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| home | news lFirst conference for indigenous tourismAUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS TOURISM CONFERENCE 2004 “BETTER BUSINESS – BETTER COUNTRY” Conference Proceedings: Speakers
Mr Neville Collard JP Welcome to Country Kaya Kaya Kura Kura ngulla moort dat nyin nitja Nyungar Boodja bula mia mia, bulup djinanginy boh, bula koorboryl werit, bulup djinanginy windji yonga, windji wetj, windji koomal, windji kwoora, windji tamar, windji toonyarrt, windji yackal yackal, ngunya moort werin, windji kepi, ngulla moort doorakiny doorakiny kepi. Bulup moort werinburt windja ngulluk meriny. Ngulluk dwerit dat nyin nitja, baal koorboryl weyrit, ngullan.
Nyungar djinanginy boh, yarn ngeeniny nitja Koorliny ngulla Boodja, djinung karkilyung waagal nitja koorliny, Koo! meriny nitja koorl. Maaman, Yok, Koolungurras djinung, mulga doonkoorl doonkoorl, kepi yu-aal koorliny, meriny koorliny. Nyungar bilya kwoberduk kepi moorditj. Waagal koorliny ngulla Boodja, kepi moorditj, nitja koorl, yonga, Tamar, koora, wetj, koomal, toonyarrt, yackal yackal. Maaman maar barunginy noona kitj, kylie, doack, whiny ngulla dwert, ngulluk koorl merinyak. Boorda ngarniny meriny ngulla moort koboryl doomat, yok, Koolungurras koboryl doomat. Waagal woort koorl ngulla Boodja, mulga doonkoorl doonkoorl koorliny, Boodja moorditj, kep moorditj, gnulluk gnamma qwonal kepi moorditj, meriny nitja yonga, kwirr, tamar, waitj, kumal, toonyarrt, yackal yackal. Bilya kepi moorditj. Nyungars djinoong Waakal, Koo Waakal karkilyung, gnulluk moorditj weryin djinoong Nyungar. Koo yira yira koorl wardung, kulbardi, djidi-djidi, waalitj. Nitja koorl yoorn, norn, bayoo, giljet, marron, gilgie, kulyak, mubarak, nyeeraba, karda, berung boorn meriny moorditj, djarra, duart, woornt, mungart, munyaret, karri, kwerl, wilyawa boorn moorditj. Bulup waakal meriny nitja, gnulla Boodja, meriny, kep, boorn, Nyungar ngoondiny mia mia nitja ngulla boodja, ngulluk moort moorditj. Waara weryin boolyakah boh, moorditj weryin nitja koorl, dat nyiny nitja ngulla boodja, burda burda ngulluk moort, Nyungar moort koboryl doomat, Mulga, doonkoorl doonkoorl kepi meriny boollariny. Koolungurras burda burda Maaman and yok, bulup woort koorl burda burda djinang, Ni, wanginy gnulla kultja. Translation Welcome welcome A long time ago our people and family lived here on Nyungar land in their bush and bark huts, they were looking a long way, their stomachs were weak from hunger, they were looking for and saying where is the kangaroo, emu, possum, small kangaroo, wallaby, parrots, galahs our family is hungry, where is the water we drink, our family is hungry where is our food. Our dog is sitting here weak and hungry. Nyungars were looking way out and they said, who is this coming onto our land, look it is shining and glowing, sparkling in the sun, it is the waagal (the Sacred Serpent). Excited, they shout, food is coming, Men, women and children look, the thunder and lightning is following the waagal, water is coming down, food is coming, the yungar river will be full of good water. Waagal is coming to our land, water is good, and here comes the kangaroo, wallaby, emu, possum, parrot, and cockatoos. Men grab your spear, boomerang, hunting stick, whistle up our dogs we are going for food. Later we will eat with our families and their stomach will be full, women and children stomachs will be full. Since the waagal has come to our land, thunder and lightening came with rains, the land is good, the water is good, and our water holes (rock holes) are full, food, kangaroo, wallaby, emu, possum, parrots, cockatoos and the river is full of water. Nyungars are looking at the waagal, shining and glowing, sparkling in the sun, our good spirits are looking after us. Excited, here comes the crow, magpie, Willie wagtail, eagles, here comes the bobtail, snake, tortoise, fish, fresh water crayfish, smaller crustacean, black swan, pelican and goanna, our bush tucker is growing and our trees are good, Jar rah, Tuart, white gum, Jam, banksias, sheoak, karri, wattle trees are all good. Our snake has brought food to our land, water and trees, Nyungars can sleep in their bush and bark homes in our land, and our families are good. Bad spirits go away, long way, good spirit is coming to stay here on our land, later on our families stomach is always full, thunder and lightening is coming and rain is falling down. Our children will later grow up to be men and women and they will go forward, looking, listening and talking about our culture. || click to go to the top of this page The Hon Bob Kucera MLA WA hosts first Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference Indigenous culture is a unique point of difference in the experiences offered in the Australian tourism industry. The living cultures of Australia’s indigenous peoples, with a history greater than 40,000 years, are what give Australia its uniqueness as a tourism destination. Whether it is admiring aboriginal rock art or eating real bush tucker, visitors get a real taste of what we have to offer. Research shows that 80% of tourists visiting Australia wish to undertake a unique cultural experience. However, only 20% of that figure actually leave with that experience, due to the lack of knowledge and product available to meet demand. Therefore this conference, “better business – better country”, is vitally important in addressing the key issues and needs