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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-18 Daily Xml
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Aboriginal Economic Development

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:32): I seek leave to make a brief explanation—

The Hon. I.K. Hunter: Were you interjecting?

The PRESIDENT: No, you're finished. I have called the Hon. Mr Wade.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Minister, if they don't want to listen to your answer, we will go to the next question. The Hon. Mr Wade.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: This is outrageous.

The PRESIDENT: No, it's not outrageous; let them speak in silence.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation in relation to Aboriginal economic development.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: Supply Nation is a business broker that integrates small to medium-sized Indigenous businesses into the supply chains of Australian companies and government agencies. In last year's budget, the Treasurer announced that the government would spend $360,000 over four years to 'support a partnership between Supply Nation and local Aboriginal enterprises'. This partnership would 'lead to greater economic participation for Aboriginal South Australians'.

The budget measures statement explained that the funding would be provided to Supply Nation, who would then assist the state's Aboriginal businesses to identify and secure contracts to improve employment opportunities within Aboriginal communities. The budget measures statement also indicated that around 20 per cent of the total allocation ($75,000) would be spent in the 2014-15 financial year.

During the budget estimates process, the then minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation added that as part of this initiative, the government would be 'negotiating and funding Supply Nation memberships for key South Australian government agencies and assisting Supply Nation to have an increased presence in South Australia'. My questions to the minister are:

1. Can the minister advise the council of the value derived from the Supply Nation funding, in particular how many businesses owned and operated by members of South Australian Aboriginal communities has Supply Nation assisted since the budget announcement last June?

2. In how many of these cases has the assistance helped the business secure a contract with a government agency or a non-government company or led to new employment opportunities for local Aboriginal people?

3. How many South Australian government agencies have registered with Supply Nation since the budget announcement last year?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (14:34): I thank the honourable member for his question. We are, as a government, working with Supply Nation and we are also working with the Industry Capability Network in relation to an Aboriginal business register. I can undertake to the honourable member that, when there is a review done of how the program is going and what targets it has met, I will inform the honourable member of the results of that review.

The PRESIDENT: Supplementary, Mr Wade.

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