First Nations procurement up by more than one-third

First Nations-owned businesses supplying goods and services to the Palaszczuk Government is up by $118 million (36 per cent) in just one financial year, latest figures show.

Nearly 150 First Nations enterprises – out of a total 535 Indigenous suppliers - did business with the Queensland Government for the first time.  

Speaking during Indigenous Business Month, Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Craig Crawford said the Queensland Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Procurement Policy (QIPP) was about a level playing field for First Nations businesses.

Minister Crawford said the policy started in 2017 and was aimed at supporting First Nations businesses to successfully navigate the government tender process.

“The Palaszczuk Government invests billions of dollars on a wide range of goods and services in our state every year, and it’s important that we invest those funds wisely,” Mr Crawford said.

“The value of a dollar goes far beyond the products or services that we buy – it’s an investment in local jobs, in local communities, in better services, and in strengthening business capacity.

“We want to make sure that every eligible Queensland business has the opportunity to work with government, and we know there are many First Nations businesses who have the capacity to successfully supply goods and services our state needs.

“That is why the QIPP exists, to make sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses not only have the opportunity and the know-how to go through the procurement process but can share that knowledge with other First Nations businesses.”

Employment and Small Business Minister Di Farmer said over the past year, the QIPP had seen a huge increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses supplying to government for the first time.

“In the 2021- 2022 financial year, 535 First Nations businesses supplied $440 million in goods and services to the Queensland Government, up from $322 million for the whole of the 2020-2021 financial year,” Ms Farmer said.

“That includes 149 First Nations enterprises who did businesses with the Queensland Government for the first time.

“Increasing the capacity and capability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses to supply to government also strengthens First Nations businesses’ capacity to supply to the private sector which increases opportunities for economic participation.”

Since the 2020-2021 financial year, the value of government procurement invested with First Nations businesses had increased from 2.03 per cent to 2.58 per cent.

One example of how the QIPP supports outcomes is the Queensland Government’s procurement of more than $50 million worth of COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Tests from two separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses.

For more information about Indigenous Business Month visit: https://www.indigenousbusinessmonth.com.au/

ENDS

Media contact: Peter Michael 0477 948 091