NAIDOC Week is a significant time each year to celebrate and recognise the history, culture, and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
In 2025, NAIDOC Week marks a powerful milestone – 50 years of honouring and amplifying Indigenous voices, resilience, and culture. This year’s theme, The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy reflects not only the accomplishments of the past but also the bright future led by young leaders, guided by community vision and grounded in ancestral legacy.
Customer-owned banks, known for their commitment to social impact, continue to play an important role in uplifting underserved and underrepresented communities. Through Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs), support for Indigenous-owned businesses, and programs aimed at building financial capability, many are deepening their partnerships with First Nations peoples and working toward a more inclusive future.
This NAIDOC Week, we’re shining a light on two customer-owned banks and the ways they’re walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in meaningful and lasting ways.
Strengthening cultural capability through partnerships and training
Great Southern Bank is advancing its commitment to inclusion and economic equity through its RAP.
A key example is the customer-owned bank’s partnership with Born Digital Solutions, a First Nations-owned automation consultancy. Since establishing the partnership in 2023, it has delivered over 24 projects and generated significant operational savings, with a workforce that is 50% First Nations people.
Internally, over 600 staff have completed cultural awareness training through Evolve Communities, helping deepen understanding of First Nations histories and cultures. Cultural advisor Jason Timor of Stonecrab also supports the bank’s ongoing capability-building.
“We’ve run procurement workshops, delivered frontline training to create more culturally inclusive customer experiences, and launched a First Nations Engagement Strategy to guide our work with First Nations team members, customers, suppliers, and partners,” said Linda Henry, Head of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Great Southern Bank.
Learn more about Great Southern Bank’s initiatives that are building cultural capability through its Reconciliation journey here.
Advancing Reconciliation through education and empowerment
Many organisations are adopting RAPs to show genuine commitment to First Nations inclusion and building respectful relationships with Traditional Owners.
People First Bank’s RAP journey is part of its vision to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with financial knowledge and capability to create positive change in their lives and communities.
As a leading customer-owned bank, People First Bank is committed to delivering this through its Include program – creating a workplace that understands First Nations histories, celebrates culture, and champions allyship.
The customer-owned bank’s newly launched Innovate RAP builds on its Reflect RAP released in 2023, marking a deepened commitment to reconciliation through genuine partnerships and shared learning.
A key example is People First Bank’s ongoing relationship with Petiola Wilson, a proud descendant of the Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna Nations. Petiola has delivered cultural awareness training to the RAP Working Group and led Welcome to Country ceremonies at major events, including the bank’s first at its 2023 Annual General Meeting.
This collaboration also led to the pilot of a Cultural Motivation program at Warriappendi School, aimed at supporting Aboriginal students facing disadvantage in Adelaide’s western suburbs. The four-session program celebrated culture, strengthened identity, and encouraged academic engagement.
“With Petiola’s support, the program created a culturally safe space where students felt empowered to embrace their heritage and take control of their future,” said Michael Tons, People First Bank’s Executive Manager, Sustainability & Community Impact.
Explore how People First Bank is building respectful relationships with First Nation’s communities through its Innovate RAP here.