Subject - Business
First Nations Business Guide
Torrens University Australia acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
Torrens University Australia respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present.
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Featured database
Informit Indigenous Collection includes expert-curated research from sectors such as business, health, law, engineering, humanities and science.
- Informit: Indigenous collection This link opens in a new window
An interdisciplinary full-text collection with an emphasis on Indigenous communities in Australia, New Zealand and beyond. It offers a broad scope of informed scholarship related to Indigenous culture, health and human geography.
Key Journals & Newspapers:
Australian Aboriginal Studies - Journal of The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and is published twice yearly by Aboriginal Studies Press. Each issue contains three or four scholarly articles, accompanied by Research Reports, Book Reviews and News and Information.
Journal of Australian Indigenous Issues - is a peer reviewed academic journal publishing articles in all fields of Australian Indigenous Studies.
SBS NITV channel - News, entertainment & current affairs on issues affecting Indigenous Australians.
Some of the key ebooks available
Reclaiming Indigenous Governance by
This volume brings together the experiences, reflections, and insights of practitioners confronting the challenges of governing, as well as researchers seeking to learn what Indigenous governing involves in these contexts. Three things emerge: the enormity of the Indigenous governance task, the creative agency of Indigenous peoples determined to pursue their own objectives, and the diverse paths they choose to reach their goal.
Publication Date: 2019
First Knowledges Innovation : Knowledge and Ingenuity by
In the first book to detail Indigenous innovations in Australia, Ian J McNiven and Lynette Russell showcase this legacy of First Nations peoples and how they offer resourceful ways of dealing with contemporary challenges that can benefit us all
Publication Date: 2023
First Knowledges Law by
Law: The Way of the Ancestors challenges readers to consider how Indigenous law can inspire new ways forward for us all in the face of global crises.
Publication Date: 2023
OECD Rural Studies Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development in Australia by
Indigenous Australians play an important role in the development of regional economies. Compared to the non-Indigenous population, Indigenous peoples are more likely to be located in predominantly rural regions. However, significant gaps in socio-economic outcomes with non-Indigenous Australians remain and these gaps are larger in rural regions. The report provides three key recommendations to improve economic outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
Publication Date: 2020
First Knowledges Country : Future Fire, Future Farming by
The First Knowledges series provides a deeper understanding of the expertise and ingenuity of Indigenous Australians.For millennia, Indigenous Australians harvested this continent in ways that can offer contemporary environmental and economic solutions.Bill Gammage and Bruce Pascoe demonstrate how Aboriginal people cultivated the land through manipulation of water flows, vegetation and firestick practice. Not solely hunters and gatherers, the First Australians also farmed and stored food. They employed complex seasonal fire programs that protected Country and animals alike. In doing so, they avoided the killer fires that we fear today.Country: Future Fire, Future Farming highlights the consequences of ignoring this deep history and living in unsustainable ways. It details the remarkable agricultural and land-care techniques of First Nations peoples and shows how such practices are needed now more than ever.
Publication Date: 2021
Clan and Tribal Perspectives on Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainability by
From the Indigenous perspective, sustainability must be understood as a means of survival. Breaking fresh ground by shining a light on sustainability journeys from outside the global mainstream, this book demonstrates how sustainable recovery and development occurs in respectful collaboration between equals.
Publication Date: 2021
Aboriginal Sports Coaches, Community, and Culture by
This book is the first to celebrate the stories of this group of Aboriginal mentors and leaders and present them in a form that is accessible to both academic and general audiences. In this book, Aboriginal sport coaches from all over Australia share stories about their involvement in sport and community, offering insight into the diverse experiences of Aboriginal people in settler colonial Australia.
Publication Date: 2020
The Welcome to Country Handbook : A Guide to Indigenous Australia by
The Welcome to Country Handbook by Professor Marcia Langton AO is your accessible introduction to First Nations Peoples, histories and cultures. Drawn from the bestselling Welcome to Country, this guide is essential reading for every Australian, and an excellent resource for cultural awareness training in the workplace or classroom. The chapters cover precolonial and post-colonial history, language, kinship, knowledge, art, performance, storytelling, native title, the Stolen Generations, making a rightful place for First Australians and looking to the future for Indigenous Australia.
Publication Date: 2023
Dark Emu by
Dark Emu puts forward an argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer tag for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians. The evidence insists that Aboriginal people right across the continent were using domesticated plants, sowing, harvesting, irrigating and storing - behaviors inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag. Gerritsen and Gammage in their latest books support this premise but Pascoe takes this further and challenges the hunter-gatherer tag as a convenient lie. Almost all the evidence comes from the records and diaries of the Australian explorers, impeccable sources.
Publication Date: 2015
A First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution by
This book makes the legal and political case for Indigenous constitutional recognition through a constitutionally guaranteed First Nations voice, as advocated by the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart. It argues that a constitutional amendment to empower Indigenous peoples with a fairer say in laws and policies made about them and their rights, is both constitutionally congruent and politically achievable.
Publication Date: 2020
Engaging Indigenous economy : debating diverse approaches by
The engagement of Indigenous Australians in economic activity is a matter of long-standing public concern and debate.
Publication Date: 2016
Indigenous Knowledges by
Depth ecology, personal and collective narratives along with other ways to deliver research design and teacher education are considered through the lens of Indigenous Knowing in this unique community of academics at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.
Publication Date: 2021
Labour Lines and Colonial Power : Indigenous and Pacific Islander Labour Mobility in Australia by
Drawing together historians, anthropologists, sociologists and geographers, this book critically explores experiences of labour mobility by Indigenous peoples and Pacific Islanders, including Māori, within Australia. Locating these new expressions of labour mobility within historical patterns of movement, contributors interrogate the contours and continuities of Australian coloniality in its diverse and interconnected expressions.
Publication Date: 2019
The Little Red Yellow Black Book by
Originally published in 1994, The Little Red Yellow Black Book has established itself as the perfect starting point for those who want to learn about the rich cultures and histories of Australias First Peoples. Written from an Indigenous perspective, this highly illustrated and accessible introduction covers a range of topics from history, culture and the Arts, through to activism and reconciliation.
Publication Date: 2019
Original Australians by
Everything you'd like to know about Aboriginal Australia past and present, presented in an accessible, authoritative and straightforward style. An updated edition of a national bestseller.
Publication Date: 2019
Fatal Contact by
Fatal Contact explores the devastating infectious diseases introduced into the Indigenous populations of Australia after the arrival of the British colonists in 1788. Epidemics of smallpox, tuberculosis, influenza, measles and sexually transmitted diseases swept through the Indigenous populations of the continent well into the twentieth century. The consequences still echo today in Aboriginal health and life expectancy.
Publication Date: 2021
Websites
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Supply Nation - Supply Nation provides Australia’s leading database of verified First Nations businesses
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Barayamal - First Nations Entrepreneurship - An organisation dedicated to fostering social, environmental and economic development in First Nations entrepreneurship.
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Reconciliation Australia - Includes resources on developing a Reconciliation Action Plan, First Nations governance information & Reconciliation Barometer.
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United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
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ANTAR - National advocacy organisation for First Nations rights, justice and respect.
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ATNS: Agreements, treaties and negotiated settlements - includes information on current negotiated treaties as well as Traditional Owner led projects in such areas as climate change, nation building and economic development.
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Lowitja Insititute - Aboriginal Community Controlled organisation that researches health, leadership, data governance, Closing the Gap reports & climate change.
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Diversity Council Australia - Includes articles and resources on diversity and inclusion for Aboriginal and Torrens Straight Islander people in business and the workplace.
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ArtsLaw Australia - Information about Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights in Australia.
Government
- Indigenous Business Australia - IBA was created to assist and enhance the economic development opportunities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across Australia.
- Starting an Indigenous business in Australia - Federal Government support website for First Nations businesses in Australia.
- National Indigenous Australians Agency - government agency that leads and influences change across government to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in the decisions that affect them.
- AIATSIS - maintains a collection of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural and historical resources. Also provides cultural education resources for teaching, family history resources and research ethics approval.
- Australian Government. Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations -
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ORIC is an independent statutory authority that supports and regulates First Nations businesses that are incorporated under the CATSI Act.
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Aboriginal Social justice arm of the AHRC provides research & reports on social justice, First Nations rights and Closing the Gap.
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ORIC - Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
Reports & Articles
Topics include: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Economic development, Government targets.
- Monem, R., & McDonald, H. (2023, Jun 1). Closing the First Nations employment gap will take 100 years. The Conversation.
- Nakata, M. (2007). The cultural interface. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education. 36(1).
- Australian Audit Office. (2020). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Participation Targets in Major Procurements.
- Shirodkar, S., Hunter, B., & Foley, D. (2018) Ongoing growth in the number of Indigenous Australians in business. [CAEPR working paper].CAEPR ANU.
