Partnering to put Indigenous small businesses on the map

Published Thursday, 12 July, 2018 at 12:18 PM

Minister for Employment and Small Business and Minister for Training and Skills Development
The Honourable Shannon Fentiman

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander small business owners will have the opportunity to nominate for dedicated workshops, training and support programs, thanks to the Palaszczuk Government’s Advancing Indigenous Business initiative.

Minister for Employment and Small Business Shannon Fentiman has announced a partnership with private sector providers to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander small business owners access to the tools and knowledge they need to start, grow and employ. 

“We are engaging six organisations, with contracts worth more than $140,000,” Ms Fentiman said.

“These organisations will deliver targeted workshops and other training in the next year in Thursday Island, Burketown, Normanton, Cairns, Townsville and south east Queensland.

“These industry partnerships are an essential part of delivering services to where they are needed most and will have the greatest impact on our communities.”

Stepping Black Indigenous Corporation Australia is running a workshop in Townsville that will give up to 20 Indigenous business owners from north Queensland access to the knowledge and skills they need to establish their business.

Business facilitators Femeconomy and Ngyani will hold workshops in Logan to help Indigenous women in business create networking and mentoring resources.

For established businesses, the National Retailers Association will be delivering four workshops to Indigenous retail operators on Thursday Island and in Cairns and the Queensland Resources Council will be delivering workshops in Cairns and Townsville.

These workshops will focus on improving the skills of Indigenous small business operators in areas such as financial literacy and business planning.

Outsource Management will work with Indigenous small businesses in more remote locations, providing workshops in Croydon, Normanton and Burketown.

These workshops will enable Indigenous business operators to better focus their business activities to meet the needs of the community in which they live and operate.

For early stage businesses in the Moreton region, Edgeware Creative will deliver a workshop program that will result in participants receiving a Certificate III in micro business operations.

These industry partnerships are part of the Palaszczuk Government’s Advancing Indigenous Business initiative, under the $22.7 million Advancing Small Business Queensland Strategy 2016–20.

Since it was launched in 2017, the Advancing Indigenous Business initiative has provided advice and direct assistance to a range of Indigenous small businesses.

Ms Fentiman said the state government was investing in Indigenous businesses to help the business owners and to provide future employment opportunities for people in Indigenous communities.

For more information, visit www.business.qld.gov.au/Indigenous

Media contact: Bernadette Condren 0417 296 116