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Indigenous people must avoid relying on government to "fix" their social and economic problems and take a leading role in driving sustainable economic development, a national Indigenous Business, Enterprise and Corporations Conference at The University of Western Australia was told this week.

"We become problems to be ‘solved', rather than people with hopes and desires for the future, and ideas about how to get there," National Congress of Australia's First Peoples Co-Chair Jody Broun said.

"As First Peoples, we need to assert our right to control our destinies. We have a right to control our own institutions, make decisions for ourselves and tailor services to our specific cultural needs."

Ms Broun called for greater inclusion of Aboriginal businesses in service delivery and government procurement processes. She cited the Northern Territory Emergency Response as an example from which to learn because of issues around transparency, accountability, long-term planning and the exclusion of Aboriginal people from the decision-making process.

"The challenge is to re-orient how service delivery is delivered - with Aboriginal people having a genuine say - so it can become a development process that supports healthy, thriving communities," Ms Broun said.

"It (service delivery) should not simply be an approach of fly-in, fly-out, or ‘take the money and run'. There should be emphasis given to these businesses having a local presence, building a locally skilled workforce and at minimum leaving the community more equipped to deal with the issues they face than previously."

On the topic ‘A new way of doing business: Economic development and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples' Ms Broun said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could remain culturally strong while leading and taking part in Australia's economic development.

"It is about having that vision for the future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in this country ... valued and respected as First Peoples, strong in culture and traditional knowledge but also strongly participating and contributing to society," she said

"You can be part of that solution, you can be part of the vision - and for non-Aboriginal friends and colleagues and businesses - you equally have a really critical role to play."

The Indigenous Business, Enterprise and Corporations Conference , convened by the Centre for Social Impact at the UWA Business School , was held on 3 and 4 December 2012.

Media references

Tammy Solonec (Indigenous Media Consultant)  (+61 4) 57 877 308
Fiona Allan (Conference Manager)  (+61 8)  6488 4772  /  (+61 4) 08 645 634
Michael Sinclair-Jones (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 3229  /  (+61 4) 00 700 783