Supply Nation, a major non-profit organisation which aims to grow the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business sector through the promotion of supplier diversity, and operates the leading database of verified Indigenous businesses, has announced a Leadership Roundtable which includes no Indigenous businesses.

Northern Territory Indigenous Business Network chief executive Naomi Anstess told the Indigenous Business Review / National Indigenous Times that the absence of Indigenous businesses from the Roundtable "flies in the face of genuine Aboriginal-led decision-making and the commitment to co-design that underpins the Closing the Gap agenda".

"Excluding us is not an oversight. It is a blatant erasure of our legitimacy and our right to lead," she said.

Ms Anstess said Blak-to-Blak trade was powerful, scalable and sustainable, and called on Supply Nation to evolve its framework.

"True allies don't lead on our behalf; they make space for us to lead, and when the narrative centres on what non-Indigenous corporates can do for Indigenous businesses, rather than with us, it reinforces a saviour mentality and sidelines our autonomy," she said.

"Supply Nation's approach here is disheartening, it risks portraying Indigenous procurement as an act of charity rather than a strategic, economically sound decision."

Ms Anstess said there was an absence of initiatives at Supply Nation to encourage Indigenous-to-Indigenous trade.

"The heavy lifting is being done by jurisdictional Blak Chambers… on the ground, in community, and deeply connected to the businesses they serve … building the kind of economy that uplifts all of us," she said.

She said not including Indigenous businesses in the Leadership Roundtable sends a message "that we are not seen as equals, our leadership is neither recognised nor respected, and we must still compete for space, validation, and visibility in our own economy".

"This exclusion is not just insulting… it is structurally damaging and reinforces a colonial hierarchy that places our future in the hands of others, rather than trusting us to shape it ourselves… Meanwhile, by the announcement of this 'leadership' roundtable, Indigenous businesses are positioned more as a 'database' than as stakeholders," Ms Anstess said.

First Nations Senator Lidia Thorpe told the Indigenous Business Review / National Indigenous Times the failure to include Aboriginal-owned businesses in the Roundtable was "deeply concerning".

"Supply Nation is meant to empower our communities, not hand power to corporations… which already hold excessive political influence in this country," she said.

"This is not self-determination. This is assimilation into systems of extraction, exploitation, and profit at the expense of Country, culture and community.

"Indigenous leadership must be at the centre — not an afterthought."

The independent Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung senator stressed "our communities must lead – full stop".

"If we are not empowered to lead in spaces designed for us, where will we be allowed to lead at all? Our people have the answers. It's time our voices were truly centred and respected."

Senator Thorpe, who represents Victoria in the Senate, said she has long-standing concerns about the governance of the Indigenous procurement sector more broadly.

"Supply Nation, which is the only body certifying Indigenous businesses, gets almost two-thirds of its income from membership fees. That's a clear conflict of interest," she said.

"How can a body that relies on corporate fees be trusted to properly investigate Black-cladding or enforce strong accountability?

"The sector urgently needs reform — including independent oversight, greater transparency, and a stronger role for community-controlled organisations."

A Supply Nation spokesperson told the Indigenous Business Review / National Indigenous Times that Supply Nation's Leadership Roundtable is "a long-standing initiative that brings together representatives of our corporate, government and non-profit member organisations".

"The aim is to provide a coordinated voice on matters relevant to their continued commitment to supplier diversity and procurement from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses," they said.

"The Leadership Roundtable commenced in 2015, was active for five years and was paused in 2019/20 due to the pandemic. The intent of the Leadership Roundtable is not to act as a forum for issues of importance to the Indigenous economy as a whole, or provide advocacy or policy advice, but rather to support members in their efforts to grow procurement and commercial collaboration with Indigenous-owned businesses by sharing best practices and collaboration.

"The Leadership Roundtable is an initiative to build capacity with the member network and for Supply Nation to test concepts and programs and refine them before they are implemented to the broader member base.

"Supply Nation's membership fees for corporate and government members are transparent and clearly stated on our website. Supply Nation's sponsors and partners supporting our business events and tradeshows are always made public and available on our website."

The Supply Nation spokesperson said members of the newly announced Roundtable were chosen "through a process of consultation, development of selection criteria, Expression of Interest (EOI), and a robust governance framework… drawn from both government and corporates across a range of industry sectors and well-placed to coordinate the views of Supply Nation's more than 850 member organisations".

"These corporates and government departments are demonstrating strong leadership in growing and supporting the Indigenous business sector," they said.

"The way in which Supply Nation communicates, engages with, and supports our members, suppliers, and other stakeholders is different. Other forums and mechanisms are used to seek feedback from suppliers and stakeholders."