaugural Heroes received grants totalling $1.17 million, after 1037 nominations and over 77,000 votes cast from members of the public. Many of these 2018 Local Heroes are already noticing the impact of being recognised by the program.Paulo De Nobrega, who operates the Sutherland Titans Football Club in the Shire district south of Sydney, was one such 2018 Westfield local hero.The Titans are a team of players, all with special needs, who play regular games against association teams which have a “bye’ from regular competition.“Westfield Local Heroes has been a lifeline,” says Paulo. “We now have some financial security which is very different to previous years.”The $10,000 Local Heroes grant enabled the Titans to purchase an on-site defibrillator, along with a drinks fridge and new goal posts.Another 2018 hero was NZ-based Robyn Twemlow, who received $10,000 for her annual Camp Twitch event, which brings people with Tourette’s Syndrome together in a safe and welcoming environment.She says being a Westfield Local Hero represents “awesome acceptance” and recognition from the wider community and has been crucial in helping Camp Twitch with its growth and momentum.Robyn’s daughter was diagnosed with Tourette’s at the age of nine, and she then formed Camp Twitch to connect with others, offering a friendly ear to families and people with the Syndrome.The high point came when a boy who attended one of the camp’s nominated Robyn as his hero in a school writing exercise.“He said going to Camp Twitch was the first time he’d felt normal and not different,” says Robyn.“That really touched me and made all the hard work worthwhile.”Westfield Local Heroes entrants do not have to be registered charities. They can simply be individuals with passionate and innovative ideas for making a local contribution.The majority of nominated individuals are running small programs for which the $10,000 prize money has significantly more impact than it might have for other, larger organisations.Even if entrants are not ultimately grant recipients, they are promoted through Scentre Group’s digital assets and publicity as part of the voting process, which helps raise their profile and that of their programs, causes and activities. Research conducted with the 2018 program participants found they see high value in the promotion the program generates for their work and their organisations.Of the 2018 successful Local Heroes, 96% agree the program ‘helps community organisations grow’, and 91% agree it helps ‘connects people with services and programs they may not have otherwise known about’.Meanwhile, 98% said they experienced positive impacts, such as increased motivation, work ethic and pride, as a result of being named a Westfield Local Hero.For Scentre Group, the program is an important way to deepen engagement with its local communities and gain a better understanding of local issues.“It connects us with grassroots issues - from domestic violence to accessibility for people with disability - and gives us the opportunity to work with people to address them through our centres,” McAveety says.“That engagement then helps make our Living Centres more inclusive, welcoming and connected places for everyone.”While the work of all nominees spans a broad spectrum of social values, those causes that featured most highly in 2019 were support and networks for parents and families, people with disabilities, mental health and providing opportunities for at-risk or disengaged youth to thrive and become positive contributors to the local community. The Local Heroes program also makes a contribution to engagement among Scentre Group’s employees, where it enjoys significant support.“A lot of our people tell us that this is one of those programs that gets them out of bed and motivated,” says McAveety.“They love being a part of this, and they’re proud that we’re doing it.”For a full list of our Australian and New Zealand 2019 Westfield Local Heroes visit https://www.westfield.com.au/local-heroes and https://www.westfield.co.nz/local-heroes.

Local Heroes, Local Knowledge

Kiwi Dads: Scentre Group sponsors photography exhibition to promote parental leave equalityWe’re proud to have sponsored and hosted a new photographic exhibition at Westfield Newmarket in Auckland called Kiwi Dads to advocate for parental leave equality. We’re doubly proud that one of our team, Adam Walters, featured in the exhibition.Did you know approximately 300 New Zealand dads (around 1%) took paid parental leave in 2017 compared to 30,000 women? Yet research shows that men – and Millennial men in particular – want the option of having time at home with their children.Inspired by the Swedish Dads photographic exhibition and following on from Aussie Dads which Scentre Group supported last year, Kiwi Dads is a new public photographic exhibition that hopes to change those statistics and normalise fathers taking time off work to care for their kids.Our CEO Peter Allen said, “We are really proud to have one of our Scentre Group dads, Adam Walters, featured in the exhibition. We are committed to parental leave equality and encourage men and women in our organisation to consider their caring role as a part of their career, not a break in their career. By hosting this exhibition at our latest Living Centre, Westfield Newmarket, we are keen to encourage our customers to engage and connect with this conversation and encourage broader community discussion on parental leave equality.”The exhibition, created by Global Women in partnership with Parents at Work and the Embassy of Sweden, featured 13 fathers from across New Zealand at home with their children. The Kiwi Dads photos are by Auckland-based photographer, Sarah Weber.Other corporate sponsors of the exhibition include ANZ, Spotify, HSBC and QBE.

Kiwi Dads: Scentre Group sponsors photography exhibition to promote parental leave equality

Engaging, celebrating and contributing to our communitiesAs social hubs where people come together to connect, learn and exchange ideas, relax, socialise and build relationships, each of our 41 Westfield living centres plays an integral role in the lives of our customers and broader communities.Our engagement with the communities we serve is fundamental to our success and contributes to strengthening social wellbeing and cohesion.All of our living centres across Australia and New Zealand have a dedicated, unique Community Plan that outlines how each centre management team engages with, celebrates and contributes to their local community. These community plans seek to discover and highlight what is most relevant and meaningful in their respective community.Initiatives to bring these strategic plans to life include everything from cultural activations in-centre and providing physical and digital space to raise awareness of important issues, to operational activities that address local social issues and bespoke employee training to ensure positive experiences for our community and customers. During 2019, we will execute almost 250 community initiatives and over 400 cultural celebrations as part of our community plans.We also work very closely with police, emergency services and other local and state authorities to ensure the wellbeing of our customers, retail partners and employees, and to collaboratively address emerging social issues.We regularly review the outcomes of each community plan and measure the impact on the our community, customers, employees and broader business so we can continuously improve the work we do.

