Helping First Nations peoples engage with their super

Since 2019, GESB has been working towards improving super outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members.

Our reconciliation journey so far has raised awareness of the challenges First Nations peoples face in engaging with their super, and established relationships with local organisations to help close the gap in education, support and access.

But we know that to create lasting change for members, we need to continue to engage directly with them, their communities and their families.

To help do this, we’ve welcomed Vanessa Hansen as our new Reconciliation and Policy Officer. Vanessa will help us achieve our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) objectives by identifying and actioning culturally appropriate initiatives that will result in improved super outcomes for members.

Meet Vanessa, our new Reconciliation and Policy Officer

Vanessa is a proud Whadjuk Ballardong woman with a background in Aboriginal education and a strong connection to community and culture.

She has been working with children and their families as an Aboriginal Liaison Officer for several years and is passionate about the role of engagement and education in enacting change.

‘Knowledge is power,’ Vanessa said. ‘I love educating and supporting kids, but I believe in order to close the gap we need to help educate and support adults, so the challenges aren’t passed on to their children and the next generation.’

Vanessa’s father was a child of the Stolen Generations and passed away before he could access his super, so Vanessa is familiar with the struggles First Nations people often face with the superannuation system.

‘I want to help families so they don’t have to go through the struggles and hardships experienced by previous generations,’ she said. ‘Intergenerational trauma sets up the cycle to continue, so we need to support the current generation so we can prevent it from being passed on.’

Vanessa is looking forward to meeting with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders around WA and consulting with them to put processes and strategies into place that will ensure we service our members in a responsive, relevant and culturally appropriate way; help them to understand their super; and result in improved financial outcomes for them and their families.

‘If we can make the small steps to reduce the disadvantages and improve outcomes for the future, that’s why we’re here, and that’s what we have to do,’ she said. ‘I want to see more tangible outcomes for my community.’

A significant step in our reconciliation journey

The appointment of a full time Reconciliation and Policy Officer demonstrates GESB’s ongoing commitment to achieving our ‘Innovate’ RAP objectives. Our third RAP builds on actions taken to expand our sphere of influence and expand our approaches to advance reconciliation.

‘While we’re proud of our achievements to date, GESB recognises the work that still needs to be done to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members better understand, engage with, and benefit from their super,’ GESB CEO Ben Palmer said.

‘This appointment represents our commitment to advancing reconciliation and improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. It’s important to us that we collaborate with local communities to implement solutions that will benefit members in the long term.

‘We’re excited for Vanessa to help us take this next step.’