Emma Garlett: Indigenous enterprises are sharing culture and closing the gap

Indigenous businesses are on the rise.

Business is opportunity, and with opportunity comes the chance of success.

Of course, there are risks associated with new ventures but the rewards speak for themselves.

In the long term, benefits associated with greater economic participation for Indigenous people can change systems and have long-lasting effects on communities.

And if you want to have influence in this nation, there’s no surer way to do that than to be successful in business. Businesses and business leaders run Australia.

One of the key drivers of the success of Indigenous businesses is support from some of our biggest and most established companies.

Miner BHP recently announced it would invest $20 million in a two-year partnership with the Melbourne Business School. The money will help fund Indigenous initiatives such as the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership.

BHP is doing this because they understand the significant contribution that Indigenous businesses make to the Australian economy.

Data compiled by Dilin Duwa’s Indigenous Economic Power Project revealed that in 2022, there were more than 116,000 people employed by 13,693 Indigenous businesses. Altogether, the sector paid out $4.2 billion in wages, making it roughly the same size as Australia’s timber industry.

Those are significant numbers.

And there’s so much scale for growth. In just 10 years from 2012, the number of Indigenous sole traders tripled to 5669.

The most profound impacts of a thriving Indigenous business sector can be felt in our regional and remote areas. The majority of Indigenous sole traders and partnerships operate outside Australia’s major cities.

Their motivation isn’t greed or the quest for never-ending growth.

Economic participation helps grant Indigenous people self-determination, power over their own lives and autonomy to lead. It promotes understanding and provides an opportunity to build wealth to provide opportunities for our children and their children.

In turn, this helps to close the gap across every metric.

Through bringing our own ways of working to the forefront of Australian business, we share our knowledge and increase our cultural footprint.

A great example of the power of Indigenous business can be seen in the achievements of Ballardong-Wilman man Kim Collard. Mr Collard took home the 2024 West Australian of the Year Aboriginal Award for his lifetime of work improving the lives of Indigenous peoples.

The owner of two successful businesses, workplace supplier Kulbardi and fleet management outfit Kooya Australia Fleet Solutions, Kim has used his success to help others.

Starting the Bibbulmun Fund, Kim has helped raise more than $1 million which has gone towards causes as diverse as education initiatives to flood relief.

He is a living example of the enormous positive impact one person’s individual business success can have on an entire community.

As a small business owner myself, all I can say for other Indigenous people is if you’re wondering if you can do it, give it a go.

You’re probably more capable than you think. Don’t miss the opportunity to create your vision and use your knowledge to build a better future for yourself and your community.