The latest IBA e-newsletter is live! This edition shares inspiring stories about our amazing customers, along with events, workshops and information about how we can help customers in times of financial difficulty.
Check out the stories featuring:
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Did you know that IBA offers so much more than just providing loans? Even before you put in an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a home loan, we are here for you.
IBA’s Home Ownership program offers a series of workshops which provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are interested in home ownership, with the information and tools to move forward.
The workshops are an excellent opportunity to ask questions and gain valuable knowledge and confidence to navigate the process.
“Workshop attendees will better understand IBA’s home loan products, the assessment process including timeframes, home loan eligibility criteria and how to identify potential barriers and use the information to get financially ready.” says IBA’s Jenny Pepper, , who runs many of the workshops.
“Completing a home loan application takes time and effort to gather and collate information. By providing the option to find out more information through our workshops, our customers are in a better position to prepare themselves well for home ownership.”
“Thanks heaps for the information,” says recent IBA Home Ownership workshop attendee Catelyn. “This will be helpful in moving forward and planning ahead. It brings me hope that home ownership is possible if I follow the right steps”.
Catelyn is looking forward to learning more, and putting this learning into practice. After the first workshop she also signed up for ‘Create a Budget' and 'Understanding Credit' workshop.
Another attendee Tiffany, agrees. “‘We enjoyed the session and it has given us the confidence and information to continue to work towards home ownership in the next 18 months.”
Workshops are mainly run online, customers are beginning to recognise the benefits these workshops provide and have been attending in droves, with average 30-50 per session. From time-to-time we also offer face-to-face workshops in limited locations.
Workshops include:
Find out about IBA’s workshops
Check out the second installment of the new vodcast series that we're partnering on with Black Magic Woman! In this episode, host Mundanara Bayles yarns with educator and community leader Tanyah Nasir on beautiful Larrakia country.
Black Magic Woman explores issues of importance to First Nations people and communities. and we've partnered on a number of episodes with topics from housing, business, youth, women, investing, financial literacy, economic development and COVID-19 recovery.
Episode 106 features Tanyah Nasir, a Darwin woman with connections to the Garrawa, Djugun, and Tiwi language groups. Tanyah is an educator with over 25 years’ experience, and prides herself on understanding the approach and methodology required to achieve success as Indigenous people.
Her program - 'Rise Up' provides a unique opportunity for First Nations people to reflect on their distinctive lived reality and the issues they encounter on a daily basis. The Rise Up program also facilitates critical thinking and self-reflection to encourage and support personal change and social transformation to create the life they want.
Black Magic Woman is accessible on all major platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) today announced that applications are open for an exciting opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, girls and sistergirls. Interested female-led Social Enterprises can apply for a partnership under the ‘Social Enterprise Grant’ that will support First Nations female entrepreneurs to innovate and create economic security in their communities.
With support from the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, IBA will deliver $2.7 million of grant funding in 2023 through partnerships with Australian Social Enterprises who are, or work with First Nations women in business. The goal is to support the economic empowerment of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander women, girls and sistergirls.
Opportunities for the grant include business focused programs, building networks, employment readiness or workplace coaching to increase economic empowerment. The grant can also be accessed to support economic security focused initiatives such as financial wellbeing and planning, and selfcare initiatives that support First Nations women to continue to be financially secure while managing family and community obligations.
The grant may be used for establishing innovative platforms and systems that support the delivery of programs or connecting networks, and for the upskilling and training of First Nations staff in partnering enterprises.
Stella de Cos, Southern Arrernte woman and IBA Director of Community and Customer Experience, says the grant program will drive positive change for our women around the country.
“This partnership brings an amazing opportunity for First Nations female entrepreneurs and female-led community organisations to continue to innovate and solve economic issues facing First Nations women and their communities.
“Women are the strongest pillars of many of our First Nations communities. Empowering them builds opportunities to continue the positive impact and change they drive.
“I encourage our First Nations women in business who feel this grant could make a difference to their communities, and improve the economic security of First Nations women, to go to the IBA website and find out more.”
The grants are an initiative of the Early-Stage Social Enterprise Foundation announced in the Women’s Economic Security Package of the 2021-22 Federal Budget.
Applications for the grant open 16 January 2023 and will close 30 August 2023, unless funds are exhausted earlier.
More information and online grant applications at www.iba.gov.au/socialenterprisegrant.
