Tuesday 4 September, 2018
The fourth annual Indigenous Business Month this year will celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in business, to coincide with the 2018 NAIDOC theme Because of Her, We Can.
Throughout October, twenty national Indigenous Business Month events will take place showcasing the talents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women entrepreneurs from a variety of business sectors. These events aim to ignite conversations about Indigenous business development and innovation, focusing on women’s roles and leadership.
Indigenous Business Month is an initiative driven by the alumni of Melbourne Business School’s MURRA Indigenous Business Master Class, who see business as a way of providing positive role models for young Indigenous Australians and improving quality of life in Indigenous communities.
Since the launch of Indigenous Business Month in 2015, [1] the Indigenous business sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia delivering over $1 billion in goods and services for the Australian economy.
Jason Eades, Director, Consulting at Social Ventures Australia and Indigenous Business Month 2018 host said:
“It is a privilege to be involved in Indigenous Business Month, to be able to take the time to celebrate and acknowledge the great achievements of our Indigenous entrepreneurs and their respective businesses. Indigenous entrepreneurs are showing the rest of the world that we can do business and do it well, whilst maintaining our strong cultural values.”
The latest ABS Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey 2014-15 shows that only 51.5 percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women participate in the workforce compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men at 65 percent.
The Australian Government has invested in a range of initiatives to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women entrepreneurs in the work-place including: [2) Continued funding for girls’ academies in high schools, so that young women can realise their leadership potential, greater access to finance and business support suited to the needs of Indigenous businesses with a focus on Indigenous entrepreneurs and start-ups, and expanding the ParentsNext program and Fund pre-employment projects via the new Launch into Work program providing flexibility to meet the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Michelle Evans, MURRA Program Director AND Associate Professor of Leadership at the University of Melbourne said:
“The Indigenous Business Month’s aim is to inspire, showcase and engage the Indigenous business community. This year it is more significant than ever to support the female Indigenous business community and provide a platform for them to network and encourage young Indigenous women to consider developing a business as a career option.”
Indigenous Business Month runs from October 1 to October 31. Check out the website for an event near you (spaces are limited).
The initiative is supported by 33 Creative, Asia Pacific Social Impact Centre at the University of Melbourne, Iscariot Media, and PwC.
For more information on Indigenous Business Month visit
• The Website www.indigenousbusinessmonth.com.au
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Linkedin
#IndigBizMth
For all media enquiries contact
Marguerite Barbara
PR & Communications Manager
33 Creative
Marguerite@33creative.com.au
(02) 9516 3466.
References:
[1] Indigenous businesses one of the fastest growing sectors. Wednesday, 11 April 2018 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. From: https://pmc.gov.au/news-centre/indigenous-affairs/indigenous-businesses-one-fastest-growing-sectors
[2] Commonwealth of Australia, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Towards 2025 A Strategy to Boost Women’s Workforce Participation, 2017.
From: http://womensworkforceparticipation.pmc.gov.au/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-women
