The beginning of
the learning,
not the end of it.
Acknowledgement of Country
In the spirit of reconciliation, Advance Plants respects the Elders, past, present and emerging, and acknowledges that our offices are on the traditional lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples in Brisbane, and the Kombumerri people within the lands of the Yugambeh language group on the Gold Coast.
As a business built around plants and the spaces they inhabit, we are conscious that our profession exists on land Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have cared for over thousands of generations—whether that is the office towers where our indoor plants live, or the exterior landscapes our teams maintain across South East Queensland.
Why education
Our aim is to be the best corporate citizen we can be, and our focus has primarily been First Nations education, alongside non-profits that reflect our commitment to diversity. We support a small number of organisations over long periods rather than spreading modest amounts across many.
That choice is deliberate. We believe education is one of the best long-term, structural solutions to improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our community. A scholarship does not resolve in a financial year. It follows a young person through school, into university, and into whatever they choose to do afterwards, and the effect of that carries well beyond the student and well beyond us. It is the kind of change that compounds, which is why we have backed it consistently since 2020 rather than moving our support around. We are committed; we don’t simply follow the latest trend to tick a box.
It is also close to home for our Director, Robert Shand. He went to school with, and remains friends with, a Quandamooka man, and he believes strongly in the impact of a high-class education.
That conviction was reinforced when Robert was invited to attend the “Yarning Up” program through Bond University, which included a visit to Mer Island (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait—the birthplace of Eddie Mabo and the focus of the High Court’s first Native Title determination. That experience gave concrete grounding to what can otherwise remain an abstract commitment.
Yalari: secondary education
Yalari provides scholarships for First Nations children from regional and remote areas to attend some of Australia’s best boarding schools. Advance Plants has provided financial support since 2020, and supports the fundraising gala dinner Yalari hosts each year.
Bond University Indigenous Scholarship Program
The program provides scholarships for First Nations people to attend university, as well as the support structures necessary to help them succeed. Between the two organisations, our contribution follows a student pathway from secondary schooling through to university.
Office supplies purchased through Yarn’n
A First Nations owned business that directs 50 per cent of its profits to Yalari, which means ordinary operational spending contributes to the same cause.
Sun protection supplied by Yulay
Our teams work outdoors across South East Queensland, so sunscreen is standard-issue equipment rather than an incidental. We buy it from Yulay, a First Nations owned business—a small decision, made the same way as the rest of our procurement.
Inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan
We registered with Reconciliation Australia and submitted our inaugural Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan for review, covering December 2026 to December 2027. A Reflect RAP is the entry point of the RAP framework, designed to help an organisation scope its sphere of influence, build relationships with Traditional Owners and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, and settle on a realistic vision before committing to measurable targets.
We’re not pretending to have this all figured out yet. A Reflect RAP exists to help us scope our sphere of influence properly before we commit to targets we can actually meet, rather than the other way around.Robert Shand, Director