First Nations people already have a complex environment to navigate in the world but add LGBTQIA+ to the mix and things get even tougher. IBA had a yarn with Allira Potter to discuss language, identity and how organisations can step up to the challenge in supporting their colleagues.
First up, do you know what LGBTQIA+ means? L= Lesbian, G= Gay, B= Bisexual, T= Transgender, Q= Queer or Questioning, I= Intersex, A= Asexual, + = everything in between and more which includes other sexual and gender identities including Two-Spirit and Pansexual.
Pride in inclusivity can come in many forms but it is ultimately creating a space for people to feel seen, heard, appreciated and safe. With many workplaces taking steps to embrace diversity and inclusion, what is missing? And how can we all play a part in taking pride in inclusivity.
As First Nations people, it can be hard to navigate your identity in the workplace and knowing where you stand. There can be pressure of an extra cultural load to uplift a workplace to educate and create a safe space. Similarly with other minority groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community, it can be hard to express your identity and live your truth no matter how big or small the organisation.
People who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community face many challenges and that includes the workplace. Being First Nations and/or queer is a continuous fight to be seen and heard.
A proud Yorta-Yorta woman and author of “Wild & Witchy”, Allira Potter gives their (yes, purposefully written) insights to the importance of language, expressing your identity and how businesses and organisations can ignite change in the workplace to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all. Allira is part of our Strong Woman Strong Business (SWSB) network and Lunch & Learn speakers who previously spoke about Strong Women Empowering Others.
This is must-read content! IBA breaks it down into sections – overcome the challenge, identify red flags, remain open-minded, step outside your boundaries, speak your truth, find your strength, and pride in truth.
There can be various challenges in the workplace whether it’s time management, meeting your KPIs or working under pressure. However, these challenges can become more stressful when working in unwelcoming environments. Allira discussed exactly such a situation and the challenges that came with it.
“Some of the challenges I faced during my career journey were being surrounded by non-Indigenous people who created a toxic work environment, which made it difficult to speak my truth, especially in a large corporation with little to no support,” said Allira.
“Working in such an environment can make you feel like a number rather an individual. Without any support it was hard trying to find my voice and confidence to speak up.”
A workplace that is not open to individuality can cause individuals to feel suppressed in their identity where they feel they must water themselves down to accommodate to the culture. By suppressing your identity, it takes away our own uniqueness and individuality.
LESSON: It’s important to realise we are more than a number and with many others facing similar challenges. So, how can workplaces overcome the obstacles they created?
Many of us spend a substantial amount of our time in a workplace. It's crucial to create an environment where individuals can feel safe, heard and appreciated. Allira identified some red flags that workplaces can identify within their own space to hold themselves accountable.
“There are so many businesses that have been striving to make change which is incredible and it’s because they’re listening to their workers. I definitely feel like little things help corps/orgs. Little things like an Acknowledgement of Country plaque displayed in the office,” said Allira.
“If there are employees that are First Nations that haven’t yet identified in the company, having something as simple as a plaque or a rainbow flag gives people of either minority a chance to feel safe within these walls.”
LESSON: By listening to workers, providing support and incorporating the little things, organisations can create such a big difference in the workplace.
Challenging your beliefs and understanding others can be difficult when you have different lived experiences. This is why the importance of language can create a validating and supportive environment. Allira, who uses she/they pronouns, discussed the importance of language and how pronouns can be respectfully demonstrated inside and outside the workplace.
“Using language such as a person's pronouns is so important. Again, it’s creating a safe space for that person and it’s making that person feel seen. Also reminding yourself that if you muck up someone’s pronouns or you misgender someone it’s not the end of the world. That person will just correct you, which will allow you to reframe your language for next time,” said Allira.
LESSON: With cancel and woke culture in the mix, individuals can feel scared to not ask questions or make a mistake. It is the intention behind the question that matters. If you’re coming from good place, it’s ok. Be open minded and create a space for individuals to have those open conversations. But how can we have that conversation?
Change is scary. It can challenge all that you’ve ever known and create hard conversations. Allira provided advice for workplaces to be more inclusive, celebrate diversity and to start a conversation.
