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ANZ's commitment 'in action'
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ANZ's Reconciliation Action Plan sets out specific and measurable steps ANZ will take to:
- increase employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians
- improve financial literacy and inclusion
- improve cultural recognition and awareness among ANZ people, and
- build the capacity of Indigenous organisations supporting financial inclusion objectives
We talked to our stakeholders, including Indigenous leaders, community organisations involved in Indigenous financial inclusion and government agencies when deciding what our Action Plan should focus on.
Our conclusion was that we should concentrate on areas where we have experience and expertise, thereby ensuring we devote our energy and resources where we can make a real and lasting difference.
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Real employment opportunities
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Employment is central to any strategy to improve the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians.
ANZ is a large national employer with reach into metropolitan, regional and remote communities across Australia, giving us a particular opportunity to help create more employment opportunities for Indigenous people.
Our Reconciliation Action Plan builds on this opportunity, containing the most ambitious targets for the employment of Indigenous Australians of any leading Australian company.
The Action Plan commits us to expanding our current involvement in a school-based traineeship program in partnership with the Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES).
Since the joint program began in May 2003 we have recruited over 50 Year 11 and 12 students as trainees in regional ANZ branches.
The program provides trainees with practical banking and workplace experience, nurturing the capabilities and confidence that can allow them to broaden their future employment or academic opportunities. This can result in full time employment with ANZ or another organisation or tertiary study.
We will recruit at least 100 young Indigenous trainees each year until 2009 and, together with the AES, extend the program to further regional and metropolitan areas across Australia.
This program has led to some outstanding success stories, but preparation of the Reconciliation Action Plan provided us with an opportunity to ask what more we could be doing.
We want to go further than just recruitment of more Indigenous Australians. Measures to retain and assist the development Indigenous employees are just as important. The Action Plan therefore commits ANZ to promote at least 20 Indigenous employees on merit to ANZ management positions by 2014 and to lifting the proportion of employees from Indigenous backgrounds in our Regional and Rural business to 3% by 2011.
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Building on our financial literacy and inclusion work
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ANZ has a long-term commitment to improving financial literacy and inclusion of all Australians, particularly the most vulnerable. This is the social issue to which ANZ, as a large financial institution, can make the most meaningful contribution.
Research has consistently shown Indigenous Australians as among the most disadvantaged groups in our community in terms of financial literacy and inclusion. Basic financial literacy skills are essential in enabling Indigenous Australians to manage their finances, access banking services and participate more broadly in mainstream social life.
ANZ has in the last 5 years worked with Indigenous communities and the Australian Government to develop a range of innovative programs and initiatives to help build the financial capability and money management skills of Indigenous people.
MoneyBusiness provides financial literacy and money management skills to Indigenous people at a local level, tailored to the learning styles, Indigenous cultures and financial literacy needs of individual Indigenous communities. MoneyBusiness is delivered in partnership with local community organisations and the Federal Government.
We have partnered with the Traditional Credit Union (TCU), an Indigenous owned credit union, to fund the development of financial literacy training to TCU members in the Northern Territory. ‘Opening Financial Pathways’ also aims to improve financial literacy in Indigenous communities, but in the broader context of personal development and goal setting. This program has been developed with the First Nations Foundation and local community organisations in Shepparton, Victoria.
ANZ's Reconciliation Action Plan sets specific targets for the continuation and expansion of this work.
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Learning more and sharing our expertise
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The success of our work in this area depends not only on the programs we have in place, but also on the strength of our relationship with Indigenous communities and consumers.
The Action Plan contains goals to build greater understanding within the organisation of issues facing Indigenous Australians. This will include targeted events, programs and mentoring for ANZ employees, from the people that serve our customers every day, right through to senior management.
We currently provide our people the opportunity to contribute their knowledge and expertise to important projects underway in Indigenous organisations through long-term secondments.
Not only is this assisting the development of financial and economic inclusion strategies by Indigenous and other organisations, it gives participating ANZ employees an improved understanding of the issues facing Indigenous communities – knowledge which can be shared within ANZ.
We will continue to offer these secondment opportunities to at least 4 full time staff members (or equivalent) each year.
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Why an Action Plan?
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Helping to improve the social and economic wellbeing of Indigenous Australians is a key part of ANZ’s overall social responsibility. And because the measures contained in the Action Plan are closely related to our business, we also expect the success of these new and existing initiatives to translate over time into direct business benefits.