Media contact: Tara Toohill, 0427 011 938 or tara.toohill@iba.gov.au
We recently caught up with South Australian home loan customers, Dylan and Jen. They were delighted to share their positive experience with IBA and what being in their own home means to their family. They wanted a bigger home for their growing family and were weary of the insecurity of renting. Since getting in touch with IBA they haven’t looked back.
"It was a real achievement to buy a house," says Jen. "And we're not just a number to them (speaking about IBA). They shared in our excitement. I'm happy, we're happy. it's exactly what we wanted."
Zakpage, a First Nations creative agency, produced this lovely video where Dylan and Jen show their home and tell their story.
Check out the gorgeous artwork Dylan stands in front of towards the end of the video. Three paintings were gifted to his parents by Warlpiri artist Aileen Long, which in turn have now been gifted to him and his siblings. So, it was an extra-special moment for Dylan when he was able to hang it in his own family home.
If like Dylan and Jen, you'd like to buy your own home, first check out IBA's free workshops to find out about budgeting and understand what it takes to start the process.
When Elandra and Azra moved into their Rockhampton QLD home in April this year, they couldn’t be happier with their well-deserved purchase.
It was the first time the recently married couple had lived together. So reluctant were they to spend money on renting while they reached their savings goals, that Elandra continued to live with her parents and Azra boarded, until they bought their home.
Kabal Barada woman Elandra, who works as a Registered Nurse at an emergency medical centre says, “We got engaged and then we got to start looking for a place to live. We heard about IBA and registered an EOI.”
It was several months before they were added to the waiting list, but Elandra says that continued support from IBA throughout kept them going.
“IBA told me I had to get my savings up before I could go any further. So, then we had a goal in mind and IBA helped us with strategies to get there. IBA even checked in with us after a few months to see how we were going and trying their very best to help us reach the goals.”
They also used this time to go to open homes and see what they could buy with their budget.
The savvy couple chose a future-proofed home with lots of room to grow.
They acknowledge that IBA’s low deposit requirements helped them get the home they dreamed of. “Without IBA we would have had to wait much longer before we could buy what we wanted. With IBA we were able to buy somewhere to move right in,” says Elandra.
Elandra and Azra don’t do things by halves - and got married the same fortnight as their completion. They moved in after they got back from honeymoon and are excited with this start to begin the rest of their lives together.
“Every cent we spend is going to our mortgage. It’s really nice, knowing it’s going to our future, not paying someone else’s mortgage.
“Now we can build our lives together - and if we want to, we can build on the home.”
While the home didn’t require any immediate work, Teacher’s Aid Azra is a keen gardener and in their spare time they’re working on the outside area and making it an entertaining space.
“IBA was really helpful throughout and was really in our corner,” says Elandra. “If anyone else is thinking about buying a home through IBA I would say - go for it. We didn’t think we would get this beautiful home. If that’s your goal, you can achieve it.”
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) launched their 2nd Impact Report at an event in Sydney on 6 October 2022. Joined by the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Linda Burney MP, and a panel of customers, IBA celebrates by hearing directly from those impacted through home ownership, business, and investments.
The framework of the report is an innovative initiative designed to provide a baseline for understanding IBA’s external footprint and the ripples of impact from IBA’s activities on the lives of First Nations people in Australia.
The report shows that each of IBA’s core programs (home ownership, business, and investments) had overall significant positive economic, social and cultural impacts on the people IBA serve.
IBA sought to better understand how our customers define “success” and ultimately to confirm if IBA was a key enabler and facilitator of achieving those aspects that make up how a full experience of life is assessed, that is, from economic, social and cultural perspectives.
The report provides five key recommendations that can assist IBA to maximise its positive impact, minimise the negative impacts and help continue to enable and support Indigenous-led economic advancement.
Gija woman Kia Dowell is the Executive Director of Strategy & Innovation at IBA. Kia has been involved from the beginning to create the framework for the impact strategy. She notes the importance of investing in First Nations people to create continuing impact and intergenerational wealth.
“The decisions we make today will impact the lives of generations to come.
“The ability to recover, rebound and continue to have impact that First Nations communities have shown is testament to our resilience and tenacity to overcome hardship and come out stronger.
“IBA are invested in the long-term success of our customers so that positive change can continue to flow on for generations to come.
