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- Jenna Lee, Larrakia Artist, Gilimbaa
Our members drive us and are at the heart of everything we do.
They are as diverse as the communities they have roots in. They all have different needs and goals at different points in their lives.
QSuper members are represented by unique, diverse and vibrant wildflowers forming our wildflower ecosystem. Each flower represents different areas of Australia, from the banksia of the arid country, to the frangipani of the coast and island lands, through to the proudly Queensland grown Cooktown orchid. Every wildflower requires different care and conditions to thrive, flourish and grow, just like our members.
Our systems and structures must support and adapt to the unique needs of our members to help grow their funds from work to retirement.
The systems and structures of QSuper and the superannuation industry in which we work are represented as the systems and structures found in nature. Sometimes, they are necessarily precise and regimented like the honeycomb. Other times, adaptable and flowing like the wind that travels between the flowers, helping carry the bee to spread pollen. Both are important to the creation of honey and the health and wellbeing of the wildflower garden.
QSuper people play a critical role in this story. They are in tune with the needs of members and guide them throughout their lives.
Our staff are represented by the Australian Native Blue Banded Bee. This humble bee plays a critical part in the wellbeing of the wildflower garden. As it spreads pollen it allows the flowers to grow and gathers nectar to produce honey. The bee is an expert communicator, able to talk to the rest of the hive about the location and needs of each flower. The bee is adaptable to the flow of the wind and weather and able to alter its honey collection in accordance with the conditions.
QSuper’s unique story is one where our ecosystem works to support members to financially thrive, flourish and grow.
Superannuation and financial health are represented by the liquid golden honey stored in the honeycomb. The flower creates with nectar and pollen, giving these to the bee to turn into honey. Honey is the outcome of hard work and investment by both the wildflower and the bee.
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S Message from our Chairman 2
Message from our CEO 3
About QSuper 4
Our core business 4
Our people 5
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees 5
Our geographic reach 5
Our offices 5
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members 7
Our Reconciliation Action Plan 8
Why we’ve developed a RAP 8
Our reconciliation journey so far 10
Developing and championing our RAP 11
Areas of opportunity 12
Relationships 14
Building relationships via the Indigenous Outreach Program 16
Respect 18
Tracking and Progress 21
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QSuper has a long and proud tradition of supporting Queenslanders, with over 565,000 current and former public-sector employees looking to QSuper to work with them to build a healthy and happy retirement.
It doesn’t matter what part of Queensland our members come from, what their heritage is or how much money they have with us, we are here to help them to achieve financial wellbeing in their retirement. Nowhere is this work more important than with our members from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly those who live in remote locations.
I know I speak on behalf of the entire QSuper Board when I say how proud I am that QSuper has taken this tangible and positive step to strengthen our interaction and overcome the barriers that may create financial exclusion for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of our country.
- Karl Morris
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Over recent years QSuper has been working towards improving retirement outcomes for our members by removing, where possible, barriers to access us and their superannuation.
Often it is the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of our country, living in remote areas of our State, who experience these barriers. As a superannuation fund we have already undertaken steps to address this imbalance and our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) builds on that work.
I am extremely proud of how this plan puts into place practical actions for us to not only raise awareness, but to also help close the gap caused by financial exclusion. At QSuper we often talk about how members are at the heart of everything we do and this RAP is a tangible example of that belief.
- Michael PennisiMES
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OUR CORE BUSINESS
We’re proud to be one of Australia’s oldest superannuation funds, with more than half a million people trusting us to look after their superannuation over their working life and into retirement. And with more than 565,000 members and $72 billion in funds under management, we’re also one of the largest.
We put all our members first in everything we do. From innovative products and services to our range of seminars and retirement planning tools, we’re always looking for ways to make sure all our members can look forward to a better retirement outcome.
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OUR PEOPLE
The QSuper Group has over 1,000 employees, and our culture is one where “members are at the heart of everything we do”. Our people bring this culture to life by living our unique values every day, which ensures our success through our daily actions.
OUR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER EMPLOYEES
We do not currently capture the ethnicity or heritage of our employees. As such we are unable to identify the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees within QSuper.
OUR GEOGRAPHIC REACH
We’re a Brisbane based organisation with offices across Queensland but our investments and members give us a global reach. Whilst most of our members are Queensland based, a significant number of them live across the rest of Australia and the globe. We have a well-diversified investment portfolio including assets in around 50 countries across the world.
