Indigenous business peak opposes changes to Victorian procurement policy

Indigenous business peak opposes changes to Victorian procurement policy 7 August 2019 – Statement from the Board of Kinaway Chamber of Commerce The recent decision by the Victorian Secretaries Board to unilaterally change the Victorian Government’s Indigenous Procurement policy is ill-conceived and has occurred without consulting the Victorian Indigenous business community. The decision, to include Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations (TOCs), in future calculations of the Victorian Government’s 1% Indigenous procurement, is strongly opposed by over 100 Indigenous businesses represented by Kinaway Chamber of Commerce. We have today issued a position statement declaring the inclusion of ACCOs and TO groups in the State procurement targets as lazy policy making, driven by a need to demonstrate State adherence to national benchmarks with little thought to the consequences for an emerging Indigenous business sector. We point out the enormous difference between for-profit businesses managed by Indigenous…