The Independent Panel Review was announced by Woolworths Group on 16 December 2020 to review the proposed Dan Murphy’s Darwin development and provide a report to the Woolworths Group Board. While this report has critically discussed Woolworths Group’s approach to the Darwin Dan Murphy’s proposal, the focus of these recommendations is to constitute a forward-looking high watermark for corporate engagement with First Nations peoples.

Key Findings/Recommendations:

After considering the issues covered in detail in this report, the Panel makes nine key findings with relevant recommendations. Some of these recommendations overlap with others and the Panel notes that legitimacy and trust are pervasive themes across all nine key findings and recommendations. The findings and recommendations for the Woolworths Group’s consideration seek to:

• strengthen community investment and reconciliation;
• enhance engagement and consultation;
• improve operational decision-making;
• address harms beyond sale and service;
• deepen consideration of the impacts of alcohol in the community;
• advance best practice governance and risk systems;
• reinforce and monitor commitments to responsible service measures;
• support legal, policy and regulatory steps in the public interest, considering reputational consequences; and
• deliver on corporate purpose and the highest standards of social value and corporate sustainability.

On 29 April 2021 Woolworths Group announced that it would not proceed with the Dan Murphy's Darwin proposal. The relevant licence has since been surrendered to the NT Government.