Engaging, celebrating and contributing to our communities

NAIDOC Week 2019Westfield living centres renamed Indigenous names for NAIDOC Week 2019With more than 50 years of Westfield brand heritage within Australian communities, some of which represent the largest populations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations in Australia, we recognise we have an important role to play in acknowledging and celebrating, engaging and educating our communities about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements.In July 2019, we acknowledged NAIDOC Week as a significant cultural moment for our Aboriginal &amp; Torres Strait Islander communities and celebrated with them across our Australian Westfield living centres, and at the same time encouraged the wider Australian community to join that celebration and gain a greater understanding about NAIDOC Week and all it represents.The 2019 NAIDOC Week theme was:  VOICE. TREATY. TRUTH.To showcase and pay respect to Indigenous voice and language, whilst acknowledging the truth of the land on which we all stand, as well as driving awareness of NAIDOC Week, every Australian Westfield living centre was temporarily renamed to their traditional name in the language of their local Aboriginal &amp; Torres Strait Islander communities.For example, Westfield Parramatta became Westfield Burramatta, meaning “head of waters” or “the place where the eels lie down”. Westfield Tuggerah became Westfield Darkinjung, meaning “people of the mountain, people of the sea”.The name changes were reflected across our digital platforms including our connected SmartScreen network, 36 Australian websites and social media platforms, where customers were able to learn more about the name origins of their centre.In addition, each of the Westfield living centres hosted celebrations and activations aligned to their local community during NAIDOC Week itself. Celebrations ranged from in-centre welcome to country and didgeridoo performances, a visual language installation that spoke to the language and stories of Darug Country and its people at Westfield Parramatta, interactive traditional and contemporary dance workshops, and art workshops and traditional storytelling for kids.

NAIDOC Week 2019

Supporting our working parents and carersWe want our people to bring their whole selves to work and support them manage their busy lives as well as deliver extraordinary results and excel in their chosen career with us.Our Keep in Touch program and Parents Connect forums are designed to support our working parents and carers balance work and family demands by openly talking about the sometimes competing demands on our time and providing them with the tools and resources they need.Keeping in TouchWe offer parental leave and have a specific Keep in Touch program designed to ensure the transition to parental leave and back to work again is as smooth and stress-free as possible. We liken our approach to maintaining an open conversation because it is different for each individual and is rarely a simple process that starts and stops.Part of our Keep in Touch program includes our New Parents Lunches. All parents on parental leave – and their gorgeous children – are invited to lunch hosted by Peter Allen, our CEO. These lunches provide an opportunity for Peter to share what’s been happening in the business as well as for our parents to tell us about their experiences of parental leave, so we remain connected.Ongoing support – our Parents ConnectWhile parental leave is an important aspect of supporting parents, one of the core features of our support program is that it is designed for parents and carers of children of any age and is ongoing – because the job of parenting never ends.We host bi-monthly forums offering our parents and carers an opportunity to network, listen and learn from others.We provide information about the full spectrum of support available, including buddy programs, toolkits, parents@work coaching and our flexible work policy, so they can make the most of it should they need to – recognising that it’s a journey and needs change over time.Each forum also focuses on a specific topic with expert speakers joining us. Recent forums have covered topics such as:1. Parents as Leaders
2. CPR for Kids
3. Explore your work life dream
4. Want your kids to eat veggies? Family Nutrition
5. Parental Leave Equality – the important role dad plays

Peter Allen, our CEO, hosts regular lunches with our parents while they’re on parental leave

Supporting our working parents and carers

Scentre Group launches second Reconciliation Action Plan 2019 – 2021In 2016 Scentre Group took an important step forward in our journey to create a workplace reflective of the communities in which we operate with the launch of Scentre Group’s first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) 2016-2018.Our first RAP 2016-2018 helped us to build the right foundations to fulfil our vision to educate our communities, demonstrate respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and embed positive and sustainable cultural change.As a part of NAIDOC Week celebrations in 2019, we launched our second Reconciliation Action Plan 2019-2021. type: asset-hyperlink id: 5O89sONItS6EnAnFVEfwKvOur vision for reconciliation remains aligned to our purpose and values as an organisation as well as our approach to being a responsible, sustainable business. For the next chapter of our reconciliation story, we have outlined our plans to go beyond education and seek to engage and connect with our customers and communities in fulfilling our vision.Many of our 36 Australian Westfield living centres are located within geographical areas of cultural significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We see it as our responsibility to ensure that we not only understand and embrace the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and rights, but keep striving to increase appreciation, respect and understanding amongst the broader community.Through our active and future development program, as well as the reach of our day-to-day commercial activities owning and operating our living centres, we are a large procurer of goods and services. As a corporate member of Supply Nation, we have an opportunity to increase internal awareness of their platform and support more Indigenous businesses across a range of categories.In this RAP, we have set out our updated commitments, targets and the program of initiatives we’ll undertake over the next two years, with the endorsement of Reconciliation Australia. Some of the key areas of focus include engaging further with our local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities surrounding our centres and embedding our employment and supplier diversity initiatives.Our CEO, Peter Allen says, “I encourage everyone to take time to truly connect with this plan; as Scentre Group employees, suppliers and partners, and as members of our diverse Australian communities. The success of our efforts will be determined by the extent to which our business operations, the accessibility of our services and our own mindset and attitudes contribute to continued progress for reconciliation nationally. I look forward to continuing our reconciliation journey together.”

