An end to welfare dependence and the start of a new era of private enterprise in Indigenous communities - that was the message today at the launch of the First Australians Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a new peak national body to advocate on behalf of Indigenous businesses.
Deb Barwick, interim Chairwoman of the newly created body, said it is hoped the new body will open new pathways to employment and entrepreneurship for Indigenous Australians and an end to welfare dependency.
"Today marks a new page in our history as Indigenous Australians and power to achieve a bright, prosperous position within the Australian economy, and also in the global economy," Ms Barwick told NITV News.
"What I do know is that the establishment of Indigenous businesses has a whole range of benefits; it creates role modelling, it creates jobs, more people within families are employed.
For the Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion it was a positive respite from the ongoing fallout from the Government's decision to effectively shut down 150 remote communities and controversial changes and cuts to public funding for some indigenous groups.
"Without a doubt a strong and vibrant Indigenous business sector creates wealth, it creates independence and it creates opportunity and particularly it creates productivity for all of our nation," said Mr Scullion.
"This isn't about Indigenous businesses. Indigenous business is a sector of a larger Australian business and you can't separate them necessarily."
The Chamber will be supported by the existing state and territory based Indigenous chambers of commerce and also has strong backing from Indigenous business owners.
Wendy Yarnold from Real Futures told an audience at the launch that there was genuine excitement amongst Indigenous businesses around the new body.
Harnessing the opportunity that on a national scale can give Aboriginal Australia the economic boost that millions of dollars of welfare and economic goodwill can never do.
"The launch of a peak national body to facilitate the wind of change that captures a section of Australia," she said.
"Harnessing the opportunity that on a national scale can give Aboriginal Australia the economic boost that millions of dollars of welfare and economic goodwill can never do."
Businesswoman Jasmin Herro from Outback Global Australia echoed her sentiments and added that business was the way to end welfare dependency.
For the first time in my life I believe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a vehicle with which to break the cycle of intergenerational dependence on government welfare.
"For the first time in my life I believe Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a vehicle with which to break the cycle of intergenerational dependence on government welfare."
Mr Scullion said the new body was in line with the Government's push away from welfare and towards private enterprise to drive Indigenous employment creation and opportunity.
"We know that Indigenous business will employ 100 times more Indigenous people than other businesses, it's just a fact so that fact in itself, if we can encourage more Indigenous businesses to emerge and to support Indigenous businesses, we're not having a vicarious relationship - this is a direct outcome, this is a fact," he told NITV news.
Mr Scullion also revealed that the government would be aiming to achieve three per cent of the pool of government contracts handed to the private sector out of an annual budget of $39 billion. With public servants evaluated on their success in overseeing the increase.
"Well for the first time this gets achieved in the same way any other business does. We've tied the KPIs to our CEOs to all our departments to that outcome. This is not an aspirational target – yes it's a three year target but we also have interim targets and they have to meet them every year the interim targets we don't want to wait three years to find out it’s gone off the rails".
