Brian Hartzer, Chief Executive Officer, Westpac. Change Needs Champions. 16 June Canberra. Cape York Institute founder Noel Pearson

Transcription

1 Brian Hartzer, Chief Executive Officer, Westpac Change Needs Champions 16 June 2015 Canberra Cape York Institute founder Noel Pearson Members of the Board of Jawun Distinguished guests, including... Alan Tudge, MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister Jenny Macklin, Member for Jagajaga The Hon Shayne Neumann, Member for Blair Indigenous leaders from across the country 1

2 Ladies and gentlemen It s an honour to speak at this celebration of Jawun on a wintery Canberra night... Some of you might know that I m a history buff, so I looked up what other celebrations have been held in Canberra around this time of year. One that I found was in 1927: The opening of Old Parliament House. It was a big occasion. The Duke and Duchess of York Queen Elizabeth s parents were guests of honour. Dame Nellie Melba sang the national anthem. Two Indigenous Elders were there, too. Jimmy Clements was in his 80s. He lived on Brungle Aboriginal Station near Gundagai. 2

3 And John Noble was also in his 80s. He had come from the south-east of New South Wales. Both men wanted to be here for the opening of Old Parliament House. And as members of the Ngunnawal community, they believed they had a right to be there. The problem was that Clements and Noble were neither invited nor welcome. In 1927, Indigenous Australians were segregated in reserves, not considered Australian citizens, and not able to vote. But that didn t stop Clements or Noble, who both travelled at least 150 kilometres to attend the opening. Not by car, like me, or by plane, or via the Qantas lounge. They just walked. 3

4 Given their age and the time of year, it could not have been an easy journey. Still, they were in Canberra for the opening, and they made their presence felt. Although it would take Canberra another: 22 years to consider Indigenous Australians citizens, 35 years to give Indigenous Australians the right to vote, and 40 years to remove parts of the Constitution Act that discriminated against Indigenous Australians. Those two men truly were pioneers champions for their communities. With that in mind, I d like to acknowledge the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we are gathered. 4

5 And also want to pay my respects to their Elders. Big moments in history often come down to the leadership of a few. People like Jimmy Clements and John Noble. People like Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams and Tony Coorey the four men who stuck a beach umbrella on the lawn of Old Parliament House back in 1972 and started the Tent Embassy. Or Roberta Sykes who was the Tent Embassy s first secretary. Because change needs champions. That s why I first want to thank the leaders who came together 15 years ago to champion Jawun. People like Noel Pearson who started the ball rolling with his landmark document, Our Right to Take Responsibility. 5

6 People like Colin Carter founding partner of Boston Consulting Group in Australia. And people like Ann Sherry from Carnival Australia a business leader we re proud to claim as a Westpac alumna. Ultimately, though, Jawun isn t about the champions who created it Jawun is about the champions it creates. Over the past 15 years, more than 1600 people have been seconded from corporate and public sector jobs to work with more than 100 Indigenous-led organisations giving their time and sharing their skills. Think about the thousands of personal interactions that have happened as a result of Jawun Corporate Partnerships. Think about the opportunities those Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australians have created together. I ve certainly thought about it because Jawun isn t one-way traffic. 6

7 It doesn t just benefit Indigenous Australia it benefits corporate Australia, too. For instance, Westpac is a beneficiary of Jawun. At Westpac our people have taken up 691 secondments with Indigenous partner organisations. And what we ve found is that those secondments have been transformative they really do turn our people into champions. Our people come back with a greater understanding of and respect for Indigenous culture many maintain the connections they ve made with Indigenous people and many become leaders within Westpac. Let me give you just one example. A few years ago, Jaimes Adlington from our Group Audit team was seconded to Tranby Aboriginal College in Glebe. 7

8 Jaimes worked closely with Tranby s CEO, Belinda Russon. He reviewed the school s financial position, made recommendations and introduced new processes, and then when his secondment ended, came back to Westpac. But Jaimes didn t leave Tranby. He joined the board of the College. I m not sure who s benefiting more from this exchange: Tranby College, through Jaimes advice, Jaimes himself, through what is an excellent professional development opportunity, Or Westpac, since Jaimes has become a real leader. Two other members of our Group Audit team David Metcalf and Shanaaze Alexander have now followed Jaimes footsteps and become Jawun secondees. 8

9 And through Jawun Jaimes also coordinated a day for a Westpac people to volunteer at the La Parouse Youth Haven in Sydney. That s just one Jawun story. And it s not an outlier. Jawun really does turn our people into champions. With that in mind and on behalf of all the 24 Jawun partners I d like to especially thank the Indigenous organisations that have welcomed our people into their workplaces. Thank you for the opportunities you have given our people to share and learn. Thank you for your generosity and warm welcome. And that leads me to my final thought. One of the best signs of Jawun s success is how it has grown to cover eight regions across Australia. 9

10 This is good news. But I think we can make that good news great. And the way we can make that good news great is for corporate Australia to keep increasing its investment in Jawun year on year. For instance, It s good that 1600 people have been seconded to work with Indigenous-led organisations over the past 15 years but why not 1600 secondments every five years? It s good that Jawun has been expanded to eight regions across the country but what would happen if we expanded that from eight to 24 regions? Imagine the opportunities that would be created within Indigenous-led organisations and across Indigenous communities. 10

11 Imagine the champions that would be created within those Indigenous-led organisations and within corporate Australia. Imagine what we could achieve. After all, one of the primary measures of a business is growth. What I m saying is that corporate Australia should have the same expectation of growth for Jawun. We should be as ambitious for Jawun as we are for our businesses. Because, if we are that ambitious, we can make this already good thing great. So to Noel, Karyn, Tony, and everyone else at the extended Jawun family: Congratulations on everything that you have achieved so far. We at Westpac are proud to have played a part in this story, and we look forward to playing an ongoing role in Jawun s growth from here. 11

12 Thank you. 12