Indigenous Enterprise Development - Australian Government services
Indigenous Business Australia : Department of Employment and Workplace Relations : Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources : Office of Indigenous Policy Coordination
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)
Indigenous Business Development Programme (IBDP)
- business support: is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals or businesses and includes access to professional and marketing advice, support to develop a business idea, assistance to start or acquire a business, training and development of business skills and other services such as product development, assistance with business growth, feasibility studies and the provision of ongoing mentoring services.
- business finance: is available to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals or businesses and includes tailored products and services to assist with the acquisition, establishment and development of commercially viable enterprises, and access to commercial loans for eligible individuals, partnerships and corporations. The base interest rate on all loans is set at 2.5% below the average rate of banks and is reviewed every six months.
- economic development initiatives: foster the development of Indigenous business by improving the capacity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to start and operate a business. These initiatives aim to provide practical guidance on how to develop or implement business ideas and give access to tailored information and products.
- IBDP Economic Development offices: are located in Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICC’s) in Sydney, Adelaide, Perth, Broome, Brisbane, Cairns, Melbourne, Wagga Wagga and Darwin and can be contacted via a free call on 1800 804 754.
Equity and Investment Programme (EIP)
Through EIP, IBA invests directly in business opportunities with industry partners that are recognized experts within their fields. The majority of these investments are joint venture structures that involve a local Indigenous community as part of the investment. Some examples of EIP investments are:
- Tourism: includes accommodation facilities, tour companies and a cultural theme park.
Mining and Services - Includes a commercial waste transfer station, a commercial laundry, insurance brokerage and various companies associated with the provision of services to the mining industry.
- Property: includes a diversity of properties located Australia wide and includes office, retail and light industrial accommodation.
Home Ownership Programme
IBA’s Home Ownership Programme provides a range of affordable home loan finance to Indigenous Australians to help them purchase their own home. Since its establishment, HOP has assisted more than 12,000 Indigenous families to buy their own home, many of whom may not have been able to obtain a loan from a bank or building society due to their eligibility criteria and deposit requirements.
Home loans are available through HOP for the purchase of standard homes for occupancy. Loans are available for limited renovations and extensions and to assist with meeting the deposit requirements for a home loan from the private lending sector.
Home ownership is a means for building a personal asset base, equity, wealth, financial management skills and a credit history that can be used as leverage for further finance for business purposes.
Contact
- Indigenous Business Australia
- Business Development Programme 1800 804 754
- Equity and Investment Programme 02 6285 3031
- Home Ownership Programme 1800 107 107
Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR)
Indigenous Capital Assistance Scheme (ICAS)
ICAS aims to increase employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians by giving Indigenous businesses access to culturally appropriate professional and mentoring support services through a participating financial institution, namely the Westpac Banking Corporation. Financial assistance includes a declining rate subsidy over a three year period and a contribution toward bank application and establishment fees. Loans range from $50,000 to $500,000 available over a three year period in conjunction with professional and mentoring support services. Currently there are 22 Westpac ICAS officers managing the programmes in branches in all capital cities and in a number of regional locations across Australia.
Indigenous Small Business Fund (ISBF)
The ISBF provides funding for the development and expansion of Indigenous business and enterprises. Funding is provided to community based organisations to identify and facilitate business opportunities, to help start business and to provide advice or support services to assist the development of skills, markets and networks.
New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)
NEIS is considered one of DEWR’s most successful labour market initiatives, with more than 100 000 participants over more than 20 years. It is a mainstream programme that assists unemployed people to establish and operate their own business. However, special arrangements have been made to facilitate use by Indigenous people. NEIS enables participants, who are registered with Centrelink, to access three months accredited training in small business management, business skills and business plan development, business advice and mentor support, as well as access to an allowance (equivalent to Newstart, if eligible). DEWR use a range of locally-based managing agents to coordinate support for participants.
Indigenous Employment Policy
Indigenous businesses may be eligible for support under a variety of employment support initiatives, as part of the Indigenous Employment Policy, including:
Contact
- Call the Indigenous Employment Line on 1802 102
- New Enterprise Incentive Scheme 13 62 68
Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (DITR)
Through recognition of the growing demand for Indigenous tourism products, DITR through AusIndustry has introduced the Business Ready Programme for Indigenous Tourism. The programme involves the appointment of specific business mentors to work with a portfolio of approximately ten businesses to:
- provide tailored and intensive support (for up to two years per mentoring phase) to develop their management, business and strategic planning skills;
- assist individuals, start-ups and existing Indigenous tourism businesses to increase their potential for commercialising tourism product or services; and
- ensure the businesses are capable of operating successfully within the Australian tourism industry.
Currently the following six mentors have been contracted.
- South Australia Diverse Travel Australia Pty Ltd (08) 8303 3418
- Northern Territory TLE North Pty Ltd (08) 8948 5166
- Central Australia Andrew H. West and Associates (08) 8388 3830
- New South Wales Parkes Forbes Enterprise Development Centre Inc (02) 6862 5511
- Western Australia Louvel – Price Partnerships (08) 9192 7627
- Queensland Freeman Productions Pty Ltd (07) 3839 4433
The Department also compiles a complete list of ‘Australian Government Business Assistance Programmes’. This list is currently being updated.
Contact
Office of Indigenous Policy (OIPC)
Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs)
Indigenous Coordination Centres operate as whole-of-government centres in metropolitan and regional areas. 30 Indigenous Coordination Centres (ICCs) are located in metropolitan and regional locations across the country. The ICCs house staff from various departments, delivering services to Indigenous people. It is envisaged they will eventually house staff from all agencies administering Indigenous programmes.
The role of ICCs is to coordinate the delivery of Indigenous-specific and mainstream programmes at the regional level and to negotiate agreements with local communities based on the principles of partnership and shared responsibility.
Contact