NAIDOC Week - What's Next?

NAIDOC Week 2020 has ended, but our country’s responsibility to continue recognising our First Nations people has not. The conversation sparked cannot be limited to a week a year. Instead, it must be ongoing 365 days a year.

Stop and ask yourself, "What am I doing personally for reconciliation, and what is my organisation doing?” If you can’t find an answer to these simple questions, than something is not right.

As a majority owned Indigenous business, we know first-hand the difference that Indigenous procurement and Indigenous economic development can make. We live it, we breathe it, and it is part of our DNA.

“Indigenous businesses can provide a significant social contribution to Australian society. Indigenous businesses are more likely to employ Indigenous people which in turn reduces the employment gap, welfare dependency, and the reliance on subsidies such as housing assistance. Indigenous businesses also provide training opportunities and use other Indigenous businesses within their supply chain and invest back into their communities.” - PwC (read more here)

In 2016, PwC estimated that Indigenous businesses contributed approximately $2.2 to $6.6 billion to Australia’s GDP, equating to 0.1% to 0.4% of total GDP. Although expected to grow, this number would need to triple to be comparable to the contribute of Maori businesses to the New Zealand economy, when taking relative populations in to account. Improving these figures does not just affect Indigenous people and communities. It affects our society, our economy, our businesses, and our nation as a whole.

​So how can you and your organisation support the continued growth of the Indigenous business sector? Whether you’re a decision-maker, a buyer, an advocate or an influencer, you have an element of power that you can use to enable and facilitate the engagement of Indigenous businesses in your supply chain. Here are some recommendations as to how you can continue to be an advocate:

• Implement an Indigenous procurement policy that commits your organisation to buy Indigenous
• Set Indigenous procurement targets, with a strategised plan detailing the supporting systems and processes needed to achieve that target.
• Get to know the diverse Indigenous business sector – check out Supply Nation’s directory
• Strengthen the profile of the Indigenous business sector by actively promoting and marketing Indigenous businesses internal across your teams and externally to your clients and suppliers
• Play a part in building the capability and expertise of small Indigenous businesses, so that they themselves can grow to deliver larger, long-term contracts
• Hold yourselves, your peers and your policy-makers accountable

 
We at IPS are one of the Indigenous businesses included in the statistic above. We are proudly 66% Indigenous-owned, and 33% of our staff are Indigenous. We advocate on behalf of Indigenous businesses and suppliers, and can help your organisation develop an Indigenous business engagement strategy with confidence and authenticity.
 
Services offered by IPS:

• Unconscious Bias training
• Supplier Diversity training
• Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) development
• Indigenous Procurement consulting

 
The NAIDOC 2020 theme is Always Was, Always Will Be. Let us continue to recognise and celebrate the culture and the diversity that Indigenous Australians bring to our modern-day, whilst not forgetting where we have come from.
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NAIDOC Week has ended, but the conversation has not.