Phil Usher

The role of First Nations Foundation is to promote financial literacy among Indigenous Australians, and we believe this is the cornerstone for true economic participation for Aboriginal people. When I took over as the chief executive of the Foundation in January last year, our intent was to continue to grow the reach of our innovative […]

CEO: A reflection on 2021 This year was all about doubling down on being agile and empathetic in our response to empower the most vulnerable communities in our country – I’ll be the first to admit I was wrong in thinking 2021 would be any smoother than 2020. I am extremely proud of the team

Ahead of Indigenous Business Month, we launched a new podcast – something I’ve wanted to bring to life for a while now. In an evolution of different ideas and directions, Beyond the Gap became an Australian-first investigation into best practice reconciliation and Indigenous engagement for corporate Australia and beyond. I wanted to have meaningful conversations

Earlier this month I had the absolute honour of presenting at the 2021 Native Title Conference. The event itself went for 5 days but my talk happened to coincide with Mabo Day. Delegates at the event were treated to something truly special as Gail Mabo was the opening presenter for the day. Hearing Gail talk

At times it can feel all too easy to access finance. Getting a car loan from a lender that doesn’t ask too many questions is always appealing. Accessing $2,000 to get on top of the bills and having a little left over for yourself sounds great. Other phrases like ‘30-minute approval’ or ‘call us because

Subscribe to our Newsletter The last week of May each year is always significant for the Aboriginal cultural calendar. It marks two key events, Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week. This year’s theme for Reconciliation Week, “In This Together” captured the essence of what the week is really about. For me, reconciliation is about Indigenous and

Subscribe to our Newsletter If there is just one financial lesson for us to take away from COVID-19, it has to be the importance of having an emergency fund. Many people have now experienced firsthand the lag that exists between receiving work-related income, and support income. Whether it was waiting for the JobSeeker or JobKeeper

Subscribe to our Newsletter With the coronavirus pandemic upending the economy, individual businesses, and the lives of all Australians, First Nations Foundation is finding ways to continue to provide financial education and guidance to Indigenous Australians. Due to travel restrictions and limited community access, we have made the difficult decision not to proceed with the

Subscribe to our Newsletter It is impossible not to think about the unfolding pandemic as I write this, but above it all I think our business life must go on. While our travel has been cancelled for most of the year, we must do our outreach and engagement through the same mechanisms that the rest

Subscribe to our Newsletter For many people, superannuation is a complex topic. In this video, Phil breaks down super into simple and easy to understand components. Whilst retirement may seem like a long way away for many people, you will find that if you start looking after it now, it can result in you having