Scentre Group launches second Reconciliation Action Plan 2019 – 2021

Making Westfield Tuggerah more inclusiveIntroducing Quiet Hour for customers with sensory sensitivitiesFor individuals living with dementia, autism, and sensory sensibilities, the shopping centre experience can sometimes be overwhelming.At all of our Westfield living centres, we aim to make the customer experience both inclusive and welcoming, allowing customers to experience our living centres with comfort and respect.Following new dementia training for employees and a successful month-long trial, Westfield Tuggerah is now participating in a Quiet Hour every Tuesday morning between 10:30 and 11:30.Westfield Tuggerah Centre Manager, Bert Cotte, praised the centre’s initiative: “Forty retailers have joined our Quiet Hour initiative and the feedback from customers, retailers and community partners has been fantastic.”The initiative aims to enhance the shopping experience for those individuals who may struggle when shopping centres become busy and noisy.Westfield Tuggerah has implemented simple and practical changes, including changing the type of music playing and reducing the volume throughout the centre, lowering the lights in safe areas, stopping non-essential announcements and some retailers not restocking or using Point-of-Sale beeping.The feedback of the initiative has been overwhelmingly positive.Bobby Redman, a Westfield customer living with younger onset dementia, praised the work of the Tuggerah centre: “The Quiet Hour at Westfield is very impressive and will have a strong impact on the Wyong-Tuggerah community.“Westfield should be commended on this initiative to make the Tuggerah Centre an inclusive space not only for people with dementia, but for so many members of the community with invisible disabilities, particularly those with sensory sensitivities.”Dementia Australia CEO, Maree McCabe, said she was “pleased to support the introduction of a quiet hour at Westfield Tuggerah.“It&#39;s important we build a better understanding of dementia and the steps people can take – such as the Quiet Hour, which can make someone living with dementia, their families and carers, remain connected to their community.”The program has seen Westfield Tuggerah recognised by Dementia Australia as a Dementia-friendly centre.

Making Westfield Tuggerah more inclusive

Investing in the next generation of female leadersIn May 2019, Scentre Group hosted 74 girls from three Sydney high schools - Riverside Girls School, Asquith Girls High School and NBSC Mackellar Girls - as part of the Property Council of Australia’s Girls in Property program.The program aims to encourage greater female participation in the property industry by showcasing career paths the property industry offers.“We have been involved with the program since its inception in 2017 and see it as an important part of the work we do to continually address gender equality in our workplace, as well as in the property industry more widely,” said Karen Skinner, Regional Manager Centre Experience.“We were one of the first two organisations to get involved in this initiative and in just a couple of years, the number of participating organisations has grown to 14.“During 2018, 43 per cent of new hires and 65 per cent of promotions at Scentre Group were women, and we see Girls in Property as a long-term investment in creating the next generation of female leaders in property – and specifically for Scentre Group.”As part of the Girls in Property program agenda, the young women spent a day at Westfield Sydney and hear presentations from some of our inspirational female leaders from across the business.The discussions raised awareness of the huge range of career paths available within the property sector and demonstrated that the industry and - in particular, Scentre Group as a vertically integrated business – is a place where women can and are encouraged to have successful and senior careers as experts in their chosen field.In May 2019, Scentre Group was again endorsed by WGEA as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, in recognition of our efforts to create a workplace culture in which women and men are equally represented, valued and rewarded.Breaking down the barriers to achieving gender equality in the Property sector is a personal priority for our CEO, Peter Allen, who is a representative for Property Male Champions of Change and a WGEA Ambassador for Pay Equity.“I continue to work as a Property Male Champion of Change to leverage new opportunities across the industry so we can expand our talent pool,” he said.“I’m pleased to report we have no pay gap for like roles by gender and females represent 41 per cent of all people managers and 26.5 per cent at senior executive level. But we must continue to take action to ensure greater numbers of women enter the industry and are supported to pursue leadership positions so we can achieve gender balance at senior levels.“This is a personal priority of mine, as well as a key priority for our business, and I’m pleased that we have once again invested in our future pipeline of talented women and supported Girls in Property.”By the end of 2021, Scentre Group has committed to increasing representation of female executives from 26.5 per cent to 30 per cent. Our target to achieve representation of 40 per cent female, 40 per cent male and 20 per cent either gender across all management roles was achieved in 2018 and we are focussed on maintaining this.

Investing in the next generation of female leaders

Scentre Group Signs the Australian Supplier Payment CodeScentre Group has become a signatory to the Australian Supplier Payment Code, demonstrating the company’s support for prompt and on-time payment to its small business suppliers.Under the Code, Scentre Group commits to pay its eligible Australian small business suppliers on time and within 30 days of receiving a correct invoice, and help its suppliers implement new technologies and practices to speed up invoicing.Scentre Group CEO Peter Allen said: “We are fortunate to partner with many small businesses that help us deliver great experiences for our customers, retail partners and communities every day. We understand that in order to thrive, they need prompt and on-time payment.“As a vertically integrated business, managing planning, design, development and construction, through to curation of our retail, service and experience mix and day-to-day centre management, our supplier relationships span a cross-section of industries and are fundamental to our business operations.“Signing the Code demonstrates our commitment to partnering with our small business suppliers for the long-term. The Code aligns with our business practices and our values as a responsible, sustainable business.”

Scentre Group Signs the Australian Supplier Payment Code

Changing PlacesIn April 2019, we were pleased to unveil Westfield Carousel’s accredited Changing Places facility, alongside the WA Minister for Disability Services, Stephen Dawson, and Westfield Local Hero, Emma Gardner from Nulsen Services.Our secure and clean Changing Places facility is fully equipped with an adult change table and hoist for people with disabilities who need space and assistance to use the bathroom.Photo from left: Emma Gardiner - Nulsen Group, Ravi Karki - Support Worker, Nulsen Group, Steven Pratt - Nulsen Resident, Chris Barton - Scentre Group, Hon. Stephen Dawson MLCWe want our living centres to be inclusive and welcoming, and to empower our customers of all abilities to experience our living centre with dignity and respect. As one of only three facilities of its kind located in Perth shopping centres, our Changing Places facility is an important step in creating a more inclusive community environment as well as improving access, facilities and services for Westfield Carousel customers to support them enjoy an easy and positive experience with us.

Changing Places

Doing more to promote gender diversityLeading director Brian Schwartz talks to Christopher Niesche about the significance of learning and the need to do more to promote gender diversity. Read more.

