MSS Security is launching its REFLECT Reconciliation Action Plan…

This week MSS Security is proud to be launching its Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).

MSS Security’s RAP has been developed to support our commitment to respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We endeavour to strengthen as a company where cultural differences are widely accepted and celebrated.

MSS Security’s RAP aims to develop long-term strategies that demonstrate our dedication to recognising and appreciating our Country’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, traditions, and histories.

MSS Security recognises its commitment to mutually beneficial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement. MSS Security, through just one area of its strategy, recruitment, and through our creation of opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, has already experienced these benefits:

• Diversity – our workforce better reflects the MSS Security services communities, particularly in rural and remote areas.
• Expertise – where cultural sensitivities exist, we can draw on the cultural knowledge of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.
• Business Growth – our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recruitment programs have helped us retain and expand client contracts and positively impact the lives of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and their communities.
• Government Assistance – Australian Government-sponsored schemes help MSS Security better design on-site cultural awareness training, support our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, and give back to communities.

The organisation’s management teams and RAP Working Group will promote the RAP and its significance within our business. As an organisation that already has a strong focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement, the implementation of the MSS Security RAP will be widely accepted, and our key stakeholders will drive actions within our RAP.

Managing Director Geoff Alcock said that he was delighted to announce the advancement of the reconciliation journey by creating the ‘Reflect’ Reconciliation Action Plan.

“I’m proud of the outcomes MSS Security has already achieved in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander engagement over the past several years, specifically since signing the Australian Government’s Employment Parity Initiative (EPI) in December 2015,” he said.

We are confident that this, and following RAPs, will make a positive and lasting impact on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and families we employ, our various partnerships and contracts, and the broader Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous communities with which we engage.

Our journey:

In December 2015, MSS Security signed the Australian Government’s Employment Parity Initiative (EPI) to increase its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment rate significantly. As such, MSS Security’s RAP will promote the development and maintenance of relationships within our community to support this goal.

As a security service provider at MSS Security, we understand that our people are our business. We already have several strategic relationships to assist with the growth of employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The key stakeholders within our company include our employees, our clients and Traditional Owners in service areas, and our current relationships include Ngare Employment Solutions, Max Employment, and our partnership with Habitat Security. Through the development of our RAP, we aim to progress these relationships and build new connections to further our engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In addition to increasing our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment through the building and maintenance of strategic relationships, MSS Security’s RAP will promote cultural awareness within our organisation via the delivery of training, which will allow our employees to develop a sound knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, traditions and the histories of our Nation. Employees, through this understanding, will appreciate the cultural differences within our business and our Country, which will therefore provide an inclusive working environment for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The artist and the artwork:

De Greer-Yindimincarlie is an Aboriginal woman from the Wiradjuri Nation in Central Western New South Wales, Australia.

De is celebrated both Nationally and Internationally for her works and products. She is honoured as an Aboriginal artist, graphic artist, film-maker, music producer and entrepreneur.

De is the owner and operator of Yindi Artz, where she creates authentic Aboriginal creations and XcessFIT. This Australian brand collides art, fashion, and fabric to develop exceptional quality activewear.

Working across many mediums, De can deliver and showcase her stunning Aboriginal art and activewear lines across public and private collections worldwide.

De’s authentic Aboriginal artworks and products are stocked by the National Gallery of Australia, the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio, USA, and numerous other galleries and gift shops. De’s creations can be found in every corner of the globe.

‘Together, we can…’ is the art piece De created for MSS Security and reflects MSS Security’s journey to understanding and establishing trust between different cultures.

Together we come, as employees, community, partners and organisations. We walk, we sit, we talk, we learn, we teach, and we work.

In our journey side by side, we gain perspectives of each other’s culture, challenges, value systems, and learn and acknowledge how diverse we each are and how powerful we can be when we come together… because together we are.