that impact on indigenous tourism in Australia. There is a huge potential to develop authentic indigenous tourism product. Tourists now demand an authentic experience with indigenous operators and indigenous cultural information delivered in a culturally appropriate way. Indigenous tourism is certainly an exciting industry for aboriginal people. It allows them to become economically independent while at the same time maintaining their cultural heritage. However, to support that economic independence and ensure sustainability in the development of businesses, government must work together at all levels to provide the necessary assistance to indigenous operators. This support is critical, especially as many indigenous tourism operators are based in regional and remote areas. In Western Australia I am pleased to say that we are setting the foundations to encourage new tourism initiatives by indigenous people. This government is committed to assisting indigenous people to set up and participate in economically and socially beneficial tourism ventures based on their culture and affinity with the environment. This commitment has resulted in a memorandum of understanding between the office of aboriginal economic development and the western Australian tourism commission to second a position to the commission to assist in the development of indigenous tourism ventures. The position also assists existing indigenous operators to participate in key events such as the Australian tourism exchange, oz talk Europe and inbound tour operators workshops to promote this niche market. The western Australian tourism commission is also developing an indigenous tourism marketing strategy that will assist indigenous tourism operators and support the industry sector as a whole. This strategy will be released for public comment shortly and I strongly encourage your feedback and advice. The strategy’s main focus is to give strength to the western Australian indigenous tourism operators committee (WAITOC). WAITOC was established four years ago and fully incorporated in May 2002. It is the first of its kind in Australia where indigenous operators work together to promote indigenous tourism at a state, national and international level. WAITOC is acknowledged and recognised as a one stop shop for people to find out what there is to know about indigenous tourism, and to facilitate the process of non-indigenous tourism businesses wishing to go into partnership with indigenous tourism operators. WAITOC is leading the way in terms of indigenous tourism and I commend them for coordinating this conference. There is definitely a strong opportunity for WAITOC to be utilised as a model for other state and territory agencies to deliver ‘on the ground’ leadership to a fast and growing indigenous tourism sector. As I look around the room at the wealth of expertise present here today, it provides an excellent platform to discuss the key business issues and needs associated with indigenous tourism. This conference will also form the basis for further programs and workshops required to assist indigenous operators to be “export ready” and promote our unique experience around the globe. It is important to remember that indigenous tourism is not just about tour guiding. For young indigenous people to take a career seriously within the tourism and hospitality sector, they need to be made aware of the various career paths they can undertake in the industry. Mainstream businesses need to be encouraged to employ indigenous people. We also need to ensure that we have leaders and mentors within the indigenous tourism sector to encourage and support other indigenous people wishing to enter the tourism industry. I am pleased to see this has been recognised through the $4 million indigenous tourism business ready program which is part of the tourism white paper that was released late last year. Funding will be mainly used to employ mentors or business advisors to assist indigenous tourism start-ups. It’s great to see that the government has acknowledged that many indigenous tourism ventures need help to become business ready. Potential operators need outside skills to set up a business, manage it soundly, research the market, and establish relationships with potential investors. This forum is a therefore a great opportunity to discuss and develop ideas for possible partnerships and joint ventures. Before I close I’d like to highlight that even though even though our indigenous culture is thousands of decades old, indigenous tourism is in its infancy. We have a long way to go but this conference demonstrates we are heading in the right direction. I wish you all the best for the two days ahead and look forward to seeing many of you again at the Australian cultural tourism conference and Australian tourism awards. || click to go to the top of this page Mr Aden Ridgeway Better Business – Better Country The creation of economic zones in rural and remote regions would be one way of overcoming some of the problems associated with geographical and other forms of isolation that characterize Indigenous communities. “We have to find creative ways of stimulating regional economies and enticing businesses to invest, and this will always involve financial incentives”. The US Treasury has introduced a number of such initiatives and one, the New Markets Tax Credit Program, offers staggered tax credits to financial institutions over a limited period of