“For some businesses and organisations, it can be really hard to have those conversations with staff. Especially people that aren’t out or questioning in the LGBTQIA+ community or don’t choose to identify as First Nations within their workplace. By putting little things out there like including your pronouns in work emails and getting involved during significant events such as NRW and NAIDOC week, it creates conversations and encourages people to engage within community,” said Allira.
“It encourages people within those minority groups to feel safe and seen. You want to be walking into a safe space. My advice for corps and orgs is don't be afraid to step outside your boundaries and have those conversations.”
LESSON: By stepping out of your boundaries, you open yourself up to a range of possibilities. By standing up and speaking your truth, it can create change and hopefully create a place of comfort. How can you stand up and speak your truth?
Navigating your identity in a workplace with people outside of your community can cause challenges in connection and making meaningful relationships. Here’s some advice Allira gave on how people can navigate their identity in the workplace.
“It can be overwhelming trying to have a voice in the workplace, especially in a large corporation. My advice would be don’t be afraid to utilise resources that your company has, for example if there’s a HR department or an inclusion and diversity team, reach out to them,” said Allira.
“When you have at least one support person on your side, you will feel a little bit more comfortable to be vocal – to speak your truth. Don't be afraid to say what you need to say.”
LESSON: Having support and a strong support system is extremely validating. “Don’t be afraid to say what you need to say” is a strong statement. Although Allira’s advice says to utilise support in the workplace, what happens when there is no support or strength in finding your voice?
It can be daunting trying to find your voice and confidence within the workplace. Especially if you’re early in your career. When working in a difficult environment, Allira found it hard to find their confidence. However, she reflected on their ancestors and drew their strength from them.
“I always think about how they paved the way for me to do the things that I want to be doing. So, I need to have some sort of spine and speak up and just say what I need to say,” said Allira.
“If it backfires that’s ok because at least I know that I did what I needed to do and spoke my truth. By speaking my truth, it allows me to stand up for myself and be the person I want to be.”
LESSON: When faced with a difficult situation that involves speaking up against injustice think about the people who paved the way for you to be where you are today. Reflect on where you draw your strength and who or what gives you courage to speak up. The ones that want you to succeed will guide you.
Pride can have many meanings – something that gives you deep satisfaction, something from which you’re encouraged and draw strength. However, ‘Pride’ when recognising the LGBTQIA+ community is known to be a celebration of people coming together in love and friendship, to show how far LGBTQIA+ people and rights have come. Allira explained their meaning of Pride.
“I was having this conversation the other day because I recently got engaged. We were talking about marriage, and they were basically saying I don’t get marriage – it’s just the patriarchy and all these things against marriage. For me I just think of all the lesbians before me that have paved the way for people like me and my fiancé to be able to go and get married,” said Allira.
“Pride means having this deep sense of realisation of all the people before me that really advocated and fought hard for people like me to be able to get married and walk into spaces in order to feel safe. Because 20 years ago that wasn't even a thing. Pride to me is just being content within myself and being ok with my sexuality and just loving me for me.”
Taking pride in truth is recognising our past, being present in who we are and making that change for a better future.
When people are in an unsupportive and unsafe environment, the expression of identity can be suppressed – they may feel the need to hide who they really are to fit in. By creating an inclusive environment, people can feel liberated and safe knowing they have support. A place where they can feel seen, heard and appreciated. With a workplace where we spend much of our time, shouldn't we create a space of safety and acceptance, rather than tolerance and performance?
When employees feel safe and heard, it promotes a culture in which employees can speak freely and live their truth. This ultimately uplifts the rest of the organisation to better serve, support and protect their employees and customers.
Being inclusive includes ‘u’, ‘I' and ‘us’. There’s no room for racism but there will always be room for inclusivity.
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Allira Potter (she/they) a proud Yorta-Yorta woman, with an impressive resume ranging from an intuitive, a creator and writer, speaker, model, an empowerment and Award-winning coach, manifesting queen, baby witch and an all-round spiritual sister.
Zenae Powell (she/her) a proud Wiradjuri woman in Central-West of NSW residing on Dharug Ngurra. At IBA, she contributes to the invaluable work to share stories with community. Zenae is studying a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Indigenous Studies and Public Relations at Macquarie University.
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) is a Corporate Commonwealth entity, we support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with home ownership, business opportunities, and investments for their future. It’s why we exist.