“This report reveals how IBA provides a doorway to the economy for peoples who have traditionally faced exclusion from such opportunities. But the report recognises that it is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who walk through the door and make the most of their opportunity. Indeed, they are the stars of the report.”
Natt Smith went through the IBA process and bought her first home in 2002, with an IBA home loan. As her property grew in value, it provided her security and economic independence.
‘Home ownership was the grounding that’s supported me to do all that I do including the confidence to get better jobs.’
‘I came to understand that my home could be a source of equity, that it could create future wealth and options.’
‘It has really started a whole new life cycle for me. And what I didn’t realise is that it’s not just about owning a home, it’s actually about making an investment in bigger things – in a future.’
The Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Linda Burney MP, says IBA is one of the key ways for government to deliver business support and improve access to opportunities for First Nations business owners and first home buyers.
IBA has played an important role in helping First Nations people navigate through a difficult few years of COVID, fires and floods.
“IBA is a proven model for generating economic independence by investing in people, places, and ideas – the latest Impact Report shows this.
“I want to see IBA continue to assist with increased home ownership, increased business ownership, and economic growth and independence for Indigenous Australians.”
Find a copy of the report on a website highlighting the key findings: iba.gov.au/impact-report-2021
Images from the launch event are available.
Media contact: Tara Toohill 02 9207 6362 or tara.toohill@iba.gov.au
The SX5 Group will host a special ceremony on Thursday 4 August to welcome a new dozer machine to the country – a first of its kind to be used in Australia. The Cat D10T2 Dozer will be used to rehabilitate mine sites on Aboriginal land.
The ceremony includes important cultural and spiritual significance. Elders from Noongar and Yinhawangka country will welcome all onto their land with a Welcome to Country, smoking ceremony and blessing of the machine.
SX5 is an Aboriginal owned contracting company in Eastern Guruma country in the Pilbara of Western Australia. They provide services to companies in the area such as mine site building, manufacture and installation, mobile concrete batch plant operations and site rehabilitation.
Company directors, Ralph and Cherie Keller of SX5 Group, and Kenzie Smith, of the Eastern Gurama group have earned trust with the local Traditional Owners of the Pilbara region of which Kenzie is a respected senior elder.
The new dozer arrived from the USA and had to be factory fitted to take remote and semi-autonomous dozing systems. This will allow SX5 to fulfill their aspirations, allowing them to enter into the semi-autonomous operations by removing the operator from the machine – reducing the risks of this high-risk mining waste dump re-construction.
This factory fitted equipment to this D10T-2 is the first step followed by the equipment and training in remote dozing operations. SX5 hopes to be in remote operations by the first quarter of 2023.
Mine site rehabilitation is a critical aspect of the business for SX5. Ralph Keller explains the importance of from an Aboriginal perspective.
“We’re making things green again, making Country good again. We’re making Country feel better,” said Ralph.
“We’ve always been a great believer in technology,” he says. “What makes us different is SX5 continues to reinvent itself every day. It’s all about technology. That’s how you achieve excellence and how you mitigate risk – and our journey into the autonomous operation world is one example.”
For businesses to work on large scale contracting projects, they need to have the cashflow and performance bond guarantees. IBA’s Chief Executive Officer Kirsty Moore notes the importance of supporting First Nations businesses with opportunities so they can be part of these large projects.
“Putting the regeneration of Country back in the hands of First Nations companies like SX5 is smart business and we’re so glad to support their efforts,” says Kirsty Moore.
“IBA provides leasing opportunities to First Nations businesses so they can acquire critical capital equipment without tying up large amounts of cash that is needed to cover the operating costs of the business.”
“The new equipment has stepped up the production and quality of work that the business has been able to achieve, by using equipment that is purpose built for the task.”
“SX5 is a great example of a First Nations business transforming their opportunities to work with big business – all while restoring Country and being trained in new technology.”
Background info: iba.gov.au/2021/12/rehabilitating-country
Media contact: Tara Toohill 02 9207 6362 or tara.toohill@iba.gov.au
About IBA
IBA is a commercially focused organisation. Economic independence for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is at the heart of what we do. Our programs assist Indigenous Australians to buy their own homes, be successful in business, and invest in commercial ventures that provide strong financial returns. IBA is established under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Act 2005 (ATSI Act) and is a corporate Commonwealth entity for the purposes of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act). IBA resides in the portfolio of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and is accountable to the Australian Parliament through the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Linda Burney MP.
About SX5
The SX5 Group is based in Western Australia and provide a vast range of services to the resource industries throughout the Pilbara. The group of companies is 51% Aboriginal owned and has AS/NZS ISO 9001, AS/NZS 4801 and AS/NZS ISO 14001 Certification. With a corporate office in Perth and the Pilbara office/yard/workshop situated in Karratha, the group is well situated to provide exemplary service to the Pilbara region as well as service our clients in Western Australia. The SX5 name comes from the brand applied to the stray cattle that were mustered by Director Kenzie Smith’s family and allowed to sell themselves – which set them up on an entrepreneurial path.
Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) announce partnership with Black Magic Woman under an arrangement with BlackCard Pty Ltd, a 100% Aboriginal owned business.
The series will produce a set of podcasts and vodcasts featuring women in business that build conversations around economic empowerment, safety and social justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women.
Influencer Mundanara Bayles is the host and creator of the Black Magic Woman series, produced by BlackCard. Mundanara is connected to the Wonnarua and Bunjalung people on her mother’s (Northern NSW) side and the Birri-Gubba and Gungalu people (Central QLD) on her father’s side.
The 2022-23 series will produce 10 pod- or vodcasts with a focus on First Nations women, their journeys and experience. This follows the successful 2021-22 series which featured inspiring entrepreneurs such as fashion designer Liandra Gaykamangu, sailing tour operator Simon Thornalley, and Australian mother and daughter creatives Miimi & Jiinda owners Lauren Jarrett and Melissa Greenwood.
The Black Magic Woman series provides inspiration and connection to its vast online audience and has delivered 93 episodes with more than 90,000 downloads.
The podcast is produced by Clint Curtis who has worked with First Nations people for over a decade, initially working with Mundanara’s father, Tiga Bayles, producing talk shows and sound design for visual and audio media, including the audio book “River Story” by Uncle Ross Watson.
“It’s an honour to be working with Mundanara and IBA, having an opportunity to contribute to amplifying First Nations voices which help create awareness that leads to much needed change in this country,” says Clint.
The partnership taps into IBA’s Strong Women Strong Business network that supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in business.
“You’ll hear from IBA customers who lead the way in achieving their dreams and embracing the unique opportunity to go on their business journeys,” says Mundanara.
IBA Director of Community and Customer Experience Stella de Cos says the partnership is an important element of continuing to highlight the outstanding work of our First Nations women as entrepreneurs and business owners.
“The Black Magic Woman series feels like you’re sitting around the kitchen table having a yarn. Mundanara connects to her guests with ease so we can hear their true authentic story,” says Stella.
“This partnership supports strong Aboriginal businesses to further share other strong voices to inspire our mob to follow their dreams.
“Encouraging women to share their stories sparks new ways of thinking about financial independence of our women, and promotes the possibilities we’ve generated over thousands of years,” Stella says.
Watch out for the episodes coming out later this year. You can listen to all the past episodes here: iba.gov.au/2021/08/iba-and-black-magic-woman-podcast-partnership-series.
Media contact: Tara Toohill 02 9207 6362 or tara.toohill@iba.gov.au
Destination NSW Media Release, 17 Jun 2022:
The National Indigenous Art Fair will return to the Sydney Harbour foreshore July 2-3 to showcase creations from First Nations artists and makers from around Australia for its third annual art market.
The art fair, which launches NAIDOC Week 2022, takes place at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks. The event provides Sydneysiders with the opportunity to buy ethical, authentic art directly from the artists, and it includes a two-day festival of Indigenous Australian art, song, dance, communal weaving, smoking ceremonies, bushfood and culture.
“The National Indigenous Art Fair symbolises an incredible gathering of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives, with many travelling from the far corners of Australia — places like Haasts Bluff, the Tiwi Islands and Yuendumu. The event presents a rare and exciting opportunity for the broader community to interact directly with the makers and hear their stories,” said Peter Cooley, CEO of First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, founders of the event.
He noted the National Indigenous Art Fair is the first Indigenous art show to run live again since COVID struck two years ago. “So, we’re kicking off the live Indigenous art fair scene around Australia to a massive Sydney market who are keen to get out and experience the art and atmosphere.”
From artworks to fashion, from jewellery to homewares, and from native dyed textiles to children’s puzzles, these inventive artisans are exemplars of sustainability, working closely with the resources found in their own environment, and weaving Care for Country and creativity into one.
