When I wrote my first op-ed, it wasn't about personalities. It was about systems, representation, and truth.

It called out how Aboriginal business keeps being left out of national economic discussions and the partnerships that somehow exclude the very organisations built to represent us.

It wasn't an attack on Supply Nation or anyone else for that matter. It was a call to make sure Indigenous business isn't reduced to one brand, one model, or one gatekeeper.

But here we are... With responses that name me personally, twist my intent, and continue a pattern of exclusion dressed up as collaboration.

And instead of engaging in respectful debate, my name gets repeated as though the issue is me, not the system we're trying to fix. When a response moves from disagreeing with arguments to implying falsehoods or inaccurate statements, it stops being professional critique and becomes personal. That language questions credibility, not ideas.

Each "Naomi said..." followed by "the truth is..." reads like a rebuttal of a person, not a discussion about progress.

I'm glad my article sparked discussion. My intention was to talk about systems and inclusion, not personalities. I stand by that. Because when debate turns personal, we lose focus on what matters - better outcomes for Blak businesses and communities.

Our Truth Matters More Than Headlines

Supply Nation has played an important role in the ecosystem. Let's start there.

It opened corporate and government eyes to Indigenous procurement and built early infrastructure for business verification under its contract with the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA). A contract that has never gone to competitive tender - but soon will. That contract created visibility for Indigenous suppliers and helped establish a national conversation about economic participation.

We should celebrate that, because it paved the way for the rise of the Indigenous Chambers movement: NTIBN, NSWICC, Kinaway, Noongar, Murri, CIBN, ACT Chamber, SE QLD Chamber, Goldfields, Pilbara, QIBN, and others. These Chambers are now building the next phase: Blak-owned, Blak-led, and community-controlled economic development.

Many were founded long before Supply Nation's directory even existed. They've done the heavy lifting in the regions for decades, often without Commonwealth contracts or corporate subsidies. (Certainly there have been no single select, non-competitive tenders up for grabs for the Chambers.)

That's not competition. That's evolution.

Representation Isn't Membership

Here's the truth: Supply Nation's members are, in their own words, non-Indigenous corporates, government agencies, and not-for-profits. Indigenous businesses are suppliers, not members.

And that's fine, if we call it what it is. But let's stop pretending that's community control or representation.

Meanwhile, Chambers are community-based. We represent Blak businesses, from side hustlers to major employers. In the cities, in towns, in regions, in communities. ON COUNTRY. Chambers are place based. And this is important to representation.

Representation isn't about who pays the biggest or smallest fee. It's about who holds the mic when the rules get written, and there's room for inclusion.

Truth About Certification and Visibility

Supply Nation's 2023 Annual Report lists 1,080 Certified Suppliers and 3,249 Registered Suppliers, which means most of the businesses in its system remain Registered, not Certified.

For transparency, Supply Nation has not published an updated Certified vs Registered split since 2023 (last published in 2022-23 Annual Report: 1,080 Certified / 3,249 Registered); the 2023-24 report drops that split and lists only '5,000+ verified Indigenous businesses'. Certification requires both Indigenous management control and a minimum turnover of $50,000, which effectively shuts out micro-enterprises, start-ups, and side hustles, the grassroots of the Blak economy.

Procurement markets overwhelmingly prefer "Certified" suppliers. So, the small, emerging businesses driving community growth are visible on paper but invisible in practice.

Meanwhile, Chambers work only with Certified Blak-owned businesses that are culturally legitimate, Indigenous-managed, and accountable to mob. Our data may be smaller, but it's real and grounded.

In truth: Supply Nation's database measures visibility; the Chambers embody integrity and control. Their reach may be bigger. Our depth is stronger.

Truth About Collaboration

If we're serious about the future of Indigenous business, collaboration can't just be a word you post after being called out, it has to be lived, practiced, and proven.

The Chambers and the National Indigenous Business Chambers Alliance (NIBCA) have invited Supply Nation to share stages, co-design frameworks, and sit in national forums.

Real collaboration means reciprocity. It means sharing the microphone, the data, and the decision-making. It cannot be one-way.

This isn't healthy for the cause. Difference breeds innovation, not sameness - that's a proven fact. Growth demands we make space for disagreement, for feedback, for the kind of hard conversations that move us forward. Criticism is opportunity. Feedback is opportunity. When you shut it down, you shut down evolution.

If Supply Nation truly wants to represent the sector.... Why not invite us? If it truly wants collaboration...Why not work with us?

It's not about blame. It's about honesty.

