Our Sustainability Commitment

At Intereach, sustainability isn’t a side project; it’s part of how we work every day.

For us, sustainability means creating long-term social, environmental, and economic value delivering services that support people and communities to thrive today, and well into the future. It’s about responsible stewardship, honest accountability, and making decisions that are good for the communities we call home.

“Strong communities are sustainable communities. Everything we do, from the services we deliver to the way we run our organisation, is guided by that belief.” Yvette Buhagiar, Co-CEO, Intereach

People

People are at the centre of everything Intereach does and that starts with our own team.

We’re committed to building a workplace where staff feel safe, supported, and valued. That means taking workforce wellbeing seriously, managing workload and mental health risk, and making sure our people have the tools and training they need to do their jobs well.

Beyond our own doors, our commitment to people shows up in the services we deliver. We work across 38 local government areas in regional NSW and Victoria reaching people in small towns and rural communities who might otherwise go without support. Equity matters to us. So does continuity of care. We want every person who comes to Intereach to feel like they belong here, regardless of their background, circumstances, or postcode.

We’re in the early stages of implementing an Impact Measurement Framework; a practical way of understanding and reporting on the real difference our services make in people’s lives. It’s complex work, but it’s worth doing well.

Planet

We recognise that caring for people and caring for the environment go hand in hand.

Intereach operates across a vast regional footprint and we take seriously our responsibility to look after the landscapes and ecosystems that our communities depend on. That means tracking our carbon emissions honestly, setting real targets, and doing the work to hit them.

In the past year, we reduced our carbon emissions by 21%- ahead of our own 18% target. That result was driven by a shift to hybrid vehicles across our fleet, a reduction in paper use across our offices, and an ongoing tree planting program that we’re growing year on year. We’re also exploring green power options for our higher-usage offices and building partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations for land care and tree planting activities.

We’re not done. Our 2026–2028 Sustainability Strategy sets out the next phase of environmental action; from deeper emissions tracking to smarter procurement and waste reduction across our operations.

Principles

Good intentions aren’t enough. They need to be backed by strong systems, honest reporting, and real accountability.

Intereach’s governance approach is built on transparency to our clients, our staff, our funders, and the communities we serve. Sustainability is a standing item in our Board and Executive reporting. Our ESG Board Committee provides oversight of our strategy and progress. And we review and refresh our action plan every year, so our priorities stay relevant as the world around us changes.

We completed our first organisation-wide Double Materiality Assessment in 2025; a rigorous process that tested what sustainability topics matter most to our stakeholders, and why. That work confirmed what we already believed: that social outcomes are central to who we are, and that our environmental and governance responsibilities matter just as much as our service delivery.

Our approach aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and draws on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles because we believe that how you operate matters just as much as what you deliver.

Download our Sustainability Commitment