Page 57 - Australian Defence Magazine July-August 2022

JULY-AUGUST 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
INDIGENOUS ADVANTAGE KILLARA SERVICES 57
“It’s something that has been emerging over the last five years. Through my business I have been able to showcase and role model that it can be done properly. I have been able to separate from the joint venture. That is the next evolution.”
Newman said she was very fortunate that George Stamas believed in her and provided the capital to start this business. “From there he provided mentoring and support for any-
thing I needed,” she said.
“From day-to-day operations and strategic planning of the
business, it all came back to me to make those decisions.” Killara’s achievement has been recognised with the award of Indigenous Business of the Year at the 2020 Australian Defence Industry Awards. They were a finalist in this cat-
egory again last year alongside some other categories. Newman said her ambition now was to keep doing what she’s been doing – taking customers and stakeholders on a cultural journey – creating the foundations to build re- spectful relationships between Indigenous people, busi-
nesses, and communities
“It is really important that Aboriginal people have access
to sustainable employment and education. I have a really unique business that actually does what it says it’s going to do,” she said.
“I have amazing examples of individuals who I have been able to identify early on in their careers with us. I have
been able to succession plan, engage in formal training and mentoring.
“In some instances they are now my clients, because I transitioned them into positions with the client.”
One of those was 19-year-old Tiana who joined a clean- ing team at RAAF Richmond because her mother worked for Killara.
Newman said Tiana was so much more than a housekeeper making beds.
“I worked with BGIS to tran- sition her to an internship with them,” she said.
“IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT THAT ABORIGINAL PEOPLE HAVE ACCESS TO SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION”
“I paid her wages for six
months to work for BGIS to get
a taste and feel for the depart-
ments within that organisation in the defence delivery team.
“She is now a housekeeping coordinator at RAAF Richmond and she manages our housekeepers delivering the services.
“This was a perfect example of Killara delivering beyond the realms of just pure cleaning service delivery.”
The next few years will see Killara continuing their growth trajectory, securing extensions to some foundation contracts that started in 2017 and taking on new partners, with a focus on the defence sector. ■
Thursday 3 November Adelaide Convention Centre
Celebrate the achievements of defence industry and be part of a memorable night as we announce the winners of the four prestigious DTC awards and reveal the recipient of the DTC’s Chair Award.
Time: 6:30pm Welcome Reception and 7:30pm Dinner Tickets: $250 for DTC Members or $350 for Non Members
DTC Member Branded Table of 10: $2,250 includes company logo featured on the table stand
Non Member Table of 10: $3,500 Enquiries: events@dtc.org.au
Visit DTC’s website for tickets & details:
www.dtc.org.au
MC:
Katherine Ziesing
Strategic Communications Manager Hanwha Defense Australia Pty Ltd
Guest Speaker:
Dr Brendan Nelson
President of Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific