First Nations-owned businesses supplied 36 per cent more in the past financial year, the latest data shows.
Nearly 150 First Nations enterprises out of a total 535 Indigenous suppliers did business with Queensland for the first time ever. The total value of goods and services jumped by $118 million according to the State Government.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Craig Crawford believes the Queensland Indigenous (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Procurement Policy (QIPP) promises a “level playing field” for First Nations businesses. QIPP was established in 2017 to help First Nations businesses navigate through the government tender process.
“The State Government invests billions of dollars on a wide range of goods and services in our state every year, and it is important that we invest those funds wisely,” he said in a public statement.
“The value of a dollar goes far beyond the products or services that we buy – it is an investment in local jobs, local communities, better services and strengthening business capacity.”
State Employment and Small Business Minister Di Farmer said over the past year, QIPP experienced a big increase in the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses supplying to government for the first time.
“In the 2021–2022 financial year 535 First Nations businesses supplied $440 million in goods and services to the Queensland Government, up from $322 million for the whole of the 2020-2021 financial year,” she said.
“That includes 149 First Nations enterprises who did businesses with the Queensland Government for the first time.
Since fiscal 2021 the value of government procurement invested with First Nations businesses increased from 2.03 per cent to 2.58 per cent.
QIPP also helped the State Government procure more than $50 million of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests from two separate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned businesses.
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