Doing more to promote gender diversity

Awarded Bronze at the 2019 AWEI AwardsIn 2016, Scentre Group formed an LGBTI working group and a support network as part of our broader Diversity and Inclusion (D&amp;I) strategy.  We released our action plan and called for allies to champion an inclusive environment. We’ve been working hard to ensure everyone feels safe to bring their whole selves to work.In 2019, we were awarded Bronze status at the 2019 Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI) Awards, alongside only 39 other Australian employers. The award recognises our business as active employers in LGBTI inclusion, putting us alongside organisations, such as PWC, KPMG and HSBC.The AWEI is the definitive national benchmark on LGBTI workplace inclusion. To achieve an AWEI award, an organisation must make an annual submission, showcasing the work done to be an LGBTI inclusive workplace. It invites all team members to complete the AWEI Survey, which identifies the impact of initiatives on organisational culture.For many organisations, it can take several years to achieve bronze recognition. This year’s submission was Scentre Group’s second, and the first to cover a full financial year, highlighting how much has been achieved in a short timeframe.Scentre Group’s LGBTI Working Group is behind this outstanding achievement. The group has invested enormous effort into leading initiatives throughout the year to promote a truly inclusive culture.Our company policies were reviewed to ensure language is accessible to members of the LGBTI community, we drafted a Transition Framework for transgender employees as a result of an employee choosing to transition early in 2018, expanded training for our Allies, and compiled a full calendar of events for 2018 to cover Mardi Gras, IDAHOBIT Day and Wear it Purple Day.An example of the trust our people have in the company and its supportive culture, Chris Zerial, our D&amp;I Council Member and LGBTI strategy leader, shared his personal story of coming out at work on myScentre (our intranet) and LinkedIn. In sharing, he wanted to make it easier for others to come out and to help create a more inclusive culture.Thanks to the efforts of our dedicated LGBTI working group and more than 320 Allies (December 2018), more of our people have come out in the workplace, with 11 per cent of our employees identifying as LGBTI, in line with the Australian population.

Awarded Bronze at the 2019 AWEI Awards

Paying respect to ‘the tree of single importance’Westfield Newmarket’s stunning NZ$790 million development may be taking New Zealand customers into the future, but a poignant ode to the past will take pride of place on the exterior of the new living centre.Westfield Newmarket is well over a decade in the making, which has seen Scentre Group developers work closely with Heritage New Zealand, the country’s leading national heritage agency and managers of Newmarket’s historic landmark, a gothic mansion built in 1862 called Highwic.The collaboration has ensured Westfield Newmarket’s 78,000 sqm development, sitting on Highwic’s borders and visible from three sides of the property, works successfully in respect of each party’s needs. But the entrenched relationship has also allowed Scentre Group to gain a deeper understanding of Newmarket’s own cultural heritage and Māoritanga (Māori culture).Te Ti Tūtahi was the Māori name given to Newmarket, meaning ‘the tree of single importance’. It refers to the cabbage tree which stood on the corner of Mortimer Pass and Broadway until 1908.Many of the cabbage trees in the area are descended from this tree, after Highwic founder, Alfred Buckland, rescued and replanted trees around Newmarket, which the suburb is now famous for.In recognition of this special place, Scentre Group engaged Māori designer, Peata Larkin, to pay homage to this sacred site with a façade design that will sit proudly above the place where the ‘tree of single importance’ once stood.This is one of three designs by Larkin, that will honour local iwi1 and the history of Newmarket.
These artworks will not only bring new life to Newmarket’s heritage, they will allow Westfield Newmarket to once again lay its roots in the local landscape, allowing the new centre to resume its stronghold as the heart of Newmarket.1The Māori-language word iwi means &quot;people&quot; or &quot;nation&quot;, and is often translated as &quot;tribe&quot;, or &quot;a confederation of tribes&quot;.

Paying respect to ‘the tree of single importance’

‘People Protecting People’ is a winnerOur culture of &#39;People Protecting People&#39; ensures our living centres are safe places for our people and our communities. Since launching ‘People Protecting People’ in 2016, LTIFR1 has stayed low, currently 2.7. Over the same period, the number of employee injuries that resulted in five or more days off work has fallen by 71%.In 2018, we received several accolades highlighting that we&#39;re leading the way on safety.Our Design and Construction (D&amp;C) team at Westfield Carousel (WA) was awarded the WorkSafe’s Platinum Certificate for their work in making health and safety a priority. The WorkSafe Platinum Certificate is reserved for those that have achieved the highest possible standards. Two of our outstanding employees from the D&amp;C team at Westfield Kotara (NSW) were recognised as ambassadors for Mates In Construction.The Westfield Coomera (QLD) D&amp;C team received the Workplace Health and Safety Queensland Safe Work and Return to Work Award.During 2018, Westfield Coomera introduced a five-day construction week, as opposed to the six-day week prevalent in the industry. This change was extremely well received by the whole team, who came back to work refreshed after spending two days with family and friends. We are now looking to introduce this to other projects.In 2018, our Mental Health and Wellbeing Working Group (pictured below) activated an RUOK? initiative nationally, which resonates and aligns with our ‘People Protecting People’ internal culture. We shared the campaign across our SmartScreen network across our living centres, reaching around six million members of the public. As a result, Scentre Group was established as an RUOK? media partner.Our efforts in creating a ‘People Protecting People’ safety culture means health, safety and wellbeing is now business-as-usual on all development sites. Our site Safety Managers, along with Senior Executives, have taken the lead to actively showcase the behaviours we want our teams to emulate, devoting enormous focus and energy. We have implemented tailored health, safety and wellbeing plans for each site.1LTIFR is lost time equal to or greater than five days