time. In terms of its application to tourism in Australia, a similar scheme might be applied to tourism and other business partnerships within Indigenous communities so investors can gain by investing in otherwise unsustainable markets, and communities benefit through the possibility of economic growth and employment. This scheme should be trialed in Indigenous communities first, because of their severe economic and social distress. Any talk of better business has to involve better business partnerships with Indigenous people, which necessarily involves flexible and new bottom-line thinking. There is a demand in tourism for people to expe4reince Australian Indigenous culture, and this is something that only Australia can offer. Tourism can stimulate economies in remote areas by providing jobs, training and improved facilities. But the importance of striking the appropriate balance between sharing and exploitation of culture is the vital issue for Indigenous communities. Tourism, including the arts, offers Indigenous people a unique opportunity to promote their culture and engage in an industry which has the potential to provide families and communities with financial security and economic growth. || click to go to the top of this page
Tourism and the Media We know this country better than everybody. Everything I do in the media is a reflection of my background, my community, my family, my mother. In the tourism and media everything we do is because we were given opportunity to be born. The land we refer to it as our mother. Everything was told and shared. We have to do the same. We need to get the old black and white photos and add the colour that we have. We need to do things with colour. Backpackers are looking for pamphlets and go to places and tours by reputation. We need pamphlets to take them on our own tour. With the media I did 500 episodes on TV. I always try to find something unique. We have a unique culture. I hope you do that too. We need to work with each other to get new ideas. We need to share and swap information between different areas. Different ways of doing things need to be shared. To make a fire in the Top End you use male and female sticks. In the Desert you use boomerangs. There are many different ways. The European nations’ new coin is called Euro, after our animal. Different people, different languages, different accents, and beautiful melody. There is no one better and no one superior to us. We need to tell white people where to go. It’s a reversal role. In dealing with the media, don’t say anything. When the media have to put on the news, they need a juicy bit. They use what they want. So do a pamphlet You can learn more by never asking a question. Sit there and wait. They’ll give you the information because you are ready to learn. That’s what we do in the media “No one ….no one can promote and sell Australian country like Aboriginal people can”. || click to go to the top of this page Mr Richard Muirhead Tourism a Business
Top 5 destinations
The Local picture
WA:
Top 5 destinations
Global Tourism Growth Rate – 4% Australian Tourism Growth Rate – 4.8% Tourism in Western Australia
* Includes Forestry and Fishing || click to go to the top of this page Kerry Rooney Tourism a Business
Tourism and the Economy
Indigenous Tourism
Source: ATC Tourism White Paper
A range of structural initiatives will be funded by $68.9m over 4 ? years
Indigenous Tourism
|| click to go to the top of this page Dr Richard Walley OAM The Cultural Experience The more people experienced, the less unique it becomes. Do seasonal activities. In the four stages of Aboriginal development, we were spoken about, we were spoken to, we were spoken for, and now the stage that is emerging we are speaking for ourselves. We were treated as infants. We were included as part of a package. As an icon of Australia, don’t put up a sheep: New Zealand will beat you! Don’t put up a rose: England’s got it. Put up the flora we are part of, we don’t separate these things. Everyone is tribal. Indigenous and non-Indigenous. We are growing strong, we adapt. When you learn about culture, you learn about yourself. People love those experiences to put a bit of paint to tourist, to play didgeridoo. People think our culture is simple but it’s complex. People think we are simple but we are complex. Art work looks simple but it’s complex. People say my kids can do that but they can’t do it themselves. “There is no expiry date for starting or learning” || click to go to the top of this page
Mr Sam Lovell OA The Cultural Experience The first thing I did was decide what type of tours I wanted to do. Where to go and for how long. I went and spoke to traditional owners and pastoral lease holders to get permission to travel on their land. Tell them what you intend to do, then they know what your plans are and that should stop problems from happening later on. A lot of time its just common sense that you know where not to go. Because you are going to do culture tours don’t mean you have to take people to every sacred site and talk about traditional law. You can tell people dream time stories and show sites that are not sacred. Aboriginal people lifestyle in general. || click to go to the top of this page
Mr Laurie O’Meara Training/Accreditation/Insurance
Tourism Accreditation Standard
Tourism Accreditation
Three programs available for Indigenous businesses:
Advantages of being accredited:
Financial:
Who developed the Standards?
