Introduction to the first Annual Progress Report

Introduction

In November 2021, Arnold Bloch Leibler published its first Indigenous Solidarity Statement of Commitment. The Statement of Commitment is intended to capture the responsibilities and obligations of the firm’s Partners and staff in support of Indigenous self-determination.

The Statement of Commitment details:

• the history of the firm’s longstanding commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, organisations and individuals for nearly 30 years

• Arnold Bloch Leibler’s priorities for 2021-2022 (being the first operative year of the Statement of Commitment)

• the Arnold Bloch Leibler Indigenous Solidarity Network’s (AISN) initiatives and activities, and

• the clients Arnold Bloch Leibler works with and the causes we undertake in solidarity with Indigenous Australians.

Reporting

To ensure we review, monitor and measure this important aspect of the firm’s work, the AISN committed to reporting annually on the firm’s progress against our stated objectives and priorities, utilising a specially designed impact model (Impact Model).

As set out in the Statement of Commitment, the Impact Model is designed to assist the firm and the AISN to:

• identify the rationale/objective of an activity so we can analyse the cause-and-effect relationship between activities and their longer-term impact,

• guide planning, design and execution of activities,

• identify where resources are best utilised, and

• encourage all staff members to view AISN projects within the wider organisational context.

This Annual Progress Report uses the framework of the Impact Model to seek to meaningfully track and report on our stated “inputs”, “activities” and “outputs”. In doing so, we have collected, reviewed and reported on both qualitative and quantitative data sources. This process has enabled us to analyse our stated “outputs” and, ultimately, the “impact” the firm and the AISN have had over the course of the first year of the Statement of Commitment.

This framework has assisted us to reflect on our achievements and strengths as well as areas we can improve on next year and in the years to come, and has formed part of the development of our priorities for 2023.

In addition to committing to produce an Annual Progress Report, the AISN committed to providing monthly updates to the firm’s Partners on the implementation of the Statement of Commitment.

The AISN met this commitment in 2022 with monthly reports to the partners.

This direct line of communication between the AISN and the firm’s partners is entirely consistent with, and a manifestation of, Arnold Bloch Leibler’s whole-of-firm commitment to Indigenous Solidarity and the leadership of the firm’s senior partners in encouraging and supporting Indigenous causes. The process of assessing and evaluating our inputs, activities and outputs each month has created an additional layer of accountability and assisted the AISN to consistently review and refine the ways we seek to achieve our stated outputs and impact.