
True to our cooperative values, the Rabobank Client Council network was developed to facilitate regular conversations with our clients.
We listen and learn about the issues that are most important to our clients, our rural communities and the wider food & agriculture industry.
Together we develop meaningful grass roots initiatives to support agri education, rural health, sustainability, and help bridge the rural/urban divide.
Mental Health Workshops
’Are you bogged mate?’ founder, Mary O'Brien, is a passionate advocate for agriculture and raised on the land herself, she aims to boost awareness and start a conversation with the broader community about mental health challenges that are often experienced in rural and remote communities.
The ‘Are you bogged mate?’ workshops are organised in support of the Rabo Client Council theme of Rural Health. For more information and registration (mainly for catering purposes) for upcoming workshops please click on the link below.
Financial Skills Workshops
Driven by the Rabo Client Councils, the Financial Skills Workshops Module 1 and 2 are a complimentary initiative offered to rural communities across Australia. The workshops aim to provide the tools to grow a modern farm business and support the client council theme of ‘Long-term Industry Capacity & Agricultural Education’.
Both workshops are designed to be hands-on and practical, with Module 1 providing an introductory offering into financial statements, financial analysis and banking requirements, and Module 2 focusing on commodity specific (grains and livestock), offering a deeper dive into aspects of cash flow, gross margins & live-stock/grain trading schedules.
Note: you are not required to complete Module 1 prior to engaging with Module 2.
As active participants in our local communities, the Rabobank Client Council network was formed to listen, learn and adapt our strategies and investments based on our clients’ feedback. Collaborating with key clients affords Rabobank the opportunity to work with the community on reaching common goals, sharing information, experiences and knowledge.
To help achieve these shared objectives, support is provided in the form of manpower, knowledge, networks, facilities and financial services. As identified by our clients, our initiatives are centred around the following themes:
Attracting and retaining new people has always been an ongoing challenge for agriculture. We aim to create better awareness of the various career opportunities and exciting pathways available to the industry.
We also support young farmers with a range of workshops and mentoring initiatives.
Environmental compliance, water availability, land degradation and waste management are all important factors to keeping farms sustainable. Our goal is to identify the main issues and how we can support our clients.
Also as part of the network, we provide a platform for our clients to share best practices.
Urban consumers often have very little insight into how Australia’s food and fibre is produced.
Our aim is to increase awareness of modern farming practices and food production amongst the urban audience by organising and supporting initiatives that bridge the rural/urban divide.
Isolation and difficulty accessing health services are some of the challenges faced by rural / remote communities.
Together with our clients, we aim to increase awareness of the importance of farmers’ well-being.
Proactively addressing emerging concerns within the agricultural industry, from plant-based meat labelling issues to farm labour shortages.
We are committed to facing challenges head-first, and supporting our farmers in an ever changing agricultural landscape.
There are currently 7 Client Councils in Australia.