A group of resources-focused Indigenous businesses will be flown from WA to India this weekend to latch onto opportunities in the Asian giant’s nascent mining sector.
A group of resources-focused Indigenous businesses will be flown from WA to India this weekend to latch onto opportunities in the Asian giant’s nascent mining sector.
Perth USAsia Centre will lead the eight-business-strong delegation alongside the Chamber of Commerce and Industry WA and Indigenous Emerging Business Forum to Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata.
Among those will be Daniel Tucker’s Carey Mining Group, the Oakley-Nicholls family’s Moombaki Indigenous Services, and dump truck conversion specialist Electric Power Conversions Australia, run by Clayton Franklin.
They will be joined by cleaning products manufacturer Woollhara Group, safety gear provider Safespear, conveyor parts builder Reels Manufacturing Group, and The Cryogenics Group.
Oil and gas-focused Bunbara’s co-director Nikky Barney-Irvine, who will also attend the trip, said the trip was a chance to network and improve cultural understanding.
“We do all of Australia, we can do Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, but I think with everything going overseas, especially a lot of these big companies doing their stuff overseas, we need to get to them and say we are here,” she said.
“For us to get over to India, which is going to be a huge market within Australia, and just show them what we can do, so they can work with us, will be huge.
“I think they will understand that our cultures are very similar, and they'll want to be working with us, and we'll want to work with them.”
Ms Barney-Irvine said the trip would help Indian businesses wanted to work in Australia understand Indigenous business services too.
During the trip the delegation will attend India’s largest mining conference
Participants of the Indigenous business trip to India. Photo: Tom Zaunmayr
Perth US Asia Centre research director Kate O’Shaughnessy said India was on track to be the world’s third biggest economy by the end of the decade.
“There is huge opportunity stemming from India’s growth, so it’s vital that First Nations businesses are part of the growing Australia-India trade and investment relationship,” she said.
CCIWA international trade head Michael Carter said the trip would connect businesses with opportunities in India.
“India’s mining industry is turbo-charging its economy – now is the time for Western Australia’s world-class mining and services sector to get involved in this dynamic market,” he said.
The trip was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