I understand the discomfort. Change can be confronting especially when the structures that once held all the power are now being joined by new, Blak-owned voices that no longer need permission to lead.

Rather than seeing the rise of the Chambers and the National Indigenous Business Chambers Alliance as a threat, Supply Nation could choose to see it as proof of success..... A celebration of the groundwork it helped lay, single select or no. The sector has grown, matured, and diversified. That's something to be proud of.

True leadership would be to welcome that growth, not to try to contain it or deny it. The time for protecting turf is over. The time for walking together - with Chambers, with community, with business - is now.

We've offered partnership, pilots, and proof. Every time, silence. They have a platform and a seat at the table and still choose exclusion. What you DON'T do is as powerful a message as what you DO do.

Real collaboration means reciprocity - not control, not exclusion, and definitely not letters and phone calls to my Board trying to have Blak voices silenced.

If you truly believe in collaboration, open the doors. Share the platform. Walk with us, not around us.

Blak business isn't a spectator sport. We're not here to be listed in someone else's database. We're here to lead.

Truth About Independence

Supply Nation says it's independent of government. Technically, yes. But its operations are underpinned by their standing Commonwealth contract to maintain the national Indigenous business registry.

That's why registration is "free."

Jurisdictional Indigenous Chambers don't get that funding. NTIBN membership fees start at $150 for Blak businesses and up to $500 for Allies. They simply cover systems and staff.

Representation isn't about who pays the biggest or the smallest fee. It is honestly pretty 'womba' to state "you can join Supply Nation and unlike other organisations, we won't charge Indigenous businesses an annual fee to do so" when you are sitting in a multi-million-dollar, single-select, non-competitive national contract to make it free.

We built ours, ourselves. No handouts.

You can make your service free because taxpayers already fund it. That's not a criticism, it's context. But context matters.

Truth About Access and the "Free List"

Let's be honest. When people say Supply Nation doesn't "sell" the list, that's only half the story.

The Indigenous Business Direct (IBD) may look free on the surface, but access is monetised through paid corporate memberships.

Those memberships unlock enhanced tools and insights: deeper search filters, export functions, data analytics, and spend-tracking dashboards. None of that is available to the public.

So yes, anyone can view the list. But if you want to actually use it to analyse, export, and engage commercially, you pay.

Corporate membership fees start at $3,500 a year for not-for-profits and $8,000 for corporates with procurement spend under $500 million. That's not community representation. That's a business model.

Meanwhile, listing is free for Indigenous businesses - but only because the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) contracts Supply Nation to maintain the national registry under the Indigenous Procurement Policy. In plain terms: taxpayers already fund that "free" service.

Jurisdictional Indigenous Business Chambers like NTIBN don't receive Commonwealth funding for this purpose. Our membership fees simply keep the lights on - starting at $150 for Blak businesses and up to $500 for Allies. We built our systems from the ground up, with no federal contract and no corporate underwriting.

So, when Supply Nation takes a swing at Chambers for charging membership fees, that's a cheap shot. They can make their service free because they're funded to do so. We can't, and we shouldn't have to apologise for it.

Truth About Growth

Growth isn't about scale. It's about sovereignty.

If the goal is a strong Indigenous economy, we need multiple structures - national, regional, and local - each grounded in community and led by mob.

That's how ecosystems grow: not through monopoly, but through diversity.

The north is watching. The regions are watching. Our businesses are innovating, employing, and building - with or without institutional approval. The groundswell is sensational. Just turn up to Chamber driven events.... You will see the real connectedness, when your members are your core business and not something to 'sell'.

Aboriginal economic development doesn't happen in boardrooms. It happens on Country, in workshops, on laptops, and in community hubs run by mob.

The Way Forward

The path forward is simple:

- One table where everyone sits - corporates, ACCOs, Chambers, Traditional Owners, and Blak entrepreneurs.

- One set of standards built with cultural authority, not just commercial convenience.

- One shared truth: real, measurable Indigenous economic power.

Blak business is not charity. It's sovereignty. It's dignity. It's the backbone of our future.

This isn't about me. It's about the mob, the movement, and the truth that's been waiting too long to be heard.

Let's move this from gossip to governance. From fear to truth. From exclusion to inclusion. And finally... let's make space for shared power.

Naomi Anstress is the chief executive of the Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network (NTIBN).

Sources: Supply Nation Annual Report 2023; NIAA - Indigenous Procurement Policy Guide (2020); Supply Nation - Benefits for Indigenous Businesses; Supply Nation FAQs; Supply Nation - Corporate Membership Fees; Supply Nation - FAQs: About Us; NTIBN Membership Framework (2024-25).