Indigenous Business and Employment Hubs

Four Hubs, funded through the National Indigenous Australian’s Agency (NIAA) are open in Perth (WA), Adelaide (SA), Western Sydney (NSW) and Northern Territory (NT).

The Hubs provide wrap-around support to First Nations businesses including:

• mentorship
• business advice
• training
• access to financial services.

They work to ensure First Nations entrepreneurs and businesses are supported on their journey to become long-term and sustainable enterprises.

The Hubs improve connections between First Nations people to government services, employment and procurement opportunities. They also work to help connect First Nations business owners with non-Indigenous organisations and investors, and leverage procurement opportunities with Commonwealth, State and Local Government agencies and industry.

The Hubs are designed to be a culturally safe and inclusive place for First Nations entrepreneurs and business owners to access business support, work and meet clients in person and on-line.

The Hubs are delivered in close collaboration with the state and territory governments to ensure First Nations businesses have a seamless experience.

The Hubs provide a range of services including business advice, tendering assistance, training and seminars and access to office space.

The range of support on offer can include (but is not limited to):

• incubation and start up support, which can be tailored to young entrepreneurs and women
• back office administration and cash flow management
• short-term office space, hot-desking and meeting spaces for networking and collaboration to facilitate business activities
• connections to access financial and capital support, including microfinance, concessional loans and guarantees, performance bonds, and de-risked finance products
• marketing support including support to improve profiles on Supply Nation’s Indigenous Business Directory
• tendering, pre-qualification and contract execution support
• advice for First Nations businesses looking to establish joint ventures
• advice on importing and exporting, and international investment
• links to industry and relevant networks, including local chambers of commerce (First Nations and mainstream), workshops and events
• providing a culturally-safe space for women to seek tailored advice, speak about financial matters, receive mentoring from other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, and be supported to take on entrepreneurial opportunities while also fulfilling caring and cultural responsibilities
• information on education including financial literacy, certificate business courses, tertiary education and other post-graduate possibilities
• advice and referrals to other private sector, mainstream or relevant business support programs and initiatives.

The Hubs are accessible for:

• start-up and established First Nations owned enterprises
• First Nations people wanting to start, sustain or grow a business
• employers/corporates who have First Nations employment and supplier use targets under state and territory and Australian government procurement policies, and/or who have their own First Nations sub-contracting and employment aspirations.

There is no cost for First Nations people accessing support services through the Hubs.