WA’s Indigenous business sector is eager to diversify into defence to latch onto job opportunities coming through the AUKUS partnership.
Western Australia’s Indigenous business sector is eager to diversify into defence to latch onto job opportunities coming through the AUKUS partnership.
Among those is The Cryogenics Group director Marcia Edwards, who told a Supply Nation and Waalitj Hub-hosted event on Thursday AUKUS presented opportunity for Aboriginal businesses to partner with companies around the world.
Cryogenics Group supplies cryogenic equipment primarily to the medical sector at present but is eager to diversify into defence.
Ms Edwards said better visibility over the exact nature of defence contracts on offer, rather than broad “maintenance roles” postings, would help indigenous businesses direct their capital and training focus.
Bidi Facility Services business development director Joel O’Driscoll said defence procurement’s onboarding process for indigenous businesses could be improved.
Waalitj Hub community development general manager Troy Cook said broad interest in defence was yet to take off among indigenous businesses.
“It is only a small group of businesses there looking at the opportunity in defence so we have to see where some of those businesses are… and what is required to be considered for a provider in defence,” he said.
“It is a challenge and a shift in some of those businesses.
“We have some people on the ground trying to work with government and those sort of corporates who are involved that area so we can see whether the [Waalitj Hub] can support what they are focused on in the First Nation space.”
The above views were shared as fresh Supply Nation data revealed Western Australia was doing the heavy lifting for indigenous procurement in the nation.
Supply Nation’s State of Indigenous Business WA snapshot found the state accounted for 36 per cent of national spend with Supply Nation vendors, about $2.1bn.
The mining sector accounted for the lion’s share of that spend with some $1.1bn in 2024-25.
WA was also a leader on supporting female-owned indigenous business, with $708m procured from such firms, accounting for almost half of the national total. Some $572m of that came from the mining sector.
“That is an incredible achievement,” Supply Nation chief executive Kate Russell told the forum.
“It shows Aboriginal women are having a profound impact and continuing to drive economic power, and the greater self-determination of the state.”
Structural barriers for small businesses were identified as a core concern – with Supply Nation members showing a preference for businesses with turnover exceeding $10m, despite 87 per cent of indigenous enterprises being classified as small or medium in scale.
Geography was also noted as a concern in WA – About three quarters of the $2.1bn spent in 2024-25 was awarded to city-based companies.
Supply Nation has 1,244 suppliers and 84 members in Western Australia.
