As an Employee Representative Director, Rob brings extensive corporate governance and leadership skills to the FSO Board.

When Rob Potter was selected for a leadership program, he didn’t expect it would end up being a turning point for his career.  

Rob was working in the Child Support Agency of the Australian Taxation Office in the early 2000s and was one of a handful of people not in a management position invited to join the program. 

“I found it so enlightening, not just the theory of leadership, but also how managers would then bring back, or rather not bring back, their learning into the workplace,” said Rob. “I found myself speaking up about how workers should be treated and the challenges workers face. This caught the attention of the union movement.”  

And when an opportunity came up to work for a union, Rob took it.  

Today he is the National Secretary of the Australian Services Union (ASU), one of the largest trade unions in the country. It represents the interests of around 135,000 members, who work in areas as diverse as local government, utilities, energy, airlines, disability, social and community services, IT and private sector office professions. 

In addition, he is the Vice President of The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the peak body for unions, made up of 38 affiliated unions who represent about 1.8 million workers and their families. He is on the ACTU National Executive and ACTU Finance Committee.  

He is also a Member Director of CareSuper, one of the largest super funds for professionals. He Chairs its Member and Employer Services Committee and is on the Insurance and Claims Committee.

RECOGNISING NEW SKILLS 

“My roles mean I have a broad lens over so many different industries and I see a lot of similar issues across them all,” said Rob. “One I observe every day of the week is where you have workers who started in a function like accounts payable or as an administration assistant. They might know a bit about Facebook or Instagram, so the firm asks them to run their social media sites. Then they are asked to start running email campaigns and so on. 

“The issue is they are often still getting paid the same as their substantive position and they're not recognised for any of those digital skills, so none of them are transportable. There’s a real disconnect there,” he added.  

“We need to fix this so that people who have organically transformed their skills within an organisation are recognised and given the opportunity to enhance their skills further and maximise their potential.” 

The result of his work is a new national Net Zero Authority, announced by the Federal Government in May 2023. It will ensure the workers, industries and communities that have powered the country for generations can seize the opportunities of Australia’s net zero transformation. 

“To have this agency is a big deal for those workers and the communities that they are from,” said Rob, who grew up in a mining area and had family working in mining over many decades. 

NO ONE LEFT BEHIND 

There are also instances where issues are intentionally siloed so that the union doesn’t disrupt other industries that they are looking after. He points to the energy industry as an example. 

“We've got members in coal-fired power generation while we also have members who are climate activists. We must make sure no one gets left behind,” he said. “For two decades, I've been lobbying and having conversations in different forums about the need for a structured, measured, well-organised transition to a net zero economy.”  

MAKING A DIFFERENCE 

As an Employee Representative Director of FSO, his broad experience in industrial advocacy means he brings important skills to the Board, including operating in a tripartite environment, leadership, employee representation, financial governance and an understanding of the superannuation sector. 

“Out of all the Jobs and Skills Councils, the FSO touches every industry,” said Rob. “The opportunity to make a difference is quite outstanding.” 

3 QUICK-FIRE QUESTIONS

What's the best advice you’ve been given?  

I can’t narrow it down to one. It’s a tie between Henry Ford’s ‘If you always do what you've always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got;’ ‘True happiness is happiness shared;’ and one from my mother: ‘Cricket will always keep you humble.’

Simple thing that makes you happy?  

Cooking for my family.

What book are you reading currently?  

Legacy by James Kerr. It goes deep into the heart of the All Blacks rugby team to reveal 15 powerful and practical lessons for leadership, not only to achieve high performance but also to become better people.