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Each year on 4 May, people around the world mark International Firefighters’ Day. It’s a time to remember firefighters who have lost their lives in the line of duty and to thank those who continue to serve their communities.Firefighters play an essential role in protecting lives, property and the environment, from responding to emergencies to helping during natural disasters, their work often puts them in dangerous situations. This day recognises their selflessness, courage, and willingness to risk their lives to save others.International Firefighters’ Day was first established following a proposal by JJ Edmondson, a volunteer Lieutenant and firefighter in Victoria, in January 1999, after the deaths of five firefighters battling a bushfire in Australia on 2 December 1998.The date, 4 May, was chosen because it is linked to the Catholic patron saint of firefighters, St Florian, who is recognised as one of the first known commanders of a firefighting unit in the Roman Empire. This day is also observed worldwide as St Florian’s Day. A symbol of support The blue and red ribbon is a simple way to show support. Red represents fire and blue represents water; two elements’ firefighters work with every day. People may also attend memorials, community events, or take a moment to acknowledge firefighters locally and around the world. For many, being a firefighter is more than just a job. Whether volunteering or working professionally, it requires courage, resilience and a strong commitment to helping others. International Firefighters’ Day is a chance to recognise both their service and the sacrifices they make. Award-winning support As a member-focused, values-driven organisation, we are committed to the ongoing promotion and creation of mutual value, striving to make a positive impact for our members and the communities we are part of. Our Essential Worker Home Loan is a low interest, variable rate home loan specifically designed to recognise the contribution essential workers, like fire fighters, make to the community by supporting their home ownership journey with a value and feature packed product. Independently recognised as winner of the 2024 Finder Innovation Award in the Social Impact Innovation category and with three 2025 Mozo Experts Choice Awards, our Essential Worker Home Loan demonstrates our commitment to support those who support others.                                                It’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ to essential workers for the work they do in always serving our community.

The Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) is urging Australians to be alert for scammers taking advantage of the fuel crisis through a number of sophisticated phishing scams. “Scammers are often trying to lure victims through the promise of relief or the threat of added costs. You should be particularly wary of unsolicited offers for significant fuel discounts or ‘fuel rebates’ that require you to provide the credit card details used at the pump to receive money back,” advised COBA’s Head of Financial Crimes and Cyber Resilience Martin Latimer.  He also urges Australians to be suspicious of text messages or emails that claim delivery or toll fees have increased due to rising fuel costs. In this scenario, the recipient is told their package is held up or their account is restricted until a small ‘fuel surcharge’ is paid via a provided link. While the requested amount is often negligible, the true goal is to capture your payment information once you enter it into their spoofed portal. “While the ways the scammers try to get you to act may vary, the underlying goal remains the same – the tactics have been designed to obtain your personal information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details,” he said.  “Phishing scams are a constant threat, and the only way to truly protect yourself is to remain vigilant with any type of unsolicited contact.  “Legitimate companies will never reach out via an unsolicited text or email to ask for your passwords, credit card numbers, or sensitive data,” Latimer added.  If you receive a suspicious alert regarding a toll, fuel rebate, or delivery fee, do not click the link provided in the message. Instead, navigate independently to the company’s official website or use their verified mobile app.  It’s also recommended to always check the sender's email address. While a message may look authentic, the actual email or phone number often fails to match the organisation's official contact details. “We are also expecting to see a rise in fraudulent ‘track the price of fuel’ websites. These platforms are often nothing more than digital traps designed to harvest personally identifiable information under the guise of helping you save money,” Latimer warned.  Phishing scams are designed to obtain your personal information or get you to click on malicious links. Always remember to Stop, Check, Protect.  If you have lost money as part of a phishing scam, immediately report the transaction(s) to your bank or financial institution and complete a report through ReportCyber. Even if you've managed to avoid losing money to a phishing scam, reporting it is still crucial. By sharing your story, you contribute to protecting others and stopping these criminals.  Report the scam to National Anti-Scam Centre - Scamwatch. Need help? If you believe someone has gained access to your bank account and/or personal information, even if the scam appears unrelated to your finances, you should contact your bank immediately. A timely response can be critical. If you have concerns about your account contact us immediately. You can report cybercrime directly to the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC). Find out how scams work, how to protect yourself, what to do if you’ve been scammed or report a scam to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) via Scamwatch. Change your passwords and enable two-factor authentication to protect your accounts. As always, we remain committed to your security and privacy online. To understand how we help to keep you safe, please refer to our Security page. For more information on common scams and how to protect yourself, please visit the News section of our website.