‘People Protecting People’ is a winner

Helping bring Mates in Construction to New ZealandMental health is a social issue with the potential to significantly impact the livelihood of our people and therefore has become an important part of our health and safety agenda.International research shows the construction industry suffers from higher rates of suicide and mental health issues when compared to other industries.In Australia, research shows that construction workers are six times more likely to die by suicide than in a workplace accident[1].&quot;A return on investment report conducted by PwC in 2014, concluded that for every dollar spent on mental health in the workplace, $2.30 is saved by the organisation.&quot; Similarly, the construction industry has the highest proportion of suicides across all industries in New Zealand. In 2018, Scentre Group’s New Zealand construction team recognised a gap in mental health programs to support New Zealand construction workers.In 2016, Scentre Group became an accredited partner of Australia’s Mates in Construction (MIC) program, established in 2008 to reduce the high level of suicide among Australian construction workers. Many of Scentre Group’s Australian construction workers have since been offered MIC training to encourage help-seeking behaviours, raise awareness and help reduce suicide rates.​We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact of Australia’s MIC program on employee and contractor mental health. Our New Zealand construction team has steered the Auckland industry (a region currently experiencing a construction boom) and the MIC Australia team to establish the program in New Zealand.Scentre Group has formed and chairs an industry steering committee, with all major tier one contractors represented and has led the campaign in raising funds to launch the program in Auckland in 2019. Scentre Group has offered its Westfield Newmarket development as a potential pilot site and intends to offer all staff and contractors the opportunity to participate in the program.[1] Martin, Swannell, Milner &amp; Gullestrup, 2016; Milner, 2016; Roberts, Jaremin &amp; Lloyd, 2013

Helping bring Mates in Construction to New Zealand

Our employees lead the way on Diversity and InclusionFor Scentre Group to continue to be the place where talent thrives, it is important we reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate. We are creating a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone feels safe to bring their whole selves to work.Diversity means valuing the contribution of people with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. Inclusion means embracing people’s differences. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&amp;I) is endorsed by our CEO and Executive Committee.Seven working groups across the business are sponsored by individual executive leaders, backed-up by strong strategic commitments and governed by our D&amp;I Council. Our working groups are employee-led and our strategy is implemented through the actions of our people working across functions, teams and locations. In 2018, we embedded leadership accountability for creating an inclusive culture by establishing KPI measures for all senior and executive leader roles.The areas of focus are LGBTI, Mental Health and Wellbeing, Domestic and Family Violence, Gender Representation and the Reconciliation Action Plan for indigenous employment and equality.We extended our working groups in 2018. Our Cultural Capability working group aims to identify and remove barriers to inclusion and advancement for people from different cultural backgrounds so that they can perform to their fullest potential.The All Abilities working group seeks to identify barriers to employment at Scentre Group for people with disabilities and identifying ways we can ensure our living centres are accessible to those with disabilities who shop with us.Our Inclusive Management Program trains people managers on D&amp;I, focussing on the case for diversity and inclusio, our flexible work practices, the impact of unconscious bias and psychological safety on people decisions. The program equips our people with skills to hold inclusive people conversations across the whole employee lifecycle.While we’ve been driving accountability from the top, we’ve been focussed on driving ownership from our people. Two years ago, we set out to empower our people to own and drive our D&amp;I agenda. In 2018, we introduced an employee recognition award for inclusion as part of our company-wide recognition program.We’ve seen the barometer for employee engagement and leadership in our D&amp;I agenda shift considerably. Through storytelling, many brave employees shared their personal experiences to help educate and extend the work of our D&amp;I areas. We’re incredibly proud of these people, and of our workplace culture, which instils confidence and trust to enable our people to share their stories with their peers and demonstrate the relevance of our D&amp;I strategy.

Our employees lead the way on Diversity and Inclusion

Reduced energy use by 4.1%At Scentre Group, we aim to reduce the environmental impact we have in our local communities and to provide innovation and influence to support our retailer partners’ and communities’ efforts in environmental sustainability.In 2018, our portfolio emitted 282,342 tonnes of greenhouse gas, or carbon emissions. Electricity represents more than 93.5 per cent of our total Scope 1 and 2 emissions. We set a target to reduce our Australian emissions intensity by 25 per cent from our 2009 baseline year. We’ve achieved a 29 per cent reduction in Australia, despite an 11.7 per cent increase in GLA. We have updated this target to reduce our emissions intensity by 35 per cent by 2025, portfolio-wide.Introduced in 2017, our portfolio-wide National Environmental Efficiency Framework (NEEF) achieved a 3.8 per cent reduction in energy use in its first year. Our teams across sites, centres and Support Office have worked hard together to implement energy reduction initiatives, including changing behaviours. As a result, we achieved a 4.1 per cent reduction in energy usage and a 4.6 per cent reduction in carbon emissions across the portfolio. This is equivalent to the amount of energy used by almost 1,500 family homes or the emissions used from over 2,000 cars driven annually – equating to millions of dollars in savings.Key achievements include Westfield Penrith (NSW), which achieved a 13.6 per cent energy reduction by implementing all recommended NEEF initiatives, and Westfield Geelong (VIC), which saw a reduction of 11.4 per cent from tuning their Building Management System, improving lighting schedules and adjusting temperature set points.Our teams are now looking at new initiatives and innovations to continue driving efficiencies in 2019 and beyond. Some early options include LED lighting upgrades and Building Management System improvements. Our living centres have set key performance indicators and targets for their environmental performance, with energy high on the radar. Centres can access a dashboard that tracks their energy consumption every 24 hours. In addition, our retail partners have also shown an annual reduction in energy use of 5.4 per cent.Further, a joint project by our National Facilities, Centre and Technology teams, saw the rollout of Maintenance Connection; a digital platform for managing our equipment and facilities consistently across the Australian portfolio. The platform captures asset equipment, for example air conditioning and lighting, and provides performance data for analysis.  This type of innovative technology will help us to analyse and maintain centre equipment to ensure it performs at its most optimum and efficient level.We now have solar systems operational at Westfield Marion (SA), Westfield Plenty Valley (SA), Westfield Carousel (WA), Westfield Kotara (NSW) and Westfield Coomera (QLD), generating nine Gigawatt hours per year. Some weeks, our Coomera living centre’s solar generation accounts for over half of the centre’s peak electrical load.

