Konica Minolta Australia has been awarded the 2018 Australian Human Rights Award in the Business category, for showing “leadership in the people-centred policies that promote human rights in its business and supply chain.”
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| The Business Award goes to Konica Minolta Australia for its leadership on modern slavery |
The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights Awards are the pinnacle of human rights recognition in Australia, highlighting the outstanding contribution of individuals and organisations in promoting and protecting human rights and freedoms.
“We’re humbled to have received this Australian Human Rights Commission Award, and we thank all of the nominees for their initiatives and commitment to human rights,” said Dr David Cooke, managing director, Konica Minolta Australia. “Doing what we can to uphold human rights isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a necessity if we’re going to build a society where every individual is empowered to achieve their full potential.
“Konica Minolta has been actively involved in supporting human rights and has made significant efforts to not only ensure it has practices in place to ensure the ethical management of its own supply chain, but has also provided resources, raised awareness and worked with the government for changes to be made to address the issues of modern slavery in Australia and internationally.
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| (l-r) KM Australia's Suzie Brett, people and legal director; Dr David Cooke, chairman, MD |
"As well as ongoing community partnership programs, we’re dedicated through our efforts and influence to improve the quality of life for people affected by modern slavery or unfair work practices throughout the supply chain," Cooke said. "Increasingly, we’re finding customers and employees are moved to work with companies that have purpose and diversity and are committed to doing the right thing.
“This not only provides a platform to demonstrate the inspiring work the team at Konica Minolta is doing, but also to encourage other businesses to look inward at the impact of their core business and operations, as well as those of their suppliers or business partners, to avoid negatively affecting human rights.”
Konica Minolta said its commitment to human rights covered three key areas:
People– by respecting and promoting the human rights of its employees through its diversity and inclusion strategy, and the implementation of progressive policies such as domestic and family violence support and Indigenous procurement strategies.
Customers– by engaging with human rights in its value chain through the launch and implementation of its ethical sourcing roadmap and supplier code of conduct.
Community– by supporting human rights through its non-profit partners including Breast Cancer Network Australia, Landcare Australia, The Smith Family, and Project Futures, business and human rights networks; and in pursuing its vision of being a business leader in human rights in Australia and the region, advocating for important policies such as the Modern Slavery Act, which was passed by the federal government on November 29, 2018.
SBS-TV channel NITV received the Human Rights Commission's Media Award for ‘Guilty of being stolen’ – a powerful investigation which revealed that many children taken into state care — including Aboriginal children who were forcibly removed from their families — acquired a criminal record as a result.