Earth Day takes place on 22 April each year, bringing people together worldwide to raise awareness of environmental issues and inspire action to protect the planet. The 2026 theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” reinforces the role of collective action in driving meaningful progress. This theme highlights how environmental protection impacts everyday life, influencing the cost of living, public health, infrastructure reliability, and long-term stability. It also impacts food systems, water resources, energy access, disaster resilience, and economic strength. Throughout history, community involvement has been central to these outcomes across countries and political systems. First held in 1970, Earth Day began as a grassroots movement in the United States at a time when environmental concerns were gaining attention. Led by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson following a major oil spill in California, the inaugural event mobilised around 20 million people through rallies, teach-ins, and clean-up activities. This momentum helped drive landmark legislation in the USA, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Endangered Species Act. Since then, Earth Day has grown into a global movement. By 1990, it had expanded to more than 140 countries, engaging over 200 million people and highlighting climate change as a global priority. Today, it is recognised as the largest environmental event worldwide, with more than one billion participants each year. With over 75,000 partners across 190 countries, Earth Day continues to educate, engage, and mobilise communities by creating accessible opportunities for involvement. The 2026 theme reinforces shared responsibility, particularly as increasing pressure on environmental systems highlights the need for coordinated, community-driven action. Businesses also play a vital role, with growing expectations to reduce environmental impact, adopt sustainable practices, support local communities, and maintain transparency. Earth Day 2026 encourages participation at every level, from local clean-ups and educational initiatives to advocacy and events throughout Earth Week (18–25 April). For more information on locating a community clean-up in your area, refer to earthday.org. Personal actions you can do to get involved: Choose a greener commute: if you usually drive to work or the train station, you could bike/walk all or part of the way, to reduce carbon footprint. Go plastic free for a day (or more): challenge yourself to avoid single-use plastics, bring reusable bags, containers, and bottles wherever you go. Plant something: Whether it’s a houseplant, herb, or flower, even a single plant on your windowsill can support pollinators and improve air quality. Do a quick home energy check-up: turn off any unneeded lights, unplug unused electronics, and swap in energy-efficient bulbs to save both energy and money. Mutually valuable banking for people and planet As a member-focused, values-driven organisation, acting responsibly and ethically is at the heart of our operations. We are committed to the ongoing promotion and creation of mutual value and strive to make a positive impact for our members and the communities we are part of. It is this sentiment that underpins our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy - Mutually valuable banking for people and planet. We are always looking for ways to minimise the impact our business operations, and our products and financing have on the environment. Our head office was refurbished to improve efficiency and wellbeing and as part of our commitment to waste reduction, we repurposed much of our existing furniture. Remaining items were made available to staff or donated to Barnardos Australia’s child and family centres and Planet Ark’s City Recycling program. Newly installed water systems, upgraded lighting and presentation technology were selected to reduce resource consumption and improve energy efficiency. This complemented the office’s comprehensive four-bin recycling system for dry-waste, organics, recyclables, and paper - to help prevent contamination, reduce waste and minimise landfill.   We have also undertaken a Greenhouse Gas Assessment to better understand our emissions and identify reduction opportunities, completing our submission to Climate Active, an Australian Government program driving voluntary climate action. Last year, we offset 1,847 tCO2-e using 80% Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) and 20% Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Our Responsible Banking Policy guides our approach to lending and investing with respect to our ESG Strategy. It outlines how our members’ money is being used to contribute to a positive, viable banking model focused on meeting human needs and sustainability. We believe sustainable choices should also be affordable choices. Our Green Car Loan and Green Upgrades Loan are the latest additions to our impact product suite, making it easier for our members to take meaningful steps toward reducing emissions and saving on energy costs. Through our ESG Strategy, we have delivered a number of impact initiatives including recycled PVC cards and environmentally conscious collateral, accessible and inclusive service enhancements, our Essential Worker Home Loan, and Worker Support Benefits.

