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Community
Our
Community
Themes
In Australia, we show our dedication and create impact by assisting not-for-profit organisations that address issues in our communities, focusing on one or more of our Community Themes:
- Improving mental health
- Progressing reconciliation and empowerment
- Preventing family violence
From a global perspective, SPA cares about communities around the world and partners with various organisations to give back and support employee volunteer efforts. Employee Resource Groups are voluntary, employee-led groups whose aim is to provide support, enhance career development, and contribute to personal development in our work environment.
SPA has five active ERGs:
- Multicultural Excellence, Recognition, and Individual Talent (MERIT)
- SPA VETS
- Young Professionals Group (YPG)
- Women’s Initiative for Networking and Knowledge (WINK)
- GoGreen
Discover The Pulse, our publication of insights and tips for you to consider and implement in your workplace.
Our
Community
Partners
We focus on long-term, sustainable support to organisations that contribute to one or more of our Community Themes. If you are a community organisation operating in our Community Themes, please get in touch with us to discuss how we can help.
Pro Bono
We were the first incorporated legal practice to become a signatory to the Australian Pro Bono Centre’s Aspirational Pro Bono Target of 35 hours per annum per lawyer, and SPA Australia (as Proximity prior to 2025) has exceeded that target in each of the past four years.
Pro bono is an important way we have a positive impact on our local communities. Importantly, our pro bono isn’t limited to legal advice – we provide our full suite of consulting, legal, and commercial services to community organisations as required.
Governance
SPA Australia has been built on a strong culture of pro bono and a sense of community.
SPA Australia values pro bono work for both the communities we operate in, and for the business, through improved staff engagement, a sense of purpose and connection to community. Our team understands the expectation and value of participating in pro bono, and we focus on recruiting the right people to continue this legacy.
Meet our Community Management Team
Events
SPA Australia hosts and attends events that are linked to our Community Themes, whether it is a morning tea for NAIDOC Week, or attending Menslink’s Big Night Out each year.
We also host community organisations that require a boardroom or separate space for strategic meetings or fundraising events. If you are involved with a community organisation that is in need of a space, please reach out to us and we will accommodate you as best we can.
Fundraising
At SPA Australia, we support our Community Themes through dedicated fundraising activities. We seek to engage staff and the broader community in raising awareness and funds for community sector organisations and initiatives that align with our Community Themes.
SPA Australia undertakes two types of fundraising:
- Staff and community contributions only
- Staff contributions matched by Proximity
We utilise third-party fundraising sites, such as Give Now, to ensure our fundraising initiatives remain compliant with ACT fundraising legislation.
Reconciliation
SPA Australia is excited to commence our formal reconciliation journey with its first Reconciliation Action Plan – the Reflect RAP – developed in collaboration with Reconciliation Australia.
We embarked on our reconciliation journey with a deep desire and commitment to build strong foundations and respectful, meaningful, and sustainable relationships with all First Nations peoples, and particularly with local Indigenous communities in the locations around Australia where we work.
We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first Australians and affirm their important and unique position in Australian life as the custodians of the land. We celebrate the contribution that First Nations people bring, and are capable of bringing to SPA Australia, our staff, and our community.
This Reconciliation Action Plan outlines the steps SPA Australia is taking to make systemic and sustainable contributions across our organisation to support reconciliation. We seek to better understand and build on our existing reconciliation activities, and identify how to better engage with First Nations people in our communities through our internal processes, our supply chain, service delivery, and overall impact on the communities we work in.
Reconciliation is a journey SPA Australia is committed to taking, just as we are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and cultural awareness across our organisation.
Community
awards
Finalist – Pro Bono Program of the Year, 2021, Australian Law Awards (as Proximity)
Finalist – Pro Bono Program of the Year, 2020, Australian Law Awards (as Proximity)