OUR OFFICES
We have four offices located in Brisbane, as well as QInvest offices (our financial planning arm) located in Cairns, Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and Townsville.
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Members...
...are at the heart of everything we do.
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As the default superannuation fund for the Queensland public sector, QSuper’s membership reflects the workforce of the Queensland State Government.
Current estimates suggest that approximately 2% of the Queensland State Government workforce identify themselves as having an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background.
Whilst we don’t capture the ethnicity or heritage of our membership, our analysis to date suggests that QSuper’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander membership is proportionally similar to the Queensland State Government workforce meaning we have in excess of 10,000 members who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander. A significant number of these members are based in remote and very remote areas of Queensland.
OUR ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER MEMBERS
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Members are at the heart of everything we do. We believe that we have a responsibility to support all of our members in achieving financial wellbeing in and through retirement.
WHY WE’VE DEVELOPED A RAP
At QSuper we are dedicated to doing what we can (within our sphere of influence) to contribute to reconciliation in Australia. We’re also committed to looking at ways we can increase the financial wellbeing and financial literacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
By developing a RAP, we will outline practical actions that we will take to help build strong relationships and enhance respect between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians.
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OUR RECONCILIATION JOURNEY SO FAR
We have commenced our reconciliation journey but recognise that we still have a lot more to learn and do. QSuper has fostered the spirit of reconciliation through the following actions:
• We acknowledge the local Traditional Owners at Member Education seminars and QSuper internal and external events.
• We have engaged with our members to understand their issues with assistance from the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships.
• We are active participants in the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) Indigenous Working Group and participated in the 2015 and 2016 Indigenous Super Summits.
• We are involved in ASIC’s Indigenous Outreach Program.
• We sponsor the Uncle Bob awards (an annual award organised by the Queensland Council of Unions which honours Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander activists or delegates who made a substantial contribution to the Union movement).
• Our Member Education seminars are held in remote communities (e.g. Thursday Island).
• We are reviewing our processes for lost superannuation, unclaimed monies and benefit payments to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members in remote communities, to ensure that benefits are paid as quickly as possible.
• We actively work with the Australian Taxation Office’s Reuniting Super Product Management Unit with the aim to reunite Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members with their lost super.
• Three QSuper internal trainers have obtained BlackCard1 accreditation and the principles are applied when designing and delivering our training solutions.
1 The Australian BlackCard Pty Ltd (BlackCard) is a 100% Aboriginal owned and operated business certified with Supply Nation. BlackCard provides training and consultancy services to enable people and organisations to work effectively with members of the Aboriginal community.
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DEVELOPING AND CHAMPIONING OUR RAP
QSuper established a RAP Working Group made up of individuals from across the organisation, who actively helped to shape and evolve our Reconciliation Action Plan.
The needs of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members and objectives of a RAP have been presented to, and received the full endorsement of, the QSuper Board, QSuper’s Executive Management team and members of the broader Senior Leadership team.
Each RAP Working Group member has been tasked with raising awareness of the RAP within their business unit and division.
We have developed a communication plan to raise awareness across the organisation about our RAP and the commitments we have made to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. This will be refreshed annually.
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AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY
Our conversations with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members and further analysis have identified four key areas of opportunity where we believe we can make a significant difference:
1. Financial literacy – generally having English as a second language and lower education levels results in lower financial literacy which in turn inhibits understanding of superannuation and insurance products. Disclosure material and forms are too complicated.
2. Cultural relevance – there is a lack of cultural competence and sensitivity in the superannuation industry as in the wider community e.g. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and artwork not represented in disclosure and communication material.
3. Access to superannuation benefits – the reduced life expectancy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, difficulties with identification documentation and birth certificates, currency of personal information, non-recognition of kinship and difficulties in accessing relevant and easily understood information have all been identified as issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
4. Access to superannuation services – remote locations and technology constraints inhibit access to information and services. Member education programs for remote communities would strongly benefit from community involvement and the sharing of financial services information face-to-face.
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We believe that addressing these issues has the potential to increase our engagement levels with all of our members, and assist us in securing the best possible financial outcomes for all.
We have also established working relationships with external parties, such as the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), the Australian Institute for Superannuation Trustees and the Queensland Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP) to ensure the ongoing success of our Reconciliation Action Plan and hopefully contributing in a positive manner to reconciliation in Australia more broadly.
