Our Activities
Casuarina Social Plan
Casuarina Square is a vibrant community hub in Darwin and is an important meeting place for people from across the Northern Territory. In response to anti-social behaviour in the area, GPT is working in partnership with the Territory government, community and other private sector stakeholders to tailor initiatives that support and empower the broader community. The Casuarina Social Plan is a formalised strategy that helps Casuarina Square focus its efforts to help the local community.
Foundation: ACF
As a leading Australian property company, GPT employees have skills and expertise that are hugely valuable to our communities.
The GPT Foundation includes the Australian Childhood Foundation as one of its partners. In 2018, GPT collaborated with the ACF to provide input into the ACF’s marketing and communication strategy. The project was an opportunity for GPT employees to learn more about the operations and focus of a not-for-profit organisation and identify a creative communications approach through the ACF’s lens.
Community Day: Wollongong and SASSHI
GPT’s retail assets have long-standing partnerships in their local communities with organisations that help make a difference when people need it most. Wollongong Central supports SASSHI (Supported Accommodation & Homelessness Services Shoalhaven and Illawarra ) who provide emergency accommodation services and assistance to women and children who are affected by family and domestic abuse. In 2018, SASSHI co-hosted the inaugural Stair Climb Challenge at Wollongong Central to raise money and awareness for this organisation. This event is now an annual event at Wollongong Central.
Live Life Get Active
Retail shopping centres provide a safe place for people to connect and GPT acknowledges it has a role in supporting healthy lifestyles.
GPT has partnered with the not-for-profit Live Life Get Active to host free outdoor fitness sessions for community members in its retail centres in Sydney, Newcastle and Melbourne. These classes allow people in the local community to get to know each other and overcomes the two key barriers people have to achieving a healthy lifestyle: cost and time.
Charlestown Square: The Place
Charlestown Square offers facilities to support key needs of the local community and attract customers through initiatives held at 'The Place' . The community centre is part of GPT’s ambition to provide environments that enable communities to prosper. Established in 2010, The Place is a fully operational social enterprise that provides a regular program of activities to actively engage people from all ages and backgrounds in the community.
Sustainability in practice
A focus on the future and achieving sustainable practices lies at the heart of GPT’s values and operational activities. At GPT’s retail assets there have been number of initiatives that have encouraged the community to learn more about the environment and that have sought to change consumer behaviour.
In 2018, Parkmore Shopping Centre introduced a reusable bag library, where shoppers can borrow and return reusable shopping bags. Parkmore also launched a BYO-reusable coffee cup campaign where cafes throughout the centre provided discounts to customers who bought their own reusable takeaway cup.
Charlestown Square is proudly home to Bean Cycled, where coffee grounds are collected from cafes and used to grow oyster mushrooms on site. The mushrooms are then sold to local cafes, restaurants and the public as well as for kits for people to grow their own mushrooms at home.
Supporting healthy lifestyle choices
Most of the premium office buildings across GPT’s portfolio now have End of Trip (EoT) facilities that include bike storage, showers and lockers. They have been so popular among our occupants that in some of our buildings car spaces have now been removed to make way for larger EoT facilities. A number of our office buildings in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney now also have dedicated wellness rooms and host events aimed to promote well-being such as yoga and relaxation.
Leveraging our relationships
GPT has a range of local and national charitable partners across its office portfolio it supports in unique ways. The Riverside Centre and One One One Eagle Street in Brisbane have a longstanding relationship with the Wesley Mission, who they support annually through GPT’s corporate volunteering day (Community Day) as well as hosting a Red Bag Appeal in their lobbies.
Shared cultural learning
In line with GPT’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) commitments, the Group acknowledges key dates each year including National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week.
At an asset level, the office portfolio hosts lobby activations and share communications with their tenants to grow the broader community’s awareness and understanding of Australia’s history and First Nations cultures. For example in 2018, 580 George Street in Sydney partnered with their tenant Mission Australia to host an asset-wide morning tea during National Reconciliation Week. Aunty Anne Weldon joined this event to say an Acknowledgment of Country and engage the broader group in a discussion about reconciliation in Australia.
The retail portfolio is also proactive in partnering with local First Nations businesses, organisations and Traditional Owners to host events and raise awareness in their communities. Rouse Hill Town Centre has a continuing relationship with their neighbour, Muru Mittigar, and each year collaborate on various opportunities together and with the broader Group. Melbourne Central engaged celebrated First Nations artist Josh Muir to create artwork to acknowledge the Traditional Owners, the peoples of the Kulin Nations, that is proudly displayed next to the centre’s visitor information centre. Melbourne Central also participated in the City of Melbourne’s annual YIRRAMBOI Festival in 2019.
Acknowledging Country
Across its property portfolio, GPT is increasing its collaboration with Traditional Owners, Land Councils and other First Nations businesses, organisations and communities. In building these relationships, the Group is learning about appropriate cultural protocols in each location including displaying Acknowledgement of Country signage in appropriate ways in its assets. This symbol of respect is a public acknowledgement of the relationship First Nations people have with their land, and supports GPT’s aspirations to ensure our assets are culturally safe environments.