This year’s NAIDOC Award was granted to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) for their outstanding commitment to Indigenous engagement.
In 2017, we created an award, presented in NAIDOC Week, to show appreciation to clients whom we feel have proven their commitment to engaging and creating job opportunities to ‘Close the Gap’ for Indigenous Australians.
As an Indigenous owned and operated company, Intract are committed to outcomes that are real and lasting for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and they look to collaborate with clients who uphold the same values.
On Tuesday 13th of July, it was with great honour that Intract awarded their NAIDOC award to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) for their outstanding commitment to Indigenous engagement.
Proudly accepting the Award was Jon Whelan, Executive Director of the DIT, presented by John Briggs, Chief Executive Officer, and David McMahon, Managing Director, McMahon Services.
We asked Jon Whelan what it meant for the DIT to receive this award, he expressed;
“On behalf of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport it is a great honour to receive this award.
The Department is firmly committed to Indigenous engagement and continues to ensure this remains a focus, as we deliver our significant infrastructure program.
This award is great recognition of the hard work that has been undertaken in Closing the Gap for Indigenous Australians”.
We would like to recognise DIT for their outstanding commitment to Indigenous engagement, in particular on the Port Wakefield Overpass and Highway Duplication project.
The project is committed to reducing traffic congestion on two important state highways as well as the improvement of road safety at The Augusta Highway and Copper Coast Highway intersection north of Port Wakefield.
This year’s NAIDOC theme speaks about Country as a person, and how Country can be identified as family, kin, law, lore, ceremony, traditions and language. “Heal Country – Country is inherent to our identity. It sustains our lives in every aspect – spiritually, physically, emotionally, socially, and culturally”.
For Intract, Country means embracing Aboriginal cultural knowledge and understanding of Country as part of Australia’s national heritage, which we want to share.
John says of the Award;
“With our NAIDOC Award being presented for the fifth time, we are proud to award this to DIT for 2021.
They have shown their commitment from tender conceptions into projects won, and they demonstrate the engagement of Aboriginal businesses and Aboriginal people on the ground”.