Reduced energy use by 4.1%

Bringing Diversity and Inclusion to lifeAt Scentre Group, we recognise that shared value is created when we support our people to give back to, and have meaningful engagement with, their communities. We create opportunities for our people to give per-tax donations from their pay to charities they care about, and we match these donations dollar-for-dollar. Our people are provided two paid volunteering leave days per year to contribute to their communities in a way that is meaningful.In 2017, Scentre Group piloted a portfolio-wide volunteering program focused on Diversity and Inclusion. Our aim for 2018 was to drive an increase in staff volunteering opportunities across our portfolio and raise awareness of the prevalence of domestic and family violence. With the 2018 launch of Westfield Local Heroes, our community recognition and grants program, we wanted to develop meaningful relationships with these partner organisations, 15 per cent of whom work with those affected by domestic and family violence.From September through to November 2018, we partnered with not-for-profit organisations operating across Australia and New Zealand to support our local communities impacted by domestic and family violence. With 196 of our people volunteering, we had a 211 per cent increase from the 2017 pilot program.Each partner organisation focusses on a different area of support for those affected by domestic and family violence. Our people made a significant contribution, volunteering 1,330 hours to support the vital work of several charities; including Salvos, Good 360, Auckland City Mission and Foodbank.Volunteering activities included hosting a BBQ for those experiencing homelessness, sorting and packing donated items for distribution to those who need it most, and preparing meals for a local women’s refuge.

Bringing Diversity and Inclusion to life

Employer of Choice for Gender EqualityScentre Group was endorsed by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality in 2018. The endorsement recognises our efforts in creating a workplace culture in which women and men are equally represented, valued and rewarded.To make real, lasting change, Scentre Group addresses the issue of gender representation from many fronts, including policies, practices, mindsets and education. Aside from the financial and commercial benefits that we know come from having diverse perspectives around the business table, the social benefit for our communities is enormous.Breaking down the barriers to achieving gender equality in the Property sector is a personal priority for our CEO, Peter Allen, who is a representative for Property Male Champions of Change (PMCC) and a WGEA Ambassador for Pay Equity.Following on from their first report in 2016, the PMCC has released an updated report during 2018 titled Grow the Talent Pool [1]​. The latest report details how attitudes, behaviours or sentiment have changed over the past two years to recruiting, retaining and promoting women in the property industry. It builds on the 2016 insights that three key barriers preventing women from rising through the property industry’s ranks are: the boy’s club mentality, pay inequality and lack of diversity in senior leadership positions.I’m incredibly proud of the work we’re doing at Scentre Group to develop a truly inclusive culture, recognising and rewarding people on their merit, embracing flexibility and supporting everyone to bring their whole self to work.” - Peter Allen, CEO.Pleasingly, 22 per cent of women were attracted to the industry by flexible working conditions, up from 16 per cent in 2016, while ​70 per cent of women and 79 per cent of men think the industry has become more diverse and inclusive. However, 61 per cent of women and 34 per cent of men still believe the boys’ club mentality discourages pursuit of long-term careers in the industry, highlighting it as an area that needs more action.At Scentre Group, we’ve made great advances in gender equality, signalling that Scentre Group is a brand with a strong past, but an equally forward-thinking future. In 2018, we have:* No pay discrepancies for like work between genders
* A female promotion rate of 65 per cent
* Average female tenure of 6.1 years, vs 5.4 years in 2015
* Appointed two additional senior females at Executive Committee level. Women now represent 41 per cent of all people managers.[1] https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/Web/News/Articles/News_listing/Web/Content/News/National/2018/Growing_the_talent_pool.aspx

Employer of Choice for Gender Equality

Westfield North Lakes Youth engagement leads to positive relationshipsOur engagement with youth at Westfield North Lakes demonstrates our purpose of creating extraordinary places, enriching and connecting communities.In 2018, our Westfield North Lakes team partnered with YMCA’s The Space program to provide opportunities to connect with disengaged youth in the local area.The Space runs a monthly community BBQ, aimed at helping local youth connect with youth workers and role models in a safe, informal and relaxed environment. Providing such an environment helps to establish more respectful and positive relationships, promoting opportunities for the youth and positive behaviour.Our North Lakes team actively supports The Space, with around four people from concierge and security attending each BBQ to actively engage with the young people. They also host basketball competitions for the youth.The North Lakes team retrieves coins monthly that have been tossed into the centre ponds by community members. Towards the end of 2018, the team donated the monthly collection of coins to support the Year 12 students’ school formal. Staff also donated gowns and shoes, and Myer partnered to provide a make-up service in store for graduating girls.&quot;Local youth are more connected to our centre team&quot;Our centre team have established a strong rapport with many local youth, which has helped foster positive relationships and behaviour.

Westfield North Lakes Youth engagement leads to positive relationships

Partnering with innovative waste providersWith a portfolio of 41 living centres across Australia and New Zealand, reducing our environmental impact is part of our commitment to being a responsible business. It’s also smart business.Annually, we produce around 49,595 tonnes of general waste, 27,399 tonnes of recycled waste and 10,000 tonnes of organic waste. Only four waste contractors are of sufficient scale and financial backing to service Scentre Group’s waste collection and recycling needs.In additional to wanting to adopt a responsible, sustainable business approach to waste, the cost of disposing waste to landfill has and is predicted to continue to increase.When Scentre Group’s waste contract came up for renewal in July 2018, we took the opportunity to do things differently. We sought partners who would work with us to engage proactively with our retail partners, influencing behavioural change through tenant training programs and make technologies available to help our retail partners separate their waste correctly.We have partnered with two providers across the portfolio. some of the benefits include new technologies, new compactors and updated loading docks. Our compactors have technology to advise us when bins need to be removed, instead of set collection times regardless of whether bins were full. This technology decreases fuel emissions by reducing the number of site visits from trucks.

Partnering with innovative waste providers

Shining a spotlight on Westfield Local HeroesIn April 2018, we launched Westfield Local Heroes, our community recognition and grants program. The program is designed to discover and celebrate individuals who promote social wellbeing and harmony in our communities across Australia and New Zealand.Our goal was to shine a spotlight on exceptional people who are dedicated to strengthening their local communities.With our Purpose at the heart of the initiative, we set out to give back to the local communities in which we operate and enable each of our living centres to engage directly with customers on the social issues that matter most to them.We asked our local communities and employees to nominate who they believe to be Westfield Local Heroes, giving them potential access to our $1.17 million grant funding to support their work and programs. The response from our customers and communities has been nothing short of phenomenal for our first year, with 1,037 individuals nominated and over 77,000 votes cast.Our 117 inaugural Westfield Local Heroes each received a grant of $10,000, totalling $1.17 million, to further their vital work in addressing social needs in our local communities.&quot;&quot;The impact of the $10,000 Westfield Local Heroes grant has been enormous. It has enabled us to set up a Ninja Warrior Program for local youth at the club so we can attract and engage more members of the community to our club and help them realise their potential.&quot; - 2018 recipient Adam Thompson from PCYC NSW, City of SydneyThe Westfield Local Heroes community recognition and grants program has helped us connect with and enrich our local communities. We’ve engaged an external third party to measure the impact of the Westfield Local Heroes program. We’re committed to implementing improvements to grow the number of local community connections and raise awareness of important social issues.

Shining a spotlight on Westfield Local Heroes

Designing living centres for the communityHow do you design a new living centre in a greenfield development, when the streets and roads don’t yet exist and the burgeoning community hasn’t quite developed its identity? This was Scentre Group’s design brief for Westfield Coomera - located in one of the fastest growing regions in Australia, on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Our newest centre was delivered in joint venture with QICGRE and successfully opened on October 2018.Working closely with town planners and complying with complex authority approvals, our project team embraced this challenge as a rare and exciting opportunity - to listen to the community, build a legacy from the ground up and truly influence the end result.Over five years, our team engaged extensively with the community to ensure we refined our design to meet the needs of a rapidly growing and changing demographic. As a result, our design plans for Westfield Coomera evolved considerably from beginning to end.We’ve created an extraordinary place we know people will come to have fun, relax, or simply hang out - with commercial value following naturally.Key features that evolved through community consultation were our huge focus on landscaping – we hand selected every tree to create the feel of an oasis throughout the centre – and more than 40 per cent of the centre’s footprint is dedicated to dining, leisure and entertainment. The Park is an area with 10-pin bowling, a putt-putt course set in a beer garden style venue with full bar, pizzeria and live music, and strong incorporation of artwork of local artists.A first-to-market concept, The Backyard has set a new benchmark in integrated outdoor precinct design. The Backyard is designed to be the perfect place for social outings in the great outdoors with a range of ready to use facilities. Our concept for The Backyard was inspired by the simple and traditional notion of a backyard seen through a child’s eyes. The urban oasis is filled with tall trees, native flora, and bright and colourful art sculptures, featuring kids play zones, scooter circuits for all ages, an interactive billabong for water play, suspended hammocks for relaxation, built in BBQs for communal use, picnic tables and more.The journey continues. For now, we’ve built the first part of the Coomera Town Centre – stage 1 of the masterplan. We’ve opened approximately 60,000 sqm and we’ve future-proofed the building to take the centre to 140,000 sqm to meet the forecast population growth. We’re building with the next 20 to 30 years of development in mind. Westfield Coomera is a unique living centre, designed as a focal point for the local community to come together and connect with one another.

Designing living centres for the community

Resilience through innovationDigital technologies are transforming the retail landscape, influencing the way our customers consume products and experiences and how our retail partners do business. Learning to leverage new technology, staying at the forefront of the digital revolution and driving innovation is critical for Scentre Group’s continued success.In 2018, we partnered with human centred design firms, entrepreneurs, start-ups and venture capital investors to work through our innovation program, Ad Astra (meaning &#39;to the stars&#39;). Our brief was to design new business ventures, leveraging our core business, to drive innovation and future growth.We invited applications from the business and selected a team of our five most innovative and creative thinkers to join us on a 14-week innovation sprint. They were tasked with creating potential new technology ventures for our senior leaders to consider launching.The Venture Board then approved some ventures to move forward for investment and incubation.The sprint was built around three phases; survey, proposals and final concept, each with a presentation to the Venture Board, comprising senior Scentre Group and external partner executives.We plan to hold more innovation and design sprints with our people, and progress ideas from internal hackathons with our Technology team.

Resilience through innovation

Our 2018 Sustainability HighlightsToday, we released our 2018 Sustainability Report.Our CEO, Peter Allen, reflects on our key highlights and achievements for the year.Scentre Group’s purpose has been constant since our company was established in 2014, guiding our culture and decision-making as we have grown our business: creating extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities.As the owner and operator of 41 Westfield living centres across Australia and New Zealand, we are conscious of delivering on our purpose with a responsible business mindset and approach. This is supported by our DNA — the values that underpin our organisation.Our Sustainable Business Framework includes four focus areas: our community, our people, our environmental impact and our economic performance. It encapsulates how we create a long-term sustainable business that satisfies the needs of stakeholders, including our employees, securityholders, retail partners, suppliers, communities and customers.Whilst we have been delivering to internal targets for our people and environmental impact since we were established, this report marks the first year we have externally communicated targets for these focus areas. This reflects our efforts to be more transparent and create awareness of what we have achieved to date and clarity on our future priorities. In 2018, we achieved our target to reduce emissions intensity (based on Gross Lettable Area or GLA) by 25 per cent across our Australian operations ahead of our target year of 2025. We have updated this target to reduce emissions intensity by 35 per cent by 2025 portfolio-wide compared with our 2009 baseline.During 2018, we continued to rise to the challenge of meeting customers’ needs against the backdrop of a dynamic retail sector and ever-changing expectations. Advocacy for the experience we provide in our living centres has improved significantly, demonstrating that our focus on listening and responding to customers is delivering results.One of the strengths of our business is our vertical integration. We are able to design, build, operate and market our centres with the future requirements of our customers in mind. This end-to-end approach also reflects the way we manage risks. ‘People Protecting People’ is embedded into our culture and encapsulates how each of our teams takes responsibility and accountability for safety. I am proud of our teams in Western Australia and Queensland who were acknowledged with awards from their respective work safety authorities.Westfield Local Heroes was launched in 2018 to shine a light on the exceptional contribution many individuals make to the social fabric of our communities. Through this $1.17m community recognition and grants program, we supported 117 individuals representing diverse and valuable organisations in individual communities.Our aspiration to be ‘the place where talent thrives’ continues to drive strong Employee Engagement and retention, and our targets are focussed on maintaining this leadership position. We were proudly acknowledged by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality. We have built high levels of Employee Engagement and our Diversity and Inclusion strategy is gaining momentum across our company, as more leaders complete our inclusive management program and employees voluntarily engage in the activities of our working groups.On a personal note, I have continued to participate in initiatives that focus on leadership engagement to support gender equality through my role as a Male Champion of Change in the property industry. Within our company, I’m pleased to report we have no pay gap for like roles by gender and females represent 41 per cent of all people managers and 26.5 per cent at senior executive level.We reduced electricity usage across our living centre portfolio by 4.1 per cent during 2018. There are many contributing factors to this result but the most important is our people’s behaviour and local decisions to ensure our assets perform more efficiently. We have continued to invest in solar energy across our portfolio and now have a generation capacity of nine Gigawatt hours (GWh) per year.This year, we opened more than $1.1 billion worth of development works across four Australian states, creating an estimated 15,000 jobs in construction and 1,400 permanent retail roles. A key highlight was the opening of our first greenfield centre — Westfield Coomera — on Queensland’s Gold Coast.For 2019 and beyond, I know there is more we can do. I am excited about our company’s ability to remain focussed on the future, continuing to adapt to what our customers want and ensuring our centres continue to play an essential role in our customers’ lives and their communities.