- NIAA. (2024). Indigenous procurement policy.
- - sets targets for Indigenous business contracts and Indigenous employment participation for Commonwealth portfolios
- Jarrett, D. (2021). What makes Indigenous business unique?. Supply Nation Report.
- Koori Mail (2019, Oct 23). Business could learn a lot from Indigenous practice.
- PwC Indigenous Consulting. (2023, Feb 13). The economic contribution of Indigenous business sector is growing.
- Davids, A., & Jepson, G. (2021). What I’ve learned: Developing sustainable and high-impact NFPs for First Nations Australians. Company Director, 37(5), 74–76.
- Cameron, M. (2023). First nations renewable partnerships power up. Australia’s Paydirt, 1(321), 60.
- Hunt, J., & Bauman, T. (2022). No more business as usual: the need for participatory Indigenous development policy and skilled practice. Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.
- NIAA. (2024). Employment and economic development.
- OECD. (2019). Indigenous Employment and Skills Strategies in Australia Report.
- Lowitja Institute. (2024). Close the Gap Campaign Report 2024: Voyage to Voice, Treaty, Truth and Beyond - Report includes information on leadership, governance & building Indigenous economies.
- Reconciliation Australia - Acknowledgement of Country and Welcome to Country.
Australia's First Nations business sector expected to boom | ABC News (2023, Jan 17)
Statistical Resources
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ABS -
- Estimates and Projections, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians,2011-2031
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, 2018-19
- NIAA. (2018). The Indigenous business factsheet.
- - provides data on the number of Indigenous businesses operating in various industry sectors in Australia.
- Polidano, C., Evans, M., Moschion, J. and Martin, G. (2022). Indigenous business and snapshot study 2.0. The University of Melbourne.
- - provides definitions and key terms of Indigenous business. Data collected from various sources.
- Maiam Nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collective. (2024). Taking Control of Our Data: A Discussion Paper on Indigenous Data Governance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People and Communities. Lowitja Institute.
Cultural Safety
Cultural safety involves creating an environment where First Nations people feel respected and empowered to make decisions for themselves. In a culturally safe workplace or learning space, shared experiences are valued, and racism and unconscious bias are actively confronted and addressed.
The following resources provide advice and information on establishing a culturally safe environment for First Nations People.
- The Lowitja Institute for the Close the Gap Campaign Steering Committee. (2024). Close the Gap report—‘Our Choices, Our Voices’.
- Victorian Department of Health. (2023) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural safety.
- 2023 Cultural safety in health care for Indigenous Australians: monitoring framework
Research, data governance & cultural safety
The following resources provide information and guidance on using First Nations data in research.
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Heckenberg, Sadie (2019) Cultural Safety in Indigenous Research
- Ethical Conduct in Research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Communities: Guideline for Researchers and Stakeholders, 2018, National Health and Medical Research Council
- Maiam Nayri Wingara . First Nations data sovereignty collective.
- Care principles for Indigenous data governance.
- AIATSIS Ethical research guidelines
New titles
Teaching Aboriginal Cultural Competence : Authentic Approaches
Hill, B., Harris, J., & Bacchus, R. (Eds.). (2020).
Routledge Handbook of Indigenous Wellbeing
Fleming, C., & Manning, M. (Eds.). (2019).
Sorry and Beyond : Healing the Stolen Generations
Butler, B., & Bond, J. (2021).
Aboriginal Fields of Practice
Prehn, J., Krakouer, J., Fernando, T., Phelan, P., Russ-Smith, J., & Wheeler, A. (2021)
Indigenous Knowledges
Tarquam McKenna; Donna Moodie ; Pat Onesta (2021)
Labour Lines and Colonial Power : Indigenous and Pacific Islander Labour Mobility in Australia
Victoria Stead & Jon Eltman (2019)
Original Australians
Josephine Flood (2019)
First Knowledges Country : Future Fire, Future Farming
Bruce Pascoe, Bill Gammage, and Margo Neale (2021)
The Welcome to Country Handbook : A Guide to Indigenous Australia
Marcia Langton (2023)
Dark Emu
Bruce Pascoe (2015)
First Knowledges Innovation : Knowledge and Ingenuity
Ian J. McNiven & Lynette Russell (2023)
First Knowledges Law
Marcia Langton & Aaron Corn (2023)
Torrens Reconciliation Action Plan
Torrens University First Nations guide and Reconciliation Action Plan
