Supporting First Nations jobs and improving lives one blade at a time!
When the former Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) reached out for urgent assistance with landscaping maintenance, Multhana Property Services (Multhana), a social enterprise and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business, was ready, willing and able to answer the call.
In the Kalkadoon language 'Multhana' means 'people coming together to help one another'. Founder, Joe Wallace, embeds this ethos in the operations and social impact created by his thriving profit for purpose landscaping, building and cleaning businesses.
Opportunity
The former QFES required an external provider to undertake general landscape and maintenance duties at their Emergency Services Complex at Kedron Park.
QFES is the primary provider of the fire and emergency services in Queensland and has Emergency Operations Centres located across the state.
The Emergency Services Complex at Kedron Park serves as the central hub for disaster management in Queensland. The site includes:
- landscape-designed courtyard gardens connecting the complex’s buildings
- extensive grounds and external carparks.
While regular landscape maintenance was usually undertaken by the QFES grounds staff, due to unforeseen reasons, QFES required an external provider to undertake immediate general landscape and maintenance duties.
Solution
QFES knew that they wanted to engage a capable and reliable landscaping service that had capacity to deliver on their requirements.
QFES had previously used the services of Multhana and had found them to be efficient, reliable and responsive to their needs.
In recognition of their previous demonstrated capability, QFES invited Multhana to respond to a request for quote under the agency’s one quote procurement threshold.
Outcome
Multhana, a social enterprise and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business, were successful in being awarded the landscape maintenance services contract at the Emergency Services Complex at Kedron Park site.
Since being awarded the work, Multhana has demonstrated their capability and capacity to provide quality landscape maintenance services and meet the agency’s requirements.
By using the services of Multhana, QFES is directly supporting the enterprises’ ability to provide training and employment pathways for First Nations, and other socioeconomically disadvantaged people, in the Queensland cleaning, building and maintenance industries.
Multhana reinvest over 50% of their profits towards their social mission of providing employment and training pathways to disadvantaged Queenslanders.
This has enabled Multhana to provide more than 39,000 hours of paid employment for their Indigenous employees (which represent 21% of their workforce) in the 12 months to December 2023.
In its short history, the Multhana workforce and operations have grown significantly from 10 to 250 employees and maintained a strong focus on providing more jobs and support for First Nations people.
In 2023, Multhana received a number of awards for their dedication to improving outcomes for Indigenous people, and for service excellence.
More information
To find out how your next procurement activity can support people from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds or procurement from social enterprises, email socialprocurement@hpw.qld.gov.au.
For assistance with procurement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, email enterprise@dwatsipm.qld.gov.au.
To find out more about Queensland Government social targets and commitments and social procurement, visit: