18 September 2025
On Thursday, 18 September 2025, Pawl Lewis, CEO Great Southern Bank, addressed policymakers, business leaders, and co-operative champions at the Great Southern Bank and RACQ – BCCM Icons Breakfast at Queensland Parliament.
Read his speech
Acknowledgement of Country
Thank you, Melina.
I’d like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we meet on today – the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples – and pay my respects to Elders past and present.
It’s a pleasure to be here.
Thank you to BCCM for bringing us together this morning and for the important role you continue to play giving the cooperative and mutual sector a strong and visible voice.
Acknowledging the Treasurer
Treasurer, your early career with Heritage Bank – now People First Bank – gave you firsthand insight into what sets mutuals apart and the difference they can make in people’s lives and shaping communities.
Aaron Newman from Queensland Country Bank, presence underlines the strength and leadership of Queensland’s mutual sector in this room.
Great Southern Bank’s Queensland story
Great Southern Bank’s story is anchored in Queensland.
In 1966, a Brisbane Postmaster named Jack Harvey set out to provide fair, accessible banking for everyday people.
From that small group of postal workers came Australia’s first credit union – built on the simple idea of people helping people.
That cooperative spirit still drives us at Great Southern Bank today.
While we’ve grown into a national bank, Queensland remains our heartland – home to more than a third of our members and the majority of our branch network.
Across the state, customer-owned banks, credit unions, building societies and mutuals serve around 1.6 million Queenslanders and employ over 5,000 people.
But more important than the numbers are the outcomes: helping families achieve the security of their first home, and keeping services strong in regional towns.
Delivering our purpose
At Great Southern Bank, we live this legacy every day.
From just 180 members, we’ve grown into one of Australia’s largest customer-owned banks.
In 2021, we rebranded from CUA to Great Southern Bank – under a renewed purpose – to help all Australians to own their homes.
We are delivering on that purpose – not just through our own lending, but in partnership.
Treasurer, we are proud to support your Boost to Buy shared equity program, and we hope to play our part in helping secure affordable housing for more Queenslanders through this important initiative.
We are also proud to work with like-minded partners like National Affordable Housing and Mission Australia.
Together we are improving access to affordable housing, upgrading community homes, and helping ease cost-of-living pressures.
I’d like to acknowledge Brad Hosking and Sharon Callister who are here with us today. Thank you for the impact we are achieving together.
These partnerships show the impact we can have when purpose-driven organisations work together.
Annie’s story
But the real measure of our purpose is found in individual stories.
Annie, a Brisbane mother of two, was saving for a deposit while living in a mobile home. Several banks turned her away.
When she came to us, we listened. We looked beyond the numbers – we saw her determination, her steady savings, and her commitment to giving her kids a stable home.
We approved her loan and, just before Christmas, Annie and her children moved into their own home.
That’s what mutuality looks like in practice – people helping people, changing futures.
Trust and responsibility
Trust is in short supply in banking, but our sector has it.
Year after year, customer-owned banks lead the industry in trust and satisfaction.
We have also taken responsibility for broader social outcomes.
At Great Southern Bank, that includes sustainability initiatives like transitioning our branch network to renewable energy, and our national partnership with Mission Australia to upgrade social housing with solar panels – cutting bills and emissions for low-income tenants who need it most.
Closing
As we look ahead, our strength lies in working together – as mutuals, as cooperatives, and as partners with government – together championing a fairer way of doing business.
International Year of Cooperatives reminds us that this model is not just history – it’s a proven way of delivering value today, and a blueprint for the future.
That’s what Jack Harvey believed back in 1966.
It’s what Annie’s story shows us today – that when people help people, the outcomes can be life changing.
That’s the legacy of mutuals in Queensland.
And it’s the nation-building story we all have the opportunity to carry forward.
More information
- Read Co-ops and mutuals poised to help grow Queensland’s economy
- Read RACQ CEO David Carter’s speech
- Read Great Southern Bank Paul Lewis’ speech
- Read Queensland co-ops plan for growth under state’s social impact agenda, Co-op News
- Watch the BCCM’s We are Iconic: Qld Co op and Mutual Icons video
- Meet our Qld and Australian icons on the BCCM’s IYC 2025 Australia website
- Browse the Great Southern Bank and RACQ – BCCM Icons Breakfast (Qld) photo gallery on Flickr
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