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RELATIONSHIPSStrong relationships form the basis of the success of our RAP and will be fostered through the following actions:
ACTION DELIVERABLE TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
1. Establish a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) Working Group
Form a RAP Working Group that is operational to support the implementation of our RAP, comprising of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and decision-making employees from across our organisation.
Completed External Affairs & Media Officer
2. Build internal and external relationships
Work with our external partners (e.g. Queensland State Government, ASIC etc) to develop a list of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, communities and organisations within our local area or sphere of influence that we could approach to connect with on our reconciliation journey, in order to improve the financial outcomes of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
Work with our external partners in order to develop a list of RAP organisations and other like-minded organisations that we could approach to connect with on our reconciliation journey in order to improve the financial outcomes of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
December 2018
Senior Manager - Media and External Affairs
3. Participate in and celebrate National Reconciliation Week (NRW)
QSuper will build awareness of the National Reconciliation Week and undertake the following:
• Encourage our employees (and members where appropriate) to attend a NRW event via internal and external communication channels.
• Circulate Reconciliation Australia’s NRW resources and reconciliation materials to our employees.
• Ensure our RAP Working Group participates in an external event to recognise and celebrate NRW.
June 2018 Head of Capability and Internal Communications
Head of Customer & Marketing
External Affairs & Media Officer
4. Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Financial Counselling services
Establish a central contact point that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Financial Counsellors can access for any superannuation related queries.
June 2019 Head of Technical Advice
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ACTION DELIVERABLE TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
5. Raise internal awareness of our RAP
Develop and implement an internal communication plan to raise awareness amongst all employees across the organisation about our RAP commitments.
Develop and implement a plan to engage and inform key internal stakeholders of their responsibilities within our RAP.
Build partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and organisations, utilising relationships with Queensland State Government.
Engage with our senior leaders in the delivery of RAP outcomes including our QSuper Board and QSuper’s Executive Management team.
Investigate opportunities for supporting Queensland’s Reconciliation Council.
September 2018
Head of Capability & Internal Communications
External Affairs & Media Officer
6. Raise external awareness of our RAP
Include information about our RAP on the QSuper website including outcomes.
Raise external awareness of our RAP with our members using appropriate communication channels.
Invite appropriate external stakeholders to QSuper’s RAP Reflect launch providing a summary on what is a RAP, why it is important to QSuper and the type of RAP we have decided to develop.
August 2018 Head of Customer & Marketing
External Affairs & Media Officer
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QSuper supports ASIC’s Indigenous Outreach Program (IOP). The IOP provides support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who want to know more about money matters.
The Program also works with industry and consumer advocates to increase the financial knowledge of and improve the services provided to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and provide general assistance and financial literacy education.
In September 2014, QSuper joined ASIC on a trip to Lockhart River in far north Queensland. The trip was ultimately about people. As well as discussing superannuation, ASIC’s agenda for the trip included finding out from the community about any financial scams they may have encountered.
During the three days at Lockhart River, the program managed to assist over 100 people with a wide range of financial issues. These primarily related to superannuation involving many superannuation funds, most commonly QSuper, LGIAsuper, Sunsuper and AMP.
The key issues the group encountered were:
• Problems with proof of identification• Access to / existence of official birth and
death certificates
• Technology constraints
• English not being the first language
• The overall complexity of superannuation
A summary of the Lockhart River experience was provided to the QSuper Board and the QSuper Executive Management team, and has also been presented to a number of external organisations directly and via broader forums.
Since then, QSuper has assisted with re-uniting close to 150 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members with their lost super, held either by QSuper, other superannuation funds or the ATO.
QSuper is planning to participate in the next Indigenous Outreach program being run by ASIC in June 2018.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS VIA THE INDIGENOUS OUTREACH PROGRAM
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We believe that we have a responsibility...
...to support all of our members in achieving financial wellbeing
in and through retirement.
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RESPECTWe are committed in our respect for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members and will focus on the following actions:
ACTION DELIVERABLE TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
7. Investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural learning and development
Develop a business case for increasing awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements within our organisation.
Capture data and measure our employees’ current level of knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and achievements.
Conduct a review of cultural awareness training needs within our organisation.