ATAA – Mission ATAA – Objectives
Current National Take up
White paper recognition
Where to from here
|| click to go to the top of this page Allan Day Training/Accreditation/Insurance
Cover is offered for low to medium risk activities, including
Features include:
Marine Hull cover and, if required a P & I cover on board.
Other risks covered by AIB’s tourism operators’ insurance policies:
Who is AIB ??
Sponsors of the AIB Sports Development Awards Scheme to assist indigenous youth in pursuit of their sporting aspirations.
|| click to go to the top of this page Cinzia Burnes Building Partnerships and Joint Ventures
ITO – What we do?
AOT Inbound – What do we sell?
What about new products?
How do we select a product to promote and sell?
How do products succeed the 5 must have
A good product
Your profile
Quality consistency
Price integrity the distribution system
Reliability and professionalism
In Conclusion
|| click to go to the top of this page Bob Blair Tourism address by chair I would like to pay my respects to the traditional owners of the land that we now stand on. I congratulate the organisers of this conference for making this conference happen and hope that we can leave here with some concrete ideas and greater understanding of Indigenous participation in the tourism industry. We have much to talk about and to consider. Indigenous affairs in this country continues to be a critical issue. And as much as we might critise governments for past and current actions, we must clearly recognise that we have our own responsibilities and obligations. These include responsibilities to our selves, to our families and to our communities. It is not about what we believe we are owed – it is about taking the steps to help ourselves. And the tourism industry is a classic example of where this is occurring. Those of you who know me well know of my passion for economic empowerment. Without economic empowerment all of the social and cultural programs will not take us to the next level of development. Our people will never have genuine and sustainable equality unless they have a good education, job prospects and the opportunity to participate fairly in the commercial wealth of this country. We must also look to the future. How long will governments continue to provide specific support for indigenous people? What is our collective view for a sustainable future for our people, that is no longer dependant upon continued subsidies from Governments? How can we make better use of existing resources - both human and financial? Today, I would like to explain the role of Indigenous Business Australia in the political environment. My General Manager, Ron Morony will speak on how we operate on a day to day basis. I would also like to share with you the experiences of my own community – Seisa, which is at the tip of Cape York in Queensland. Indigenous Business Australia approaches the building of an asset base for indigenous Australians through joint venturing arrangements. We have a proven track record and have a number of existing joint ventures that involve industry experts, a local indigenous partner and ourselves. Our expressed aim is simple ? to advance the commercial and economic interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
So what does this mean in practice? We are a statutory body established by the Parliament of Australia. We have a statutory obligation to assist and enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-management and economic self-sufficiency. We are also required to advance the commercial and economic interests of indigenous people by accumulating and using a substantial capital asset for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our operations are subject to the direction of a Board, which I chair. The members are appointed by the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. Importantly, the majority of our board members have a strong business background. We invest directly in business opportunities, usually through joint venture arrangements with expert industry partners. At present we have a capital base of some $80 million. We currently have some 30 investments in an extensive range of industries that include:
Through these investments we are bringing industry and Indigenous communities together. It is very much a hands-on role that has proven benefits in terms of job creation and capital accumulation. Our job is to enter into commercial ventures that have the potential to create local and sustainable economic outcomes - to provide jobs and hope for our people. Our preference for joint venturing arrangements reflects our strong belief that there are specific advantages in involving industry experts and indigenous people. That is not to say that the joint venture model is appropriate in all circumstances and in fact, at the smaller end of the business scale, a joint venture approach would probably no be appropriate. IBA however operates at the larger end of the business scale and most of our investments are in the multi-million dollar category with significant annual turn over. Over the past few years, we have adopted a very pro-active role in targeting possible new investments within specific industry sectors. We are actively pursuing opportunities in the mining industry and mining-related services as well as tourism. These industries are ones where we believe we can play a vital, strategic role in facilitating long-term economic outcomes for indigenous people. The mining industry and the tourism industry often operate in remote areas and offer the only realistic opportunity for the local community to get work - either directly or through related services - or to get economic empowerment - through profit sharing from contracts based on appropriate risk. In the tourism sector, IBA has invested heavily IBA does not see its investments as static. While obviously we need an income stream to produce funds for further strategic investments, it is also important that IBA moves on when our Indigenous partners are ready to take over our equity in the joint venture. We have sold down a number of successful tourism businesses that continue – most under full indigenous ownership. These includes Aboriginal arts and crafts shops in Queensland, a tour operation on Tasmania’s Gordon River and a tour boat operation in Northern Territory’s Nitmiluk National Park. Our preferred investment strategy is to provide equity finance to an established enterprise so it can expand or restructure its core business operations. We will, however, consider investing in newly established businesses provided that the new business is an expansion of the private sector partner’s core business expertise.
