New taskforce to grow Aboriginal business sector

A new Aboriginal Business Taskforce is to be set up in NSW to lead the growth of the State’s Aboriginal business sector.

The taskforce is an initiative of the NSW Roadmap for Aboriginal Business Growth and the bi-annual Aboriginal Business Roundtables, to help ensure the voices of Aboriginal business owners and managers are heard by government.

Taskforce members will provide the NSW Government with timely, strategic advice on the Aboriginal business sector and how it can be supported to grow.

“The NSW Government recognises economic empowerment and business development are critical to the socio-economic growth of Aboriginal communities,” Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty David Harris said.

“Through discussions it was clear the Aboriginal business sector wanted a strategy-focussed group that can provide advice to government. We have now delivered on that commitment with the new Aboriginal Business Taskforce.

“The taskforce is another step in NSW’s determination to lead the nation in pursuing economic prosperity as a key goal to close the gap for Aboriginal people.”

The taskforce members, the majority of whom identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, bring knowledge and experience for setting up and running Aboriginal businesses across the state.

Former Sydney Swans star and 2014 Australian of the Year Adam Goodes, now the CEO of the Indigenous Defence & Infrastructure Consortium, is one of eight appointees to the new NSW Government taskforce.

Mr Goodes is joined on the inaugural taskforce by:

• Doug Delaney
• Luke McIlroy-Ranga
• Malinda Rutter
• Melissa Fletcher
• Phillip Usher
• Sharon Winsor
• Terri-Anne Daniel

A recent report from the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership found that Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses across the country employ more than 116,000 people and generate revenue in excess of $16 billion annually.

The 2023 NSW Treasury First Nations Women’s Economic Participation Review found that First Nations businesses are about 100 times more likely to employ a First Nations Australian than non-Indigenous businesses.

Aboriginal Business Taskforce member Adam Goodes said the Indigenous businesses sector was the fastest growing.

“Indigenous businesses are 100 per cent more likely to employ other Indigenous people, and they provide a huge amount of social and economic value for every dollar that is spent with them,” he said.

“This Taskforce will advise the NSW Government on how it can continue to support Indigenous businesses in NSW, so that the sector can continue to grow and support the wellbeing and prosperity of our people.”

Taskforce member Terri-Anne Daniel said being part of the group was a real opportunity to ensure that Aboriginal business owners have a direct line to government decision-makers.

“We bring lived experience of the real challenges, and because we are entrepreneurs, we bring bold solutions to the table,” she said.

“When Aboriginal businesses thrive, communities thrive. We’re not just creating jobs; we’re fostering independence, self-determination, and long-term prosperity for our people. Who better to help Mob than Mob?”