Pathway for Victoria Aboriginal Businesses not certain, but definitely familiar.

An intimate snapshot of the Victorian Indigenous business sector.

It's February 2020 and Streetfeast is just about to launch their premium Indigenous inspired beer, Jarrah Boy. Dale a Monaro/Ngargo man, is the founder of Streefeast along with his wife Jenni, are extremely optimistic. 

It's been 7 years since Dale left his high paying job as an executive chef here in Melbourne. He put down the early rises and late nights and went all out on a food truck, almost in a 'Chef' inspired leap of faith. 

Fast forward to this year, Streetfeast has served over thousands of Indigenous inspired meals. Catering for high-end corporate board rooms, weddings, private functions and even at your local farmers market. 

Melbourne, the cultural capital of Australia, gives precedence to such creative and inspiring people such as the Vocales.

Dale's surname is a toast to his Italian roots, which I'm sure shines through his innate ability to cook, serve and make you feel at home, even if you are waiting in line at his truck on the hastings foreshore in the middle of winter. 

This year was to be the year, grinding out the long winters and of course the summers which come and go too fast. The hard work was about to pay off, with the new business in the pipeline: Indigenous inspired craft beer. Dale was about to go from working in the business to working on the business, in a major way.

Everything was falling into line, with preorders and expressions of interest filling up the inbox, branding was complete and an ice-cold Jarrah Boy was about to find it's way in your hand on a late sunny day in Melbourne. The timing was everything. 

Then came the virus. For Victoria, Melbourne in particular, things didn't go according to plan. Mixed messages from news, government and global advice, it became difficult for the family of seven from Wallan to discern what was truth and what was up to date. 

Tower lockdowns, hotel quarantine, "don't wear a mask" to then "wear a mask", everyone's health was a concern. But for the Vocales, putting food on the table became the priority.  

With all this in the background, Dale's attention was on the commercial lease he took out to house both Streetfeast and Jarrah Boy.

Dale, as any good entrepreneur would do, began to pivot the offerings of the business, meal drops offs, pre-cooked meals for the elderly and picnic baskets for families. 

These tactics had near to no margin or any margin at all. Dale was seeing his hard work, his leap of faith, his legacy and family income generator slowing swirl down the economic drain. 

He isn't alone. 

Earlier this year the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce released a report outlining the economic impacts of COVID 19. 

The report also covered the trajectory of the Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander marketplace. Kinaway which had at the time 150 certified Indigenous businesses shared that 22% of those members immediately ceased operation in March 2020. 

The future didn't look promising either.

The chairwoman of Kinaway, Ms Milward, stated, “We expect that figure to have increased significantly by now with the survey predicting that by the end of May 58% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned businesses in Victoria would be closed,”

“Nearly every business surveyed said they would not remain operating beyond three months of the March lockdowns.”

I spoke with ten other Indigenous entrepreneurs, to see how they were doing. For the sake of keeping peoples identities private, I have given generic names.

Medical Supply Company 

The years have been nothing short of turbulent as in 2015, the Indigenous Procurement Policy opened the door to a new opportunity. Already providing first aid training in Victoria, this little business based in Metro Melbourne saw a door and started knocking. 

The coffee catch-ups, endless panels and tradeshows generated a network of people you've had a yarn with, but seemingly no business ever took place.

When COVID hit, the biggest problem was keeping up with the supply. Due to the fact that the business was a couple of years old, capability, capacity and track record, however small, still existed, and those old relationships now turned into quotes which turned into invoices.

Missing the boat: 

Other businesses I spoke with were unable to get their foot in the door leading up to COVID for various reasons.

This meant when procurement teams were scouring for social enterprises including Indigenous providers those businesses were deemed "not proven" enough to provide at such large quantities. 

"Everybody grows but me" - Queen Victoria 

Five out of the Ten Aboriginal businesses I spoke with at the time said they will be moving interstate once border restrictions have eased. 

Three of those businesses have already moved since the initial conversation.

One of the businesses had just won a life-changing contract here in Melbourne. This would have been the cornerstone of growth for the coming 2-3 years. 

Once COVID hit and the restrictions came, that contract was rendered useless. Forcing the business owner to pivot into consulting and a boutique-style service firm, letting go nearly the entire workforce. 

When I asked, "Will you return to Melbourne brother?", He stated, "I can't afford to".

The business owner mentioned flexibility, mobility and mental health as reasons to migrate out of the state. 

Another business I spoke with is a second-generation Aboriginal family-owned and operated enterprise, a rarity in our space. Only retaining 5% of her sales revenue, with machines, staff and a lease to pay. Each day is ticking towards closure.

For our Aboriginal and Torres Strait businesses including my own, we can only cling to optimism. Many of our businesses have originated to take part in the Indigenous Procurement Policy or the various state equivalents, like the Victorian Social Procurement Framework. 

Originally stemmed from the 2015 IPP, many businesses have flourished and the overall market has enjoyed steady growth. 

This recession as announced by Mr Dutton, will be a very difficult and unique challenge to the Indigenous Business sector, something we will have to take on together. 

Resilience is truly and rightly associated with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and ancestors. We need to channel that more than ever, into our businesses, families and communities.

The final question I asked my fellow business owners who were staying in Victoria, "Although a return to Country has always been a goal, what has COVID taught you?"

All of them cited that a return home would be prioritised as sooner, rather than later. Some have been away from Country for over twenty years. 

In our culture, no one wants to return home with nothing, whether sporting achievements, the arts, abroad or interstate as a corporate professional. 

A return with something justifies the sacrifice though the majority of us may return empty-handed, we return with knowledge, networks, experience and a greater sense of appreciation for our sacred soil, rivers, mountains, plains and seas. 

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https://isaaclharrison.substack.com/people/4887930-isaac-l-harrison

ILH