There is no winning in the business of Indigenous economic development for those actually in the business.
As I write this opinion piece, the Coalition of the Peaks - with the Australian National University - are positioning to be the voice of Blak economic development in Australia. They are positioning for funding and the right to be the advisers and deciders. They have caught on that Indigenous economic development is where there is money to be had, and they are running hard at it, considering how they can channel it to their respective areas of specialty – health, housing, land and sea, justice, education.
For the past 60 years, the Blak not-for-profit and Blak organisation sector have been funded by government and royalties. For the past 60 years, we have watched Indigenous organisations being run and ruined by non-Indigenous Australians.
Today, many Aboriginal community-controlled orgs (ACCOs) and entities are headed by non-Indigenous people, who employ their family and mates, placing our countrymen and women in the lowest-paying jobs, outsourcing work to their friend consultants at exorbitant rates. They regularly go into administration, and we continue to hear about fraudulent behaviour, maladministration and misappropriation of funds.
More than this, the supply chain of our Blak orgs is more than 90 per cent non-Indigenous. How is it that Blak orgs won't preference or engage Blak business? How is it that we are not partnering together for the most important outcomes and real wealth generation, jobs and skills transfer for our communities? How is it that we are not Blak-to-Blak contracting on a scale that would indeed "close the gap"?
The concept of "Blak Boards" being enough to ensure Blak decision-making and integrity in the organisation is a falsehood. True Blak control comes from mob being well represented in decision-making positions in the operations of the entity – not just at the board level.
In my view, the Blak business sector is proven to demonstrate outcomes well beyond the ACCOs and the Blak business sector is proven to invest more into local communities and to create the flexibility for our communities to have "real jobs".
The for-profit, privately-owned Blak business sector is where the change is at. We live in a nation that thinks of Blak for-profit as "dirty" and "wrong". To be clear – ALL Blak business enterprises benefit Indigenous communities by the sheer nature of how they operate. The data proves this.
It is my opinion that the Blak business sector is the place where a real difference is being made and action towards closing the gap is occurring.
Self-determined generational wealth, where WE can decide, where WE can take action, where WE can make a difference, is in the "for-profit" Blak business sector. Where we can MAKE A JOB and not just take a job.
Blakfullas are generous people. Blak control looks and feels like the power to choose for ourselves. The Indigenous business chambers and networks are the peaks who need to lead this conversation. The people who are the experts. Because buying blak is the game changer.
When ACCOs and Blak business work together and the Blak business sector leads the economic development conversation – we will wield the power of change.
Naomi Anstess is chief executive of the NTIBN (Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network) and principal consultant with SaltBlack.