Our 2018 Sustainability Highlights

2018 developments add 106,000 sqm to living centre portfolioCreating extraordinary places, connecting and enriching communities is at the core of what we do.2018 was an exciting year for the business. Redevelopments at Westfield Carousel (WA), Westfield Kotara (NSW) and Westfield Tea Tree Plaza (SA), our first greenfield at Westfield Coomera (QLD), as well as Westfield Plenty Valley (SA) earlier in the year, collectively added 106,000 sqm to the portfolio.In July 2018, Scentre Group also acquired a 50 per cent interest in Westfield Eastgardens in south-east Sydney. The centre is regarded by planning authorities as one of Sydney’s ‘strategic centres’, with great redevelopment potential for both retail expansion and mixed-use development.Scentre Group’s pre-eminent living centre portfolio now includes 41 Westfield centres across Australia and New Zealand, valued at $54.2 billion, around 11,500 outlets, more than 3.8 million sqm of retail space and a future development pipeline in excess of $3 billion.As well as delivering strong growth to our securityholders, our centres support local economic activity and enhance the quality of local infrastructure. This year, our redevelopment program generated almost 15,000 jobs in construction, and 1,400 permanent roles in retail.We pay special attention to curate our living centres to serve the individual needs of each community and elevate the customer experience. They are the heartbeat of our communities, with customers visiting to connect with others and access services and experiences that can be consumed on-site, not just to shop.Westfield Coomera is Scentre Group’s first greenfield development. Opening in October 2018, more than 40 per cent of the centre is dedicated to dining, leisure, entertainment and services. A key feature is a purpose-built and expertly curated outdoor space for children and families, The Backyard.The redevelopment of Westfield Carousel opened in August 2018, delivering a vibrant open-air rooftop dining and entertainment precinct. Westfield Kotara launched its new Youth and Urban precinct in October 2018. Westfield Tea Tree Plaza’s new dining and leisure precinct also opened in October 2018.To add to the beauty of each centre’s unique architecture, art is playing an increasingly prominent role within our development designs, drawing on the local community for inspiration. Our new living centres bring to life our commitment to Diversity and Inclusion, connecting our local communities through the work of local artists, many of whom are local Indigenous people. These artworks honour the natural and cultural histories that contribute to the experience of country (place), helping our customers gain understanding, appreciation and a sense of belonging to these places.

2018 developments add 106,000 sqm to living centre portfolio

Improving the employee experienceWith our vision to be the place where talent thrives, we know the importance of the first employee experiences, which begins during recruitment and, once they join us, continues through the onboarding and induction process.To help make these processes smoother and improve the overall experience and retention rate in our people’s first year, in 2018 we introduced two new technologies; Page Up (recruitment), and Enboarder (onboarding and induction).Page Up helps prospective employees easily navigate recruitment systems using a mobile device. We know candidates are twice as likely to apply for a role via their mobile as they are through a PC. Since introducing Page Up, more than a fifth of all applications from prospective employees have been made through mobile devices.The technology has increased recruitment efficiency, with candidates now able to input their existing details from Seek, LinkedIn and Facebook directly into Page Up.The Page Up application manages candidates’ acceptance of letters of offer and has helped us improve the average time from letter of offer to applicant acceptance from 10 to two days.Enboarder, introduced in 2017 has been expanded across all employment types. Following an employee’s offer and acceptance in Page Up, Enboarder delivers multimedia messages to mobile devices in the lead up to a new team member’s first day, through to the end of their first year, helping them settle in. Managers are prompted by text messages aimed at setting up an employee for success; including prompts for provision of IT equipment on Day One, setting performance goals throughout the year and attendance at the employee’s first day of work, called Scentre Group Welcomes You, which takes place in one of our centres. The platform sends automated check ins with new team members and managers, and collects real time feedback on: their experiences; connection between manager and new team member; performance; and suggestions on what could be improved.Supporting the Enboarder experience, we also developed a holistic approach to onboarding and inducting new team members in 2018, including:CEO welcome breakfast – held quarterly in each regionOnline orientation – online buddy portal to get new employees startedTeam orientation – an overview of each team’s unique operating environment and structureCompliance education – online modules covering governance and compliance requirementsInclusive Management Program – for all new and existing managers, on diversity and inclusionWe sought feedback from all candidates interviewed about their recruitment experience to understand whether they would recommend Scentre Group to family or friends as employers. Many candidates said they would recommend Scentre Group as an employer.We set a target for 2018 to achieve a Candidate NPS of 80 per cent and achieved 89 per cent - up from 69 per cent in 2017.