Page 33 - Tropic Magazine Issue 26

TROPIC • COVER STORY

of working arrangements during the
lockdown periods when we couldn’t
offer face-to-face support and client
meetings, we’ve kept our staff online
and available while we worked from
home. Since March, we’ve enabled
more than 32,000 of our people to
work from home across Australia. We
have extended deferrals for business
and home loan customers by up to
four months on a case-by-case basis
until 31 March 2021. We’ve worked
closely with APRA and the ABA on
this. NAB has approved 5,535 loans
under the Government’s COVID SME
Guarantee Scheme and our customers
can access support to rebuild from the
impacts of COVID-19 through NAB’s
Small Business Hub. A range of other
measures have been introduced such
as extended access to independent,
professional counselling sessions to our
business customers, access to podcasts Treadlys” Indigenous Youth Cycling
and webinars for advice that will help group when they had all of their bikes
kickstart and protect their businesses. stolen. I contacted the group and
We’ve also bolstered the NABAssist asked if we could donate some bikes.
team to provide greater levels of Managers completed a team activity
support and service to SMEs. where they had to work together to
How is your team involved in assemble the bikes from parts in boxes
supporting the community? into bicycles. I had the bikes safety
We love the opportunity to be able to checked afterwards and we donated
support the community in different them to the youth group. It was such
ways. Since 2002, NAB has been a great day delivering the mountain
supporting footy at all levels from bikes and seeing the looks on the kid’s exciting. We’re proud to be Australia’s
juniors in the NAB AFL Auskick faces. Being a part of the community largest lender to agricultural business,
program to the high-flying heroes of is so important - we all contribute in lending $1 in every $3 to farmers, so
the game. NAB has partnered with the different ways. I am on the board of we’re very keen to see this project
AFL for the past 18 years, including my children’s primary school and many come to fruition. I also think there’s
being the naming rights partner of members of my team volunteer in an opportunity for Cairns to take
the NAB AFL Women’s competition sports, school, community and charity advantage of the country working from
since the inaugural season in 2016. events in their own time. We are locals home. If you can work from home, why
Locally we have supported many and we want to see our community not live in FNQ and change your holiday
different community initiatives over thriving. destination to a living destination.
the years. A couple of recent highlights
includes OzHarvest - Cooking for What’s the NAB team’s view on the What does the future hold for your
a Cause, where as a team we got FNQ economy going forward? team?
together and cooked more than 300 We’re looking forward to opening We are about to embark on an office
meals which were donated to local Australia’s borders in a safe way and refurbishment in our current location.
charities in the Far North for families welcoming domestic tourism into the This has been in the pipeline since I was
facing food insecurity. This activity region again. When we have overcome appointed to the role and I’m excited
was very humbling. It made many the health crisis, our region’s proximity that it affirms NAB’s continued support
of us realise just how lucky we are. to Asia presents a great opportunity for for this community. We are currently
Another highlight was assembling agricultural exports. The new export tendering for local trades on this
and donating bikes to the “2 Deadly hub coming to Cairns Airport is very project.

33 • tropicnow.com.au