‘Has to be genuine’: Corporate Australia urged to hold firm on Indigenous reconciliation

Australia’s biggest businesses and companies that threw their weight behind the Voice have been urged by corporate leaders and consumer experts to stay the course on Indigenous reconciliation despite the referendum’s defeat.

Over 2000 Australian board directors added their name to Directors for the Voice, co-convened by Ming Long, who sits on the board of Telstra and IFM Investors and chairs Diversity Council Australia, and Nora Scheinkestel, who is on the board of Westpac and Origin Energy, to support the Indigenous advisory body.

In a brief statement on LinkedIn after the No result, Long and Scheinkestel said they were “deeply saddened by the outcome of the referendum”.

“We will all need time to digest the result, including first and foremost, considerations by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and its implications for them and for broader society. We stand with them in support and will continue to advocate for a fairer, more inclusive society,” they said in a statement.

Australians voted No to a Voice to parliament, but businesses have signalled continued commitment to tackling Indigenous disadvantage.Credit: Kristen Camp

Many of Australia’s biggest companies, including the big four banks, supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles, Qantas, Telstra, mining giants BHP, Rio Tinto and Woodside had publicly signalled support for a Yes result, with some tipping millions into the Yes23 campaign. In August, Qantas unveiled the Yes23 campaign logo on three aircraft at a media event attended by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott says business was right to speak up for Indigenous advancement.Credit: Louie Douvis

Wesfarmers, which tipped $2 million to the Yes campaign, on Sunday said it respected the outcome of the referendum.

“On all sides of the debate, there was a consensus around the need for practical measures that will have impact and deliver benefits for Indigenous communities, particularly in health and wellbeing, education, housing and employment,” Wesfarmers boss Rob Scott said.

“We must seize this momentum.”

Meanwhile, Telstra boss Vicky Brady said the telco was “committed to continuing our support for a fair and inclusive Australia that recognises, respects and celebrates its First Nations people, culture and wisdom.”

“The Uluru Statement is an invitation toward a better future, and I remain hopeful that as a nation we can reach agreement on the best way to take it forward,” she said in a statement on Sunday.

“From my perspective, I will continue to drive and accelerate our efforts to make a meaningful difference for our First Nations employees and customers, and to help progress reconciliation for First Nations people more broadly.”

Powerful lobby group Business Council of Australia (BCA), which represents some of the nation’s biggest employers, on Sunday said its members remained committed to the prosperity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Many BCA members have established Reconciliation Action Plans, a framework that helps workplaces develop engagement efforts with First Nation peoples. BCA’s Raising the Bar initiative, which encourages Indigenous employment and procurement spending with Indigenous suppliers, is on track to meet and exceed $3 billion.

“We supported The Voice to provide a mechanism for consultation and partnership, and, ultimately, increased opportunity for Indigenous Australians,” BCA chief executive Bran Black said in a statement.

“BCA members remain committed to working with Indigenous communities and, together, building prosperity in which all Australians share.”

Brendan Littlechild, the chief executive of Aboriginal-owned Indigenous Workforce Consulting which works with businesses to implement Reconciliation Action Plans, said there had been a jump in organisations reaching out in the lead-up to the vote on the best way to approach the issue as an employer.

“There’s been a peak in interest and curiosity about the whole movement towards reconciliation, Closing the Gap. I think the fear though, in terms of the results of the referendum, is what kind of messages does that now send out for Australian society as a whole?” he said.

“Are we actually supportive of closing the gap and achieving reconciliation with our First Peoples?”

Littlechild said he was not taking the result as a negative and was heartened by the ongoing expressions of support on social media following the No result.“I’m optimistic, we have to keep moving forward and not allow this to be a setback.”

Qantas, which in August formally declared its support for an Indigenous Voice to parliament and committed to flying the Uluru Dialogue team around the country to help spread the message to regional and remote areas, declined to comment ahead of the vote.

However, the airline’s former CEO Alan Joyce said in August that Qantas had a long history of supporting reconciliation.

“We know there are a range of views on this issue, including amongst our customers and employees, and we respect that. I encourage people to find out more, to listen to First Nations voices, and to make their own decisions,” he said.

Qantas was one of many big companies that called for constitutional recognition of First Nations people in 2014. The company also supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2019.

Commonwealth Bank chair Paul O’Malley used his chairman’s address at the bank’s annual general meeting, ahead of the referendum, to explain why CBA had decided to take a position of support for the Voice.

“Supporting Indigenous communities is aligned with our company purpose, and the Closing the Gap report makes clear that social and economic outcomes for Indigenous people in this country are unacceptable,” O’Malley said.

University of NSW professor and consumer behaviour expert Nitika Garg said big businesses that are sincere about tackling economic disadvantage among First Nation peoples should not reduce their efforts of support now the referendum was over, but do the opposite.

“Brands can do this [align with social issues] strategically, but I do not think they can do it convincingly, unless they really believe in the cause,” Garg said. “If the brands are genuinely behind this, they should continue.”

“It doesn’t need to be the end. If it is, that would be a sad, very superficial commitment,” she added.

Meanwhile, Australian Retailers Association boss Paul Zahra said the Voice to parliament represented a crucial debate in Australian history and its defeat did not signal the end of support for Indigenous reconciliation overall.

“I don’t think it destroys the vision for future reconciliation efforts across Australia, but it’s a hurdle.”

“It’s very hard if you espouse values of diversity, quality inclusion, and many retailers do, and if you’ve got a Reconciliation Action Plan, not to support the Yes vote because this is all about equality.”

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