I’m currently living and residing on Turrbal and Yuggera Country in Brisbane. Growing up, I lived in many places all over Australia but was mainly raised in Alice Springs in the NT. Even though I spent a lot of time in the desert, I have a big affinity with water. Whenever I can, I love to spear fish and surf.
I work as a Relationship Manager in our Brisbane office. I work with existing business clients to support them along their business journey. We’re all-rounders, including writing new business loans, managing accounts, hashing out ideas with our clients, and working on projects to try and support our customers. Our goal is to try and keep businesses running, supporting them to grow and to achieve their goals.
I’ve been working in finance for over six years now after finishing a Bachelor of Commerce at Flinders Uni in Adelaide. After reading about IBA through a job listing, I really liked its core values and its not-for-profit approach. IBA offers a bit of a different experience and I feel IBA is connected to its people and genuinely cares for and wants people to succeed.
I joined IBA to try and create opportunities that make lasting change. Helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses grow has really cool flow-on effects for community. Having a part to play in that aligns with my values to influence change.
IBA also gives me the opportunity to build strong relationships with customers. I didn’t really like the suit and tie aspect of finance but being able to have a more casual approach has been more enjoyable for both me and my clients. Trust is important in any relationship, and I find I can be more personable here and have access to resources that can help people and businesses. The work I do allows me to build and maintain meaningful relationships.
As you could guess, I feel most connected when I’m in the water, getting out in the waves and being present in a body of water. Being in the water is a great way to reset and refresh. I always feel better after a dip.
With a mission to create a more just and sustainable world through enterprise, Northern Territory based Together Business Australia Pty Ltd has made leap and bounds in supporting the financial literacy of mob all around Australia.
Founded in 2019 by Anaiwan woman, Sarah Hyland, Together Business is an Indigenous Chartered Accounting Firm which has set its path to making a difference for social enterprises that make change with their own communities.
Under the Social Enterprise Grant, Sarah and her team have invested heavily in developing and delivering resources that support First Nations women with timely, affordable and fit-for-purpose financial and business advice. Sarah said that one of the key barriers to success for Indigenous business founders is not having a hands-on approach with a professional advisor, mainly due to affordability. Her brainchild ‘Together Academy’ is changing this through being a financial empowerment and education platform built on the Intellectual Property of Together Business. “It provides access to timely and fit-for-purpose accounting and business support to First Nations business founders, at all stages of business maturity,” Sarah said.
The program was delivered through a transformative platform that continues to empower Indigenous women and sistergirls with essential skills for sustainable business success. Through a meticulously curated series, participants gained knowledge to navigate the intricacies of entrepreneurship. Twelve modules of high-quality video content, cover topics that help establish and grow successful businesses.
Additionally, participants received mentoring support through a certified accountant, a weekly online forum and blogs. The Together Academy Business Financial Literacy Program has been delivered to 77 First Nations women of which 61% identified as start-ups, while 22% classified themselves as scale-ups, signalling aspirations for business growth and expansion.
Sarah said that despite challenges inherent in modern business life, the program has garnered significant interest and yielded invaluable insights for future improvements.
“Our primary objective throughout this series was to empower Indigenous women and Sistergirls in business by enhancing their financial literacy skills,” Sarah said. “We were over the moon when our evaluation showed that a remarkable 75% of women reported a noticeable improvement in their knowledge and financial confidence as a direct consequence of their participation. That made all the hard work worthwhile,” Sarah said.
Throughout the program development and launch, the twelve video resources received 324 views with additional engagement covering a workbook, 100 blog articles, a business directory page and a funding opportunities wall.
Together Academy Ltd has now been established as a standalone not for profit, holding charitable status. "The Purpose of Together Academy is to be the go-to source of credible, and reliable business knowledge for diverse founders.
We're celebrating the incredible journey of Karl and Ash, the dedicated owners of Impact Panel & Paint.
"If I look back from where we started to where we are now, it’s a massive achievement. From renting to purchasing our own property and building," says Karl.
Their story is a testament to resilience and growth, evolving from humble beginnings into a thriving family business. Not only have they excelled in their industry, but they have also made a lasting impression on us.
Since 2011, we’ve had the honour of witnessing their remarkable growth, both in business and in their personal lives. From being a dynamic duo to becoming a beautiful family of five, we’ve been privileged to capture their inspiring journey.
We’re excited to share their story with you. Watch below.
I am a Wiradjuri woman and live with my two beautiful children, husband and beloved cavoodle, Dodge. My family is at the heart of everything I do. So, when I’m not working, I’m ‘ubering’ the kids around to various sporting activities and events and going on family outdoor adventures with Dodge.
I grew up on Wangal land in Berala. The Wangal people are a part of the Dharug clan and Berala is the Aboriginal word meaning ‘swamp duck’. I now reside on Dharrawal Country in Jannali which is derived from the Aboriginal word ‘moon’. My home is really my sanctuary where I recharge and wind down at the end of the day with a hot chocolate and a gripping TV series.
I am a Parramatta Eels supporter and while I have never seen them win a Premiership, I have hopes that one day they will…
I’m Special Counsel here at IBA. No two days are ever the same in my role. My work covers all sorts of legal tasks ranging from diving into exciting project work, transactional work and reviewing contracts ranging from finance documents, confidentiality agreements to service agreements. I also monitor legal and governance developments that impact IBA.
I studied a Bachelor of Law and Business at UTS. I was initially drawn to the accounting world, thinking I’d end up crunching numbers as an accountant. But after landing an internship and graduate position at a reputable law firm, it turned out the world had other plans for me.
The real game changer came when I made the leap to an in-house legal role at NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp). I really loved my time there and spent the next 12 years providing legal support on a range of matters related to finance arrangements, debt-capital markets and public policy.
I initially moved to IBA on secondment from another government agency, Export Finance Australia. I enjoyed my secondment so much that I quickly realised that I had found a community where I felt valued and inspired. That is when I made a decision to transition from secondment to a permanent position. I am thankful for the chance to work with such an awesome bunch.
Growing up, I was not aware of my Indigenous background as it was kept a secret in my family for many years. Discovering this later in life has ignited a journey of self-discovery to understand and honour my Indigenous roots. Working at IBA has allowed me to engage with other people who are mob and share similar stories to mine. It’s been so nice being able to connect and relate to those around me and learn more about myself.
I was also drawn to the type of work IBA does. It’s rewarding to do something greater than yourself, knowing you’re setting future generations up for empowerment and success. I think what also sets my role apart at IBA, it’s this sense of camaraderie that makes coming to work each day not just fulfilling but truly enjoyable.
My aspirational spirit animal is the kangaroo. To me, the kangaroo is a symbol of nurturing and protection, which resonates with my deep sense of responsibility and compassion towards those I care for, whether it’s my family, friends or community. I am also inspired behind the presence of the kangaroo (and emu) on the Australian Coat of Arms. Both these animals can only move forward, never backward, which serves as a powerful symbol of optimism, resilience, and constant growth.
In the heart of the Northern Territory, a powerful movement has been started by social enterprise Wave of Change Consultancy Pty Ltd. Woolwonga and Kukatj woman, raised on Larrakia and Yolngu land, Lateesha Jeffrey, stands at the forefront, with firsthand experience and knowledge about the devastating impact of lateral violence on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. But instead of succumbing to despair, she chose to create a beacon of hope: the ‘Lateral Empowerment’ program.
Together with staunch First Nations women Jaylene Chevalier and Rhiannon Busch, the program has been designed and delivered by Indigenous women, for Indigenous women. Championed by founder Lateesha Jeffrey, Wave of Change Consultancy rolled out the ‘Lateral Empowerment’ program – designed to dismantle lateral violence with the goal to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls reflective tools to cut through the dark sides of lateral violence and inspire and uplift one another. From Tennant Creek, and Groote Eylandt to Galiwin’ku with many other Territory communities in between, Lateesha and her team were able to successfully work with 187 women and girls from 14 different remote and very remote locations.
The lateral violence that is explored through the program relates to the harmful behaviours that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are both subjected to and/ or have perpetuated. Lateral violence has devastating effects that can cause the deepening of intergenerational trauma, with the behaviours occurring within families, in schools, organisations and communities at large.
With her experience in leadership on the sports field as well as soft skills developed working within education and government, Lateesha was well-positioned to deliver a transformative program with a unique approach.
“Our emotionally and trauma-informed practices encourage participants to not only understand their experiences of lateral violence but also identify where they may have perpetuated these behaviours in their own life,” Lateesha says. “Participants are provided the safe space to practice reflection, whilst also empowering responsibility and accountability towards changing the negative narrative, instilling principles of lateral empowerment for future generations.”
The program delivery has underpinned Wave of Change’s theory of change, being that the reflective nature of the program enables participants to be accountable for their actions and identify an opportunity to promote a strength-based approach through ‘lateral empowerment’.
“The power of this program,” Lateesha says, “is that by capturing what makes the participants feel safe to connect, share and learn, we created a ripple effect because the women understood how to support and uplift others within their community to eventually stop lateral violence altogether.”
The success of the program is evident as 95.6% of participants completed the workshops with a greater understanding of lateral violence and the impacts.
A participant remarked that the tears during the program showed the authenticity of how lateral violence is happening for these ladies in their communities each day and how the chains of silence have been broken: “The empowerment to these ladies to find their voice and speak up through the program demonstrated the strength gathered through sharing their stories with everyone”, the participant stated.
The Lateral Empowerment Program continues to be delivered within the Northern Territory at a fee for service (due to lack of ongoing funding), with hopes to expand interstate to continue the powerful movement with First Nations women and girls.
Wave of Change were a Social Enterprise partner with IBA in 2003.
I was born in Ayr, North Queensland and grew up on a sugar cane farm on Bindal and Juru country. My family are mainly of Scottish and Swiss German heritage. Since I grew up on a farm on either side of a large creek/lagoon (big enough for waterskiing), I always loved being outdoors especially near the water. Like many farmers of the region, my father was a keen fisherman, so many weekends and holidays were spent either on the water or near it, both fresh and salt water. I love music, and I love to travel. My current travel fixation is Yaegl country of northern New South Wales. Very much like where I grew up. Lots of water, fishing; and of course, sugar cane. 
Nowadays I reside in Brisbane on Turrbal and Yuggera Country, where I live with my husband Vernon, and my two beautiful daughters, Lara and Sasha. I also can’t forget our Jack Russell Foxies Eddie and Frankie, and the ruler of the house our cat Manola.
I currently work as Manager, Compliance and Process Improvement. The role involves improving compliance outcomes for mandatory processes and finding efficiencies in how we deliver our products and services to our business finance customers. Prior to this, my role was supporting the process of customer repayments and defaults.
After high school I attended James Cook University in Townsville and completed a Bachelor of Commerce. I then accepted an entry-level position at Australian Government Solicitor. I assisted with matters relating to the housing and business lending programs for ATSIC, amongst other paralegal responsibilities for various government departments and agencies, including the ATO, the Child Support Agency, Centrelink, Department of Defence, and the ACCC.
Once ATSIC was dissolved, several Australian Government Solicitor staff transitioned to IBA to assist the housing and business programs. I was invited to have a chat with IBA through a colleague and later applied for a role. That was over 17 years ago, and I’ve never looked back. I cannot believe it has been this long!
I have always had a strong sense of justice and equality. What we aspire to achieve at IBA aligns with my values. Growing up, I was always intrigued by ancient cultures and especially admire, the strength, courage and resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
I want to make a difference for the better, and IBA provides an opportunity to do that. It’s great to work where everyone collectively shares your hopes for a better future.
Frasier is a show I have watched religiously; it’s definitely one of my favourite shows. It’s witty, funny and I just love the comedic timing. If there was a quiz or trivia based on Frasier, I would definitely be giving everyone a run for their money.
IBA CEO Kirsty Moore and Chair Eddie Fry spoke with Australian Institute of Company Directors on how IBA is working toward the economic empowerment of First Nations communities. The resulting article describes IBA's 'powerful activities' which has transformed the dream of home ownership into reality, for 21,000 owner-occupier Indigenous families and individuals.
See full article below, which appeared on the AICD website.
Home ownership. For many First Nations Australians, it’s a dream which will only ever remain out of reach and a remote fantasy. But for 21,000 owner-occupier Indigenous families and individuals, it’s an idea which has at last actually transformed into reality, due to powerful activities by federal agency Indigenous Business Australia (IBA).
Roughly, we are nearing 5,000 home loans nationally at this point in time,” IBA CEO Kirsty Moore GAICD told the AICD in a recent interview in Perth. “And we continue to have very, very strong demand.
“The Indigenous home ownership program is the longest running program in the Indigenous affairs portfolio and it's been around for almost 50 years.”
According to the 2021 census, only 41 per cent of First Nations people own their own homes, compared to 66 per cent of non-First Nations people. “So there's a gap,” says Moore. It's a real gap in home ownership. For as long as that gap exists, IBA will need to play a role in in providing that finance where the mainstream banks won't.
“The need for that finance isn't just the fact that our customers live in maybe regional and remote areas where banks do not lend… but it's also because they don't have the bank of Mum and Dad. They don't have that intergenerational asset to support them. And they don't necessarily have role models in their community to look at - people who've owned a property.”
IBA also finances First Nations businesses. These range from small businesses such as Kakadu Kitchen, a non-alcoholic drinks entity with a store in Humpty Doo, and Mack Construction NT, a design and construction service, through to bigger enterprises such as the Centre for Appropriate Technology in Alice Springs, Warialda Engineering and Welding based in NSW, and Wilpena Pound Resort in the Flinders Ranges in South Australia.
IBA has also invested in building a new cucumber farm in Geraldton, Western Australia, and greenhouses are currently being constructed, according to Moore. “It’s part of a native title settlement with the state of Western Australia and we have had some extensive investment into that. The intent is that it will become Australia's largest cucumber farm.”
IBA is working with First Nations organisations across Australia and has joined forces with Export Finance Australia to empower First Nations companies to build their capacity to enter international markets.
IBA has an investment pipeline manages a portfolio of co-investments with Indigenous organisations valued at over $500 million, including direct investments, managed funds and a real estate investment trust. According to the IBA 2023-2024 Corporate Plan, IBA currently has $2 billion in net assets, which it aims to grow to $2.5 billion by 2028.
IBA Chair Eddie Fry, a Dagoman-Wardaman man from the Katherine region in the Northern Territory, told the AICD that IBA has already doubled net assets from $1.15 billion in 2014 to around $2 billion now. “We have cleaned up a lot of non-performing assets and we also have a board that clearly understands the commercial marketplace,” he said.
“We got smarter at doing business. In 2017, we made a massive leap from about 450 home loans to about over 900 in that one year.”
Management culture has also changed both at board level and at the operational level and offices such as the ACT have been downsized. “I would suggest we've taken on a greater corporate and operational approach than we used to have.”
The future
Over the next five years, IBA will facilitate new investment opportunities and new partnership arrangements to increase wealth and assets. It has boosted this work through recent partnership activity with the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF), Housing Australia, and Export Finance Australia (EFA), and in strategic banking partnerships with Australian Unity and Bank Australia.
According to the 2021 national census, there are now nearly one million First Nations people in Australia. The population of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now sits at around 984,000.
However, high interest rates and high property prices are making home ownership a more difficult proposition for many First Nations people.
“I think a big challenge going forward is to see how IBA can exceed what market conditions are currently determining. In the previous two years, house prices have just skyrocketed. Therefore, that’s going to impact on the ability of our buyers to borrow,” says Fry.
Because first homebuyers are struggling to find properties to purchase, IBA launched in August a shared equity program, which combines a finance option with an IBA home loan. The borrowing capacity of customers is increased, so they do not need to buy smaller properties than they need. “They still borrow the same amount, but by IBA putting in an equity contribution, the customer can hopefully buy a more appropriate home in a better location, with proximity to amenity and family, community in particular,” says Moore.
She says the focus on regional areas is important. Over 60 per cent of the home loan book of IBA is in regional Australia, mostly Queensland and NSW, she says. About 10 per cent is in remote areas, mainly in the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
“That's where the IBA business investment activity comes in, because we believe that if we can create local economic development, that will create opportunities for people ultimately to take control of their own futures.
“We know that home ownership provides security. A roof over your head. We also know this concept of passing assets onto kids really resonates strongly with our customer base, who want to give their kids a bright future. So they want to own a home, and they want to pass on the home. They want those kids to know that they can lay their roots in that place.”
She says IBA is governed by federal legislation and is obliged to make sustainable investment decisions to ensure that when lending to customers, the risks of ultimate financial losses are minimised through good customer support and sensible lending decisions in the first place.