Officially welcoming these 22 remote art centres to Sydney, local artists, designers and makers from Australia’s leading authentic First Nations marketplace – the Blak Markets – will join them in the Overseas Passenger Terminal. In total there will be 50 stallholders at this ethical marketplace, with all proceeds going directly back to the artist and First Nations communities.
NSW regional and remote Indigenous art collectives join us for the first time
“This year, in addition to inviting remote art centres, the art fair will support seven NSW regional and remote Indigenous collectives and artists to get to Sydney to connect them with the local marketplace,” said Mr Cooley.
“Australia-wide mobs have done it tough these past two years with the pandemic. And the NSW mob have also been impacted by fires and floods. Through the art fair, we want to come together in Sydney, highlight some of the good stuff that’s come out of these disasters and showcase our resilience. It will be great to have these NSW collectives alongside us for the first time at our art fair,” he added.
As well as all the inspirational art and design stalls, the National Indigenous Art Fair presents an impressive program of live cultural and performance experiences, running from 10am to 5pm each day.
Early arrivals each morning will have the opportunity to participate in poignant Indigenous smoking ceremonies and join a procession into the National Indigenous Art Fair, watching as each stall is blessed and cleansed.
Once inside, attendees will be able to enjoy singing performances by Mi-kaisha, Nadeena Dixon and Djinama Yilaga Choir and performances by Ngaran Ngaran Culture Awareness Aboriginal Dance Group and Wagana Dancers.
Panel discussion to highlight issues impacting Indigenous communities
On Sunday afternoon, there will be a panel discussion to tie in with the NAIDOC Week theme, Get Up, Stand Up, Show Up, with traditional owners, Indigenous leaders and artists talking about issues impacting their remote communities.
“Topics include the importance of protecting homelands with Babbarra artists, how fracking and mining have impacted their remote communities and their work as artists (Juluwarlu and Munupi), and the importance of Indigenous organisations taking charge in times of disaster as we saw at the Koori Mail with the Lismore floods,” said Mr Cooley.
For those wanting to get hands-on, there is a unique opportunity to work alongside local Aboriginal weavers on a communal weaving project. Children’s activities will also be a highlight, with storytelling in the sand circle, and a kids’ dance and craft workshop offered on Sunday.
On the bushfood front, Indigenous chef Matthew Atkins will conduct cooking demonstrations at his food truck at the event, offering up a delicious bushfood feast, and the folks from IndigiGrow nursery will be selling a variety of native bushfood plants and herbs.
“With all of this available for a gold coin donation on entry, the National Indigenous Art Fair has to be the best value day out for Sydneysiders of all ages in history, not to mention an unmissable opportunity to kick off Sydney’s NAIDOC Week celebrations in style,” concluded Peter Cooley.
This third annual event is presented by National Indigenous Art Fair founders, Sydney-based First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation, in proud partnership with the following organisations: the Port Authority of NSW, ABC Radio, University of Technology Sydney, the City of Sydney, and support from the federal government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program and Indigenous Business Australia.
For more information, visit niaf.com.au/Facebook event. The Overseas Passenger Terminal is easily accessible by public transport and on foot from Circular Quay.
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MEDIA: A selection of high-resolution images is available for download here.
For media interviews, call: Kim Carter (0407 771 698).
ABOUT
First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation (FHS) was established in October 2012 with a mission to build empowered, resilient Indigenous communities through cultural reconnection, education, employment and enterprise. FHS combines social innovation, cultural protection, education and social enterprises to close the gap for Indigenous people.
FHS has two arms: a community programs branch and a social enterprise arm where the corporation operates two ventures. The first, IndigiGrow, is a native plant nursery based in Sydney’s East, which provides employment and training to young Aboriginal people in the critically endangered plant species of their community. The second initiative is the Blak Markets, a micro-business hub for Indigenous artists, designers and craftspeople, providing them with the opportunity to earn and learn from the marketplace.
NIAF builds on the Blak Markets’ model by providing remote Indigenous art centres with the chance to participate and learn from the marketplace and collaborate with others nationwide. In the lead up to the art fair, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from remote communities will travel to Sydney, thanks to support from First Hand Solutions’ Heart in Art program, which provides economic and professional development opportunities to Aboriginal artists working in remote communities. During their time in Sydney, artists will be connected to major art and cultural institutions.