Preference is given to business proposals which provide employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and which provide a meaningful role for indigenous Australians in management and decision-making. IBA experiences a number of challenges in respect of its Indigenous co-venturers once an investment has been made. Achieving active participation is often difficult. Initial enthusiasm can be lost, the movers and shakers may be replaced, the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander group participating may lack management skills and resources, and there is often lost opportunities for employment and training. These are not obstacles however – merely challenges to be addressed. I would now like to turn to the experiences of my own community of Seisa near the tip of Cape York. The community could have gone down the path of many similar communities being totally dependant upon welfare. In saying this I am not in any way reflecting on the people of those communities. It is a reflection on the lack of opportunity that exists in many remote communities. In many ways Seisa is very fortunate. It has an idyllic location and is on a known tourist route. What we have done, is to carefully examine what tourists were looking for, and then catered to those demands. We constantly review the services that are provided to ensure that our client base is happy. Our community supermarket provides a greater range of products than might normally be expected and the hours of trading cater to tourism needs. We have established a very successful take away food outlet Responding to demands we have established a quality restaurant that provides theme nights. This restaurant not only caters to tourist expectations, is has developed as a successful service to the many state government and federal government officials based in the district. Our caravan park / camping ground and lodge accommodation is now well established and we receive high numbers of tourists each year. While there are similar facilities in the district, we believe ours is supported well because of the other facilities available such as take away food etc. Importantly, we have established strategic alliances with a number of professional non-Indigenous operators. These include mechanical repair facilities and a range of fishing boat operators catering to different budgets and different expectations. Seisa is active (and almost aggressive) in pursuing the tourism dollar. As you would have seen, we have approached this in a much broader way than the provision of traditional tourism services. We have used tourists to not only provide an income stream to the community, we have also used income from tourism to upgrade the services that are then available to community members. In conclusion let me repeat one of my favourite sayings:- “When you lose sight of your goals, you see obstacles.” Thank you. || click to go to the top of this page
Richard Agar & Mark Manado Pathways to Tourism $238 Million dollars 78,120 82,984 Background
People from different cultures learn in different ways
*Working Together – Indigenous Employment & Career Development Strategy for the Government Vocational Education and Training Sector 2003 - 2005 Solutions not problems
Development phase
Delivery phase
Local industry consultation
“…the opportunities for Aboriginal people in tourism lie in a move towards high quality visitor experiences that provide low visitor number, high yielding tourism.” Spin offs
Key lessons
Key point’s assessment
|| click to go to the top of this page Mr Mick Gooda Getting Ready for Business Indigenous benefits from Tourism Indigenous Tourism is a distinctive and integral part of Australian Tourism. Most importantly it provides an opportunity for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to PRESENT THE DIVERSITY OF THEIR CULTURE ON THEIR TERMS. Some important statistics
Common Barriers to entry
Dot point 2
Dot Point 3
Dot Point 4
Dot Point 5
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Tourism Industry Strategy
Office of National Tourism is now known as Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources How can the Business Development Program assist?
ATSIS/IBA joint initiative
Benefits from working with industry
How can industry partnerships be improved?
