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ANZ and Australian Volunteers International announce Asia Pacific partnership

25 June 2010
ANZ and Australian Volunteers International announce Asia Pacific partnership

ANZ and Australian Volunteers International (AVI) today announced a new partnership as part of ANZ's staff volunteer program in the Asia Pacific region.

The partnership will commence with pilot projects in the Philippines, Vietnam and Papua New Guinea, and involve international skilled volunteering secondments for ANZ staff.

ANZ Group Managing Director Human Resources, Susie Babani, said both organisations would benefit from each other's experience in the region as well as their shared values and geographical reach.

"Our business strategy is to become a super regional bank based on our promise to live in and understand our customer's world. One way that we are building this understanding is through our volunteering program and our partnership with AVI," Ms Babani said.

AVI Chief Executive Officer, Dimity Fifer, said the innovative partnership with ANZ would ensure organisations in the Asia Pacific region could address specific community development needs.

"We believe this partnership ushers in a new era of engagement in the region - it will be based on participation, mutual learning and an inclusive approach to sustainable development," Ms Fifer said.

The first organisation to benefit from the partnership will be the respected child support service, Bahay Tuluyan, based in the Philippines. ANZ staff will provide mentoring and formal training programs, building the long-term ability of Bahay Tuluyan to deliver services to children in need. ANZ has also recently donated PhP1,000,000 (AUD25,000) to help Bahay Tuluyan build a new education centre in Manila.

AVI (www.australianvolunteers.com) is an independent not-for-profit organisation that has been at the forefront of international volunteering for nearly 60 years, with assignments throughout Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East.
ANZ has operated in Asia for more than 40 years and has a presence in 32 countries. The bank's global volunteer program entitles all employees to one day's paid volunteer leave each year. ANZ staff contributed more than 92,000 hours of service to their communities in 2009 and are aiming to contribute 100,000 volunteer hours in 2010.

For media enquiries contact:

Vanessa O'Shaughnessy
Media Relations
ANZ
Tel: 03-8654 3651 or 0466 153 272
Email: vanessa.o'shaughnessy@anz.com

Sarah Wintle
Manager Marketing & Communications
Australian Volunteers International
Tel: 03-9279 1763 or 0411 605 210
Email: swintle@australianvolunteers.com