ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott has begun a keynote speech to shareholders by acknowledging far north Queensland cyclone victims instead of Indigenous traditional owners.
At previous annual general meetings, Mr Elliott and his chairman Paul O’Sullivan have routinely taken turns to pay their respects to the traditional custodians of the land where the capital city meeting was being held.
But the 2023 AGM in Brisbane has marked a departure from that usual practice, following the landslide defeat of the Voice referendum which saw the No vote win 60 per cent support in October.
This was after ANZ gave $2.5million to charities campaigning for the Yes case.
This week’s AGM was the first in nine years where neither the chief executive nor the chairman began their speech by acknowledging Indigenous traditional owners.
Mr Elliott on Thursday started his address by acknowledging those affected by Tropical Cyclone Jasper which has cut off Cairns, caused widespread flooding and led to 3,800 insurance claims from Cape York Peninsula to Mackay.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, I’m pleased to be here today in Brisbane to meet with you,’ he said.
‘Before I begin, I would like to join the chairman in acknowledging those who have been impacted by Tropical Cyclone Jasper in far north Queensland.
ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott has begun a keynote speech to shareholders by acknowledging far north Queensland cyclone victims instead of Indigenous traditional owners
‘We have a customer relief package in place and, while staying safe is everyone’s first priority, I encourage customers needing financial assistance to reach out.’
At Thursday’s AGM, Mr O’Sullivan acknowledged the board made a controversial decision to give more than $2.5million to groups linked to the Voice’s failed Yes campaign.
‘So, after careful consideration from both the management team and the board, we decided that providing financial support for constitutional recognition was consistent with both our purpose and our long-held support for reconciliation,’ he said.
‘As a result, ANZ donated $2.5million to ns for Constitutional Indigenous Recognition and $250,000 to the Uluru Dialogues.
‘We understand not everyone will agree with our approach, however we firmly believe we remained true to ANZ’s long track record and our values in seeking to address the structural disadvantage for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.’
That acknowledgement was made a day before the Institute of Public Affairs, a libertarian think tank, released a new poll showing 64 per cent of respondents opposed big business getting involved in political issues, based on a survey of 3,500 people.
IPA senior fellow John Roskam said: ‘Big business will not be forgiven for trying to divide ns.’
Conservative voters were even more opposed to big business meddling in political issues, with 87 per cent of Nationals voters agreeing it did not reflect their values compared with 70 per cent of Liberal Party voters, 58 per cent of Labor voters and 56 per cent of Greens voters.
Baby boomers were more opposed to big business involvement in politics, with 78 per cent of those over 65 declaring it clashed with their values, compared with 52 per cent of those aged 18 to 24.
‘Big business speaks for a small circle of rich elite CEOs who are more interested in virtue-signalling than standing up for the interests of mainstream ns,’ Mr Roskam said.
ANZ’s keynote AGM speeches this year featured no acknowledgement of Indigenous traditional owners from either the chief executive or the chairman.
Mr Elliott on Thursday started his address by acknowledging those affected by Tropical Cyclone Jasper which has cut off Cairns and caused widespread flooding (pictured are Cairns residents at Machans Beach cleaning up after Tropical Cyclone Jasper)
But in 2022, Mr O’Sullivan began his AGM address by referencing Aboriginal people in Adelaide.
‘I’d like to acknowledge the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the land from which we are presenting and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging,’ he said.
‘I extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us today.’
In 2021, Mr O’Sullivan paid tribute to Melbourne’s traditional owners during a virtual AGM held shortly after the Victorian capital’s sixth lockdown.
‘Before we begin, I’d like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as the traditional custodians of the land from which we are presenting and pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging,’ he said.
‘I extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us today.’
In 2020, it was Mr Elliott’s turn to acknowledge traditional owners at a virtual AGM in Melbourne.
‘Thank you Paul and good morning. I’d also like to extend my welcome to you today and acknowledge the Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Peoples as the traditional owners of the land from which we are broadcasting this morning,’ he said.
The next line three years ago acknowledged victims of natural disasters.
‘As Paul mentioned, the thoughts of all our people are with those who have suffered either from the bushfires that began the year or the pandemic that defined it,’ he said.
As of Thursday, the Insurance Council of confirmed more than 3,800 claims had already lodged across areas stretching from Cape York Peninsula to Mackay 1,700km away in north Queensland as a result of Tropical Cyclone Jasper.
The category two cyclone has been deemed an ‘insurance catastrophe’.
At Thursday’s AGM, ANZ chairman Paul O’Sullivan acknowledged the board made a controversial decision to give $2.5million to groups linked to the failed Yes campaign (pictured are devastated Yes23 supporters on October 14)
During ANZ’s last AGM in Brisbane in December 2019, former chairman David Gonski acknowledged the Indigenous traditional owners ahead of those battling the summer bushfires, only weeks before the first case of Covid came to .
‘Your directors, including our chief executive officer Shayne Elliott, are all here and they join me in welcoming you,’ he said.
‘Before I start the meeting, I acknowledge both the Jagera people and the Turrbul people who are the traditional custodians of the land on which this meeting is taking place.
‘We respect their spiritual relationship with their country and we pay respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
‘I extend that respect to other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people joining us today.
‘On behalf of everybody at ANZ, I’d also like to express our concern for all those affected by the fires here in Queensland, as well those in other parts of the country.’
The 2017 AGM was the last one where both the CEO and chairman paid tribute to the Indigenous traditional owners by name with Mr Elliott and Mr Gonski both acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation in Sydney.
But 2014 was the last time neither the CEO nor the chairman acknowledged the traditional owners at the start of an AGM speech, with Sydney’s Lindt cafe victims instead getting special mention.