Creating social impact

We are good citizens, actively supporting domestic and international social responsibility and serving as an ambassador for the mutual sector.

To the best of our abilities and resources, we contribute to the wellbeing of our communities and provide a helping hand to those who need it.

As part of Australian Mutual Bank’s commitment to social responsibility and in support of the ideals that the mutual industry was built upon, Australian Mutual Bank is very proud to have established and launched the Australian Mutuals Foundation (AMF) in 2016.

The AMF is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and is a major partner of the charity for children, Barnardos.

The Australian Mutuals Foundation has three objectives:

• To support Australian children and youth who are at risk of abuse or neglect, or who are disadvantaged in terms of housing, medical care or education (these activities are conducted through a partnership with Barnardos)
• To provide a mechanism for members of cooperatives and mutuals, and the general public, to make donations to those affected by natural disasters.
• To assist remote and disadvantaged communities in impoverished South East Asian and South Pacific countries to alleviate poverty through the creation of sustainable financial cooperatives (these activities are conducted through a partnership with the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU). Globally, all mutuals have a social responsibility to assist with co-operative development in less developed countries. The AMF aggregates donations from twelve Australian mutuals who seek to assist with credit union development in some of Asia’s poorest countries, Laos and Timor Leste. Through a partnership with ACCU, there are local employees providing training and monitoring for developing credit cooperatives. The aim is to see the co-ops to develop to a stage where they can be self-sustaining.

The AMF now has twelve credit union, mutual bank and related supplier supporters. During 2022/23 Australian Mutual Bank donated $250,000 to the Australian Mutuals Foundation.