What can happen when governments and industry work with Indigenous communities? Governance and Indigenous Business Development
“Governance is about power, relationships and accountability—“who has influence, who decides, and how decision-makers are held accountable”. The White Paper (The Federal Government Tourism Policy)
The White Paper “Medium to Long-term Strategy”
Tourism in Protected areas This initiative will establish groups to: There are opportunities for new and existing Indigenous tourism enterprises to take advantage of some of the initiatives under the tourism white paper. ATSIS will be able to provide more information about how to access funding under these initiatives after departments develop funding guidelines and structures for these programs.
|| click to go to the top of this page Mr Joseph Elu Tourism – A Personal Perspective I congratulate the organisers of this conference for making this conference happen and hope that we can leave here with some concrete ideas and greater understanding of Indigenous participation in the tourism industry. We have much to talk about and to consider. Indigenous affairs in this country continue to be a critical issue. And as much as we might criticize governments for past and current actions, we must clearly recognise that we have our own responsibilities and obligations. These include responsibilities to our selves, to our families and to our communities. It is not about what we believe we are owed – it is about taking the steps to help ourselves. And the tourism industry is a classic example of where this is occurring. Those of you who know me well know of my passion for economic empowerment. Without economic empowerment all of the social and cultural programs will not take us to the next level of development. Our people will never have genuine and sustainable equality unless they have a good education, job prospects and the opportunity to participate fairly in the commercial wealth of this country. We must also look to the future. How long will governments continue to provide specific support for Indigenous people? What is our collective view for a sustainable future for our people that are no longer dependant upon continued subsidies from Governments? How can we make better use of existing resources - both human and financial? Today, I would like to explain the role of Indigenous Business Australia in the political environment. My General Manager, Ron Morony will speak on how we operate on a day to day basis. I would also like to share with you the experiences of my own community – Seisa, which is at the tip of Cape York in Queensland. Indigenous Business Australia approaches the building of an asset base for Indigenous Australians through joint venturing arrangements. We have a proven track record and have a number of existing joint ventures that involve industry experts, a local Indigenous partner and ourselves. Our expressed aim is simple ? to advance the commercial and economic interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. So what does this mean in practice? We are a statutory body established by the Parliament of Australia. We have a statutory obligation to assist and enhance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander self-management and economic self-sufficiency. We are also required to advance the commercial and economic interests of Indigenous people by accumulating and using a substantial capital asset for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our operations are subject to the direction of a Board, which I chair. The members are appointed by the Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. Importantly, the majority of our board members have a strong business background. We invest directly in business opportunities, usually through joint venture arrangements with expert industry partners. At present we have a capital base of some $80 million. We currently have some 30 investments in an extensive range of industries that include:
Through these investments we are bringing industry and Indigenous communities together. It is very much a hands-on role that has proven benefits in terms of job creation and capital accumulation. Our job is to enter into commercial ventures that have the potential to create local and sustainable economic outcomes - to provide jobs and hope for our people. Our preference for joint venturing arrangements reflects our strong belief that there are specific advantages in involving industry experts and Indigenous people. That is not to say that the joint venture model is appropriate in all circumstances and in fact, at the smaller end of the business scale, a joint venture approach would probably no be appropriate. IBA however operates at the larger end of the business scale and most of our investments are in the multi-million dollar category with significant annual turn over. Over the past few years, we have adopted a very pro-active role in targeting possible new investments within specific industry sectors. We are actively pursuing opportunities in the mining industry and mining-related services as well as tourism. These industries are ones where we believe we can play a vital, strategic role in facilitating long-term economic outcomes for Indigenous people. The mining industry and the tourism industry often operate in remote areas and offer the only realistic opportunity for the local community to get work - either directly or through related services - or to get economic empowerment - through profit sharing from contracts based on appropriate risk. In the tourism sector, IBA has invested heavily IBA does not see its investments as static. While obviously we need an income stream to produce funds for further strategic investments, it is also important that IBA moves on when our Indigenous partners are ready to take over our equity in the joint venture. We have sold down a number of successful tourism businesses that continue – most under full Indigenous ownership. These include Aboriginal arts and crafts shops in Queensland, a tour operation on Tasmania’s Gordon River and a tour boat operation in Northern Territory’s Nitmiluk National Park. Our preferred investment strategy is to provide equity finance to an established enterprise so it can expand or restructure its core business operations. We will, however, consider investing in newly established businesses provided that the new business is an expansion of the private sector partner’s core business expertise.
Preference is given to business proposals which provide employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and which provide a meaningful role for Indigenous Australians in management and decision-making. IBA experiences a number of challenges in respect of its Indigenous co-ventures once an investment has been made. Achieving active participation is often difficult. Initial enthusiasm can be lost, the movers and shakers may be replaced, the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander group participating may lack management skills and resources, and there is often lost opportunities for employment and training. These are not obstacles however – merely challenges to be addressed. I would now like to turn to the experiences of my own community of Seisa near the tip of Cape York. The community could have gone down the path of many similar communities being totally dependant upon welfare. In saying this I am not in any way reflecting on the people of those communities
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