Corporate social responsibility

Modern slavery

Gadens supports and respects the protection of human rights, and as a firm are committed to achieving a high standard of ethical behaviour. We are committed to acting professionally, fairly and with integrity in all our business dealings and relationships and we have the same expectation of our suppliers.

We are committed to identifying, assessing, managing and reducing modern slavery risk in our business operations and supply chain. We will not tolerate any abusive or unfair treatment of anyone within our business or as part of our supply chain and are committed to taking the steps necessary to ensure that slavery and human trafficking play no part in our business or supply chain.

Our Modern Slavery Statement, which is made in accordance with Section 14 of the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth), can be found here. This statement has not yet been approved by the AGD or published on the Modern Slavery Statements Register.

Pro bono

See an overview of the Gadens Melbourne and Sydney partnership Sustainability and Social Impact activity here.

Our commitment to the arts

Gadens has a long-standing commitment to the art supporting the culture and communities in which we live and work.

Gadens’ profound commitment to the arts sector was showcased during the ‘Gadens Art Challenge’, held in partnership with the Museum of Brisbane. The challenge resulted in the Museum recording the most donations ever received from a fundraising campaign. In addition, Gadens matched dollar-for-dollar all appeal donations up to the total value of $20,000. Our commitment has resulted in the Museum purchasing artwork by leading Indigenous artist Judy Watson (Water Dragon 2011), which beautifully maps the Brisbane River flooding and explores its impact on the contemporary city, but also the memory of water and its connection to Country. The injection of funds from the Gadens Art Challenge has also enabled the Museum to commission emerging artist and finalist for the Archibald Prize, Sam Cranstoun, to create a mixed-media work inspired by the complicated story of Greek architect and town planner Dr C.A Doxiadis’ brief residence in Brisbane.

Gadens is proud to be a sponsor of the iconic Brisbane Festival. It is one of Australia’s major international arts festivals supported by the Queensland Government, the Brisbane City Council and major business groups.

Our office in Brisbane has a substantial contemporary art collection and supports, primarily, Queensland emerging and mid-tier artists. Upon entering our reception area, clients and visitors are greeted with an array of striking artworks. Each of our offices and meeting rooms in Brisbane houses its own art piece. The artwork in our Melbourne and Sydney office receptions and meeting rooms is leased from Artbank, a one of a kind, Australian Government support program that acquires the work of living, Australian contemporary artists and makes the collection available to the general public through a leasing program.

Sustainability

We strive to create a culture where the principles of sustainability and sound corporate responsibility are embraced and lived by our people every day. In our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment and take ownership of our environmental footprint, we are continuously looking for ways to maximise the efficient use of energy, water and other resources, and minimise pollution and waste. Gadens is certified carbon neutral by Climate Active at both the Service and Organisation level, and copies of our latest audited Public Disclosure Statements can be found here (Service / Organisation). Our aims are to continue to reduce our impact on the environment by ensuring the sustainable use of scarce resources, manage sustainability in our supply chain, and implement environmental initiatives to further minimise our impact on the environment.

We are members of the Australian Legal Sector Alliance (AusLSA), an industry-led association that works collaboratively to promote sustainable practices across the legal sector, and we participate in their annual reporting process. To view Gadens’ most recent reporting results, see AusLSA Report 2023 – Gadens.