“It is the IBA support which is the bit that creates success,” says Moore. “So it's the support around readiness to enter into that financial commitment in the first place. And making sure that if somebody is going to buy a house, they really understand the obligations of home ownership, that they really understand what it will mean and how they're going to withstand certain pitfalls that might come – that they have financial literacy. We support them through the customer journey for the entire length of the loan.”
UK-born Moore became CEO of IBA in May 2021, after starting as IBA Head of Products and Markets in early 2018. Driven by a passion to help people who need support, she has lived experience of difficulty with home ownership and brings this understanding to her role.
“I think part of my motivation is the fact that I come from disadvantage myself. My family come from a social housing background in the UK and I understand about opportunity. So, for me, I really want to support a cohort of society that needs assistance. It’s really as simple as that.”
Role of the board
The IBA board is composed of majority First Nations members alongside non-Indigenous members – all with business expertise. “Our board understands our customer base, so they understand some of the challenges that sit in community, they understand some of the issues of intergenerational trauma and they understand the concept of a proper fair go,” says Moore.
“They don't want IBA to be purely giving handouts. They want IBA to be investing with people who are ready to actually have a bit of gumption and go forward and take control of their own economic future.”
The board is also heavily focussed on cyber security and in 2021 created an IT subcommittee. “This is a new thing that we put in place a couple years ago in response to the need to make sure technology starts at the board level.
It recognises that we do need to have modern day banking systems, and appropriate data protection in place,” she says.
The board has also driven and monitored a significant digital transformation to update IT and core business systems. “We went from having quite old-fashioned IT systems to being on the cusp of having a modern-day banking system that is used by mainstream financial services institutions. The board has supported the organisation to do that and played an active role in the oversight of that initiative.”
The board is very engaged on the subject of cyber security, inquisitive and keen to understand it, she says. “They're definitely not passive when it comes to technology and implications of cyber and customer protection in general.
“Remember that we are here not only to deal with very sensitive information pertaining to the most disadvantaged but there's also a reputational risk to the Commonwealth government, if we get it wrong.”
Feeling fresh? So are Yamatji Enterprises Limited (YEL), 4 Ways Fresh Produce and IBA. The parties have formed a joint venture company to establish a cucumber farm in Geraldton, Western Australia, creating a legacy for traditional owners.
The company, Yamatji Fresh Produce Pty Ltd, will develop 400 greenhouses to grow cucumbers making it the largest grower in Australia. It will also consider growing other crops such as tomatoes, eggplants and capsicum to fill the national supply gap. The joint venture will provide job opportunities for the community – creating a lasting legacy for generations to come.
In 2022, Yamatji and IBA acquired two adjacent parcels of land in Geraldton WA. Construction of a horticultural facility began in 2023. The first 125 greenhouses are expected to be completed in 2024 and another 125 greenhouses will follow in 2025.
One of the major highlights of last fiscal year was achieving development approval. Navigating through the regulatory landscape was no small feat, but we secured the green light to move ahead with the project. This milestone has paved the way for us to turn our vision into reality, and we cannot wait to see the transformation of the land into a flourishing cucumber haven.
Another significant achievement was the completion of the fencing work around the block. Not only was the completion of the fencing work a significant milestone in our project’s development, but it also represented a crucial achievement in our commitment to First Nations procurement. It marked the first of many First Nations–led contracts we are expecting to secure and deliver.
In addition, groundwork officially commenced with the construction of the dam, which will be the lifeblood of the facility, providing a reliable and efficient irrigation system to support the growth of our cucumber crops. As we dug the foundations, we knew that we were digging the foundations of a brighter future for the Yamatji community. We also initiated the construction of other essential facilities, including the ablution block, an integral part of the working environment for our future employees.
With the first 125 greenhouses under construction, we can already visualise the thriving fields of cucumbers awaiting us in the upcoming harvest. Once built, the facility will be able to produce roughly 1,700 t of cucumbers per annum.
Ben Tyler, a Bininj man and entrepreneur, said no to kunbang (poison, alcohol) when he saw the problems it can bring to his and other communities.
His personal sober lifestyle journey is what inspired him to start his business Kakadu Kitchen. He's recently opened a non-alcoholic drinks store in Humpty Doo which sells a range of delicious drinks that infuse authentic Kakadu native botanicals.
In this video he shares his inspiring business journey story, his challenges and his plans for the future.