Each year on 1 March, communities across Australia roll up their sleeves and take part in one of the country’s most recognisable environmental initiatives where volunteers work in small groups to remove rubbish from local parks, beaches and streets. Clean Up Australia Day is a community event reminding everyone that caring for our environment is a shared responsibility that requires collective action year-round. Clean Up Australia Day was first established in 1990, when Ian Kiernan founded Clean Up Australia to encourage everyday people to care for their local environments. What began as a grassroots effort quickly became a national movement, empowering millions of Australians to take practical action against pollution and environmental degradation. The message has always extended beyond a single day of picking up litter. The organisation works year-round with communities, governments and businesses to promote sustainable living and long-term environmental solutions. According to Clean Up Australia, Australia now produces around 2.5 million tonnes of plastic waste each year, roughly 100 kilograms per person. Yet only about 13% is recovered, while 84% ends up in landfill. Even more troubling is the impact on marine ecosystems. Each year, an estimated 130,000 tonnes of plastic enters the ocean from Australian consumption alone. Scientists warn that by 2025, 99% of seabirds worldwide are expected to have ingested plastic, a stark indicator of how deeply pollution is affecting natural systems. These figures highlight a critical environmental challenge that cannot be solved by governments or individuals alone, it’s a collective coordinated effort by whole communities. What can you do at home? Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, recover. Starting with these five simple actions can be a practical way to stop litter ending up in our environment and keep more waste out of landfill. To get involved in Clean Up Australia Day you can register a new clean-up, join an existing one (use the official interactive map to search by postcode or suburb) or donate at https://www.cleanup.org.au/. Clean-ups can be registered any day of the year. Mutually valuable banking for people and planet As a member focused, values-driven organisation, acting responsibly and ethically is at the heart of our operations. We are committed to the ongoing promotion and creation of mutual value and strive to make a positive impact for our members and the communities we are part of. It is this sentiment that underpins our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Strategy - Mutually valuable banking for people and planet. We are always looking for ways to minimise the impact our business operations have on the environment. Our head office was recently refurbished to improve efficiency and wellbeing and as part of our commitment to waste reduction, we repurposed much of our existing furniture. Remaining items were made available to staff or donated to Barnardos Australia’s child and family centres and Planet Ark’s City Recycling program. Newly installed water systems, upgraded lighting and presentation technology were selected to reduce resource consumption and improve energy efficiency. This complemented the office’s comprehensive four-bin recycling system for dry-waste, organics, recyclables, and paper - to help prevent contamination, reduce waste and minimise landfill.   We have also undertaken a Greenhouse Gas Assessment to better understand our emissions and identify reduction opportunities, completing our submission to Climate Active, an Australian Government program driving voluntary climate action. Last year, we offset 1,847 tCO2-e using 80% Verified Carbon Units (VCUs) and 20% Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). Through our ESG Strategy, we have delivered a number of impact initiatives including recycled PVC cards and environmentally conscious collateral, accessible and inclusive service enhancements, our Essential Worker Home Loan, Green Car Loan, Green Upgrades Loan, Worker Support Benefits and our Responsible Banking Policy.

Unity Bank had the opportunity to attend the MEU Dust Conference held in Queensland from the 16th to the 19th of February 2026. It was an extremely insightful event with a variety of different organisations attending and representing their core business products and services.  Unity Bank conducted a prize draw, with one prize up for grabs.  Congratulations to our winner Kath, who attended the conference and entered our competition! Kath won a $200 EFTPOS gift card! We hope you enjoy your prize Kath!! We would also like to thank everyone who attended the event and visited our Unity Bank stall.

With the recent Queensland floods and Victorian bushfires, we stand prepared with Unity Bank's Community Support Package to assist you. Deferred home loan repayment Deferred loan repayment option available on qualifying existing and new Unity Bank home loans and home loan refinances1 Member support Practical and tailored assistance to help you and your family get your finances back in shape If you have been impacted by the Queensland floods and Victorian bushfires​, we are ready to assist. Please give us a call on 1300 36 2000. DisclaimerCredit eligibility criteria, terms and conditions, fees and charges apply. 1. Loan deferment option available at the discretion of the Bank and subject to approval. Interest accrues and is capitalised to the loan throughout the approved loan repayment deferral period. Unity Bank Limited ABN 72 087 650 637 | AFSL & Australian Credit Licence 238311