Bamaga: Indigenous Small Business Month

The Department of Youth justice, Employment, Small Business and Training (DYJESBT), in conjunction with the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP) held a corporate event to celebrate Indigenous Small Business Month on October 10 in Bamaga.

Bamaga is located 40km from the tip of Cape York. It is one of five communities that collectively form the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) at the tip of Cape York. Injinoo, Umagico (Alau), New Mapoon and Seisia communities make up the remainder of the NPA. There are regular flights to Bamaga and a regular Ferry link to the Torres Strait. Despite the tropical location the NPA region often experiences water shortages and water restrictions.

Indigenous Business Month is a nation-wide campaign held 1 - 31 October each year; 2023 is its 9th year. The theme of this year’s Indigenous Business Month is ‘To Gather, Together’ which calls upon First Nations businesses to gather, share and celebrate the power of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s economic, social and cultural contribution. It shines a light on the growing number of successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses delivering high-quality, value for money products and services across all sectors in Queensland.

The TNQ Drought Hub, Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise (SATSIE) program understands that partnering with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses unlocks economic opportunities to build stronger, more resilient businesses and communities while also delivering value for money everyday goods and services. Jennifer McHugh from the SATSIE program attended the event and invited Noel Prakash, National Head of Indigenous Business and Community.

Other attendees included local Indigenous small business owners, Bamaga Enterprise, Council, Education and Ergon representatives, Busy at Work, Local Buy, DYJESBT and DATSIP.

Following an interesting panel discussion, it was decided that next year an event that focuses on the Construction Industry will be held in both Bamaga and Thursday Island.

Image (above): Panel session in Bamaga