For example, employing more Indigenous people and building our understanding of the experience of Indigenous consumers will help us better meet the needs of those customers and earn their trust and respect.
The process of developing an Action Plan has helped us assess what we do today and what we should focus on in the future. It also sets specific time lines for our employment and financial literacy promises which benefits both ANZ and our stakeholders.
The public accountability that comes with releasing the Action Plan ensures the initiatives we have set ourselves maintain ‘momentum’. We will also report publicly on our performance against the Action Plan which means our stakeholders will always know how we are progressing on our commitments.
ANZ is the first major Australian company to register a Reconciliation Action Plan.
The Reconciliation Action Plan program was developed by Reconciliation Australia, an independent, not-for-profit organisation, to coordinate efforts by Australian governments, businesses, non-government and community organisations to increase the life chances of Indigenous Australians.
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Keeping the Action Plan on track
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The Action Plan will be monitored by a Governance Group, made up of internal and external specialists and stakeholders, to ensure it is implemented, remains relevant and is achieving its objectives.
This Group will meet to review our progress against the targets set out in the Reconciliation Action Plan, and where appropriate, provide advice on how our overall strategy can be improved.
ANZ will be reporting on progress against the Action Plan in its annual and interim Corporate Responsibility Reports.
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More information
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Read the full Reconciliation Action Plan (PDF, 96kb)
For further information about ANZ’s Reconciliation Action Plan, please contact Adam Mooney on +61 3 9273-4350.
For information on Reconciliation Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan program, please contact Claire Tedeschi on +61 2 6273-9200
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The Action Plan 'at a glance'
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The Reconciliation Action Plan contains the following key commitments:
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From trainee to mentor
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Zabowie Mills, 19, is part of ANZ’s trainee program delivered with the AES, and has gone from strength to strength since she started the program in 2005.
Zabowie spent one day per week working at the ANZ Singleton branch during her traineeship while completing a TAFE Certificate II in Business and HSC (high school certificate) studies.
After completing her HSC exams, Zabowie was offered a full-time role at ANZ.
"What attracted me to it was that it was a traineeship and it was for 2 years. I got to do my HSC and I get paid too!" said Zabowie.
"The traineeship is not just about sitting down and learning things – i's actual hands-on work and I have learned so much."
In addition to securing a full time job at ANZ, Zabowie has also become a mentor and role model for other Indigenous trainees in her community.
"I didn’t know what I wanted to do before and I was nervous and very unsure. Now I’m a lot more confident because I know what I want to do. I'm here to show that you should just go for it and it doesn't matter what other people think.
"I love coming to work. I look forward to it."
As part of the Reconciliation Action Plan, ANZ aims to have 100 trainees each year across all states and territories.
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Building capacity
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Neil McPhie is playing a vital role in developing 'Opening Financial Pathways', in Shepparton through his work with the Indigenous Enterprise Partnerships (IEP).
Opening Financial Pathways is a broad personal development program for Indigenous people, encompassing cultural awareness, life skills, financial capability and money management. During his 12 month secondment from ANZ, Neil is working with local Indigenous organisations in Shepparton to assist them to tailor and deliver the program in their local communities.
"If we can help individuals feel more confident in the way they conduct themselves everyday and more aware from a financial perspective, then that’s got to be a good thing," said Neil.
Neil is not only sharing his experience and expertise but is learning more about the experience of Indigenous Australians along the way.
"I am proud of what I am doing. Moving from an 18-year career with financial organisations to a non-profit in a thriving regional town has meant a big change. This role has shown me how little I knew about the situation most Indigenous people face," he said.
Neil is one of 5 ANZ staff who currently working in Indigenous organisations on a long term secondment.
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A local approach to money management
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Maggie Vigona is employed as a MoneyBusiness worker in Nguiu and is currently working with 50 clients to improve their money management skills.
Maggie is a member of the local community and sees this as important to the success of MoneyBusiness.
"We are locals ourselves so we are part of the community, part of the family. This builds trust and understanding and the community knows you’re there to help them." said Maggie.
"It's about going out into the community and so they know who we are, how we can help and now people come in to ask for help to understand money and how to talk to their bank. The program has meant so much to the community"
A number of local Indigenous people are employed as MoneyBusiness workers in the pilot sites and coach participants in financial literacy, budgeting, bill paying and developing savings plans.
MoneyBusiness is being piloted in six sites in remote and regional Northern Territory and Western Australia in partnership with the Australian Government.
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