Community Engagement
Investa’s donations in 2008 were made to a wide range of community organisations from the Brimbank Gardens Community Centre in Victoria to lease payments for the Redbank Plains High School bus in Queensland. Note that as a matter of course Investa does not make donations to political parties.
As part of their work Land Developments staff spent time to engage with the community through events such as community fun days, meetings with local Chambers of Commerce and Aboriginal organisations which is not included in the Community Service Leave listed above.
In 2008, staff made over 50 presentations to external organisations on sustainability, safety and environmental subjects. This included interactive Green Lease Guide training conducted for leasing agents and Commercial Office staff to build mutual understanding. Investa staff also engaged with industry and professional bodies such as the Green Building Council of Australia and Property Council of Australia, and with research and teaching initiatives such as the University of Sydney’s Low Energy High Rise project, and courses taught through the University of Western Sydney’s Urban Research Program.
In February 2009 we undertook a survey of our stakeholders regarding sustainability report and the sustainability section of our website. We asked 339 of our stakeholders (including tenants) to comment on the effectiveness of Investa’s sustainability website and reporting. As a result we have upgraded our website to:
- Increase the focus on our performance
- Create a new section on our approach
- Create a new section on our targets
- Pull out information on Investa’s sustainability platform previously ‘hidden’ in our sustainability reports.
In addition, we have sought to improve the language so it’s less bland and improve the graphics and give the site a fresh look.
For our sustainability report we have:
- Kept the economic, social, environmental structure
- Focused on performance
- Continued to be open and transparent
- Continued to have report independently assured
- Added additional links – especially to information in the sustainability section of the Investa website.
In terms of the report’s design we have adopted a cleaner look and tried to:
- Make charts and graphics easier to read
- Improve the navigation – and easy of browsing – and technology of links
- Improve the layout for legibility – including using different colours for different sections of the report.
Case study
Evaluation of the Your Home Buyer’s Guide
Fifty thousand copies of the Your Home Buyer’s Guide were distributed in the twelve months following its publication in December 2007 (see case study in our 2007 report for more background). The Guide’s promotion was supported by launches, promotion, training and a website. An independent evaluation of the Guide found that the partners and stakeholders considered the project to be ‘strategic, innovative and highly valued’ and that ‘almost everyone is positive about the Guide itself’. As part of the Evaluation, an online survey was conducted of Guide users. Of the 103 people surveyed:
- 95% of those surveyed found the Guide useful;
- 71% of respondents used the checklists in the Guide – indicating they were engaged with the information and applying it to their own circumstances;
- the Guide increased the knowledge and confidence of users; and
- many of those surveyed are considering or have made changes to their home design or product choices as a result of using the Guide.
Overall the evaluation concluded that the Guide ‘is a catalyst, a starting point for pushing the sector forward’. The Your Home Buyer’s Guide won the Media Award at the Planning Institute of Australia (NSW) awards on the 6 November 2008.
Cover of the Home Buyers’ Guide. Click to enlarge.