Woolworths Group has welcomed 42 refugees into its team at the newly opened online Customer Fulfillment Centre in Rochedale, Brisbane. The new team members are part of the retailer's Refugee Employment Program, run in partnership with Community Corporate.
“We’re grateful to have the support of these new team members who are helping to boost our online capacity in Brisbane, and make up an important part of our recruitment program for this new facility. In the current job market, engaging our refugee communities is not only the right thing to do, but it’s an important source of untapped potential as we hire new team members to help us meet the growing needs of our customers,” said Catherine Hunter, Woolworths Group General Manager for Inclusion.
The new team members range in age from their early twenties to over 50, and more than 60 percent are women. The majority have lived in Australia for less than five years and come from a range of countries, including Afghanistan, the Congo, Burundi, Syria and Ukraine.
“This program is a prime example of the ways that Australia can become more welcoming and inclusive to refugees. It is a reminder to us all – in cities, regions, business and of course, government – that we must strive to do better at welcoming new migrants and refugees into our communities,” said Hon Andrew Giles MP, Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