Continue to apply culturally appropriate principles when designing and delivering training solutions to the broader QSuper Group.
June 2019
Head of HR Strategy & Learning
8. Participate in and celebrate NAIDOC Week
QSuper will perform the following each year:
Attend at least one community event (we will sponsor First Nations Foundation’s Big Super Day Out); and
Celebrate and promote NAIDOC Week; and
Use internal and external communications to assist in celebrating NAIDOC Week activities.
Raise awareness and share information amongst our employees of the meaning of NAIDOC Week which includes information about the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Introduce our employees to NAIDOC Week by promoting community events in our local area.
Ensure our RAP Working Group participates in an external NAIDOC Week event.
August 2018
Head of Capability and Internal Communications
Head of Customer & Marketing
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ACTION DELIVERABLE TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
9. Raise internal understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols
Develop a culturally appropriate program to identify and support QSuper’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.
Explore who the Traditional Owners are of the lands and waters in our local area.
Scope and develop a list of local Traditional Owners of the lands and waters within our organisation’s sphere of influence.
Develop and implement a plan to raise awareness and understanding of the meaning and significance behind Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country protocols (including any local cultural protocols).
Ongoing review and assessment of the Acknowledgement of Traditional Owners/Custodians policy at the opening of QSuper events and conferences.
December 2018
Head of HR Strategy & Learning
Head of Capability and Internal Communications
External Affairs & Media Officer
10. Recognise and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and achievements in our workplace.
Identify opportunities to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ content in creative execution (e.g. branding), including displays in QSuper and QInvest offices.
Communicate the positive outcomes of the work undertaken with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members to both employees and our broader membership.
June 2019 Head of Customer & Marketing
External Affairs & Media Officer
11. Other Execution and ongoing reporting of the QSuper Diversity & Inclusion Strategy - of which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees is a key focus.
Explore partnership opportunities with the aim of providing education to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members to enhance their financial wellbeing.
June 2019 Head of HR Strategy & Learning
External Affairs & Media Officer
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ACTION DELIVERABLE TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
12. Investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment opportunities
Identify current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees (and tracking participation in the workplace) to inform future employment and development opportunities.
» No existing data currently exists. This requires investigation of system identification/capture and reporting requirements (captured in recruitment, or via PeopleCheck)
Investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander initiatives for partnering with existing external providers to offer job placement opportunities (including best practice from other companies).
Develop a business case for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment within our organisation.
June 2019 Head of Capability and Internal Communications
13. Investigate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vendor diversity
Work closely with QSuper’s vendors to identity opportunities where we can build a business case for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vendor diversity.
Develop an understanding of the mutual benefits of procurement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses.
Develop a business case for procurement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses.
June 2019 Strategic Procurement Manager
14. Other opportunities Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership by offering QSuper employees as ongoing mentors for participants in the Queensland Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, run by the Queensland State Government.
Support National Indigenous Literacy Day by holding a book swap event and raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
July 2018
September 2018
External Affairs & Media Officer
OPPORTUNITIESWe have identified the following opportunities that we will undertake as part of this RAP:
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TRACKING AND PROGRESSWe will track our progress against our RAP by taking the following actions:
ACTION DELIVERABLE TIMELINE RESPONSIBILITY
15. Build support for the RAP
Define resource needs for RAP development and implementation.
Define systems and capability needs to track, measure and report on RAP activities.
Complete the annual RAP Impact Measurement Questionnaire and submit to Reconciliation Australia.
September 2018
External Affairs & Media Officer
16. Report on RAP progress to the QSuper Board
Provide a report to the QSuper Board on the progress of the RAP and future strategic direction. Board to approve RAP each financial year.
December 2018
External Affairs & Media Officer
17. Report on RAP progress in QSuper’s annual report
Provide a summary of QSuper’s RAP and key achievements in QSuper’s annual report.
September 2018
External Affairs & Media Officer
18. Review and Refresh RAP
Liaise with Reconciliation Australia to develop a new RAP based on learnings, challenges and achievements.
Submit draft RAP to Reconciliation Australia for review and feedback.
Submit draft RAP to Reconciliation Australia for formal endorsement.
March 2019 External Affairs & Media Officer
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If you would like to find out more about our RAP please get in touch:
Name: Kat McTaggart Position: External Affairs & Media Officer Phone: 07 3239 1401 Email: [email protected]
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