How we support First Nations Australians

Our vision for reconciliation

Our vision for a reconciled Australia is a future where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equitable access to finance and employment and where all Australians and organisations work together to build healthy, inclusive and sustainable communities.

NAB’s 2024-2027 RAP (PDF, 9MB), opens in new window will play a key role in leading change to progress reconciliation. This RAP outlines how NAB is working together with First Nations Australians to support and advance reconciliation, financial inclusion, and success.

This RAP has been designed in consultation with First Nations colleagues and accountable executives from across the NAB Group. Our approach to this RAP was informed by feedback from our First Nations Advisory Group, First Nations customers and partners, as well as Reconciliation Australia.

To drive change we have sought to focus on three key pillars that are most relevant to our business and where NAB has the greatest opportunity to create impact.

These are the three pillars: 

Pillar One: Stimulating sustainable growth in First Nations business

First Nations businesses play an integral role in strengthening First Nations leadership and creating opportunities for communities to succeed. NAB has listened to the views of First Nations businesses and community organisations on the barriers they experience when trying to establish and grow their business, specifically in accessing capital and becoming a supplier to NAB or other major corporates.

Pillar Two: Supporting the self-determining aspirations of First Nations people

Building and maintaining respectful relationships with First Nations communities starts with acknowledgement of the perceived and actual power imbalance between banks and communities.

We understand that banking can be difficult to navigate and we need to do more to empower and support customers to enable financial inclusion. We continue to listen to the voices of customers, colleagues, partners and advocacy groups to address issues experienced by First Nations communities.

Pillar Three: Building cultural capability to support meaningful careers.

First Nations people continue to be underrepresented in the financial sector and in our business, especially at senior levels. Revisiting the foundational aspects of talent recruitment and retention as well as the support of colleagues and career development will be critical to our ambition to double the number of self-identified, permanent NAB colleagues to 380 by September 2026. 

We’ll continue to encourage all NAB colleagues to learn more about our shared history with First Nations peoples, critical for a reconciled Australia. Cultural capability is critical to cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander colleagues. Where we can, we’ll extend knowledge and learning resources to our customers and community to progress reconciliation at scale.

NAB’s three reconciliation pillars will focus on growth and supporting First Nations business and economic advancement through our $1 billion dollar lending target by August 2027.

‘Walking together’: NAB star artwork story

The ‘Walking Together’ NAB star design, opens in new window was inspired by the final line of the Uluru Statement of the Heart: “We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.” The idea came from proud Kamilaroi man and NAB colleague Kieran Cain-Hall, and was designed by Marcus Lee, a proud Aboriginal descendant of the Karajarri people from North Western Australia.

The centre piece of the design represents NAB’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support through being an ally both at work and in the community. Dotted pathways disperse throughout the star symbolising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and NAB ‘walking with us’. 

The star’s design incorporates the colours from the Aboriginal flag, the Torres Strait Islander flag and NAB’s brand colours. The flag was intentionally designed with these colours as a symbol of support for Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and their social and financial success.