Acknowledgment of Country

NAB acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land as Australia’s First Peoples and recognises their continuing connection to lands, water and country.

We make this acknowledgement with the ambition to continue supporting a reconciled Australia through our actions and voice. This is backed by our vision of serving customers well and helping communities prosper.

How we refer to First Nation Australians 

The terms ‘First Nations’, ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander’, ‘Indigenous peoples’ and ‘Indigenous Australians’ are used interchangeably throughout NAB’s web pages and in our Reconciliation Action Plan. By intent, these terms refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia. These terms, however, do not reflect the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAB acknowledges that many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people prefer to be known by other cultural names.

Our vision for reconciliation

We were the first Australian corporate business to achieve Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) status in 2013. We've created an interim plan for 2022-2023 (PDF, 17MB), opens in new window and will apply for a three-year ‘Elevate’ RAP in 2023. We understand that big change requires significant consultation and genuine commitment, planning and resource allocation.

Our leaders have met with customers, colleagues and stakeholders and received feedback that banks need to do more to make their services more inclusive. The Australian financial system continues to be a place that many Indigenous people find difficult to navigate and understand.

In the last 12 months we’ve written our reconciliation strategy and identified areas where focused effort is needed. These six interconnected pillars reflect our focus on customers, colleagues and community and are also mapped to the five dimensions for reconciliation: historical acceptance, race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity and unity. 

These are the six pillars:

Partnering with and listening to Indigenous people

  • Supporting the self-determining aspirations of Indigenous Australians

  • Understanding what’s important to Indigenous Australians

  • Driving change and reconciliation through our business relationships

Indigenous business success

  • Developing specialised banking products and services

  • Supporting more Indigenous people to achieve their business aspirations

  • Aiming to lift the bar on doing business with an Indigenous lens

Building our cultural intelligence and leadership

  • Encouraging our colleagues to learn more about our shared history

  • Participating in Indigenous events

  • Extending this knowledge to others, when appropriate

Employing more Indigenous Australians

  • Employing more Indigenous Australians

  • Creating career pathways to build Indigenous leadership representation

  • Improving workforce participation and economic success

Spending more with Indigenous businesses

  • Creating economic opportunities in the Indigenous business sector

  • Supporting more Indigenous businesses to onboard our systems and compete for tenders

  • Maintaining a supplier diverse spend progress committee to ensure we spend more each year with Indigenous business

Making sure our services are accessible

  • Investing to make services and products more accessible to Indigenous customers

  • Helping Indigenous customers find the right financial services for them

‘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.

Reconciliation Action Plans

We’ve had nine Reconciliation Action Plans since 2008, each more ambitious than the last. We thank many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and partner organisations for their time and support which has guided us through developing our Reconciliation Action Plans. Read more about our ongoing work in our Interim Elevate Reconciliation Action Plan (PDF, 17MB), opens in new window.

First Nations affairs at NAB

Learn more about how we’re working to support our First Nations customers and colleagues  

Our ambition is to support a reconciled Australia through our actions and voice.

Visit NAB News , opens in new window

Other ways we can support you

No interest loans

Learn about microfinance products for vulnerable Australians.

Indigenous business and community banking

Banking solutions and support for Indigenous businesses and community organisations.

First Nations Programs

Discover early career opportunities, including traineeships, internships and graduate programs.

Get in touch

Call us

Speak to our Indigenous Customer Service line

1800 966 100

Visit a NAB branch

Find specialised banking services for Indigenous businesses and community organisations.

View Indigenous banking services

Important information