Morrison Government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy delivers Indigenous tech business boom

Joint media release

The Hon Stuart Robert MP

Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business

The Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP

Minister for Indigenous Australians

The Morrison Government is delivering on its commitment to increase opportunities for Indigenous businesses, with $188 million in contracts being awarded to Indigenous small to medium enterprises (SMEs) through the Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) marketplaces.

The Government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP), introduced in 2015, aims to provide Indigenous Australians with more opportunities to participate in the economy and to significantly increase the rate of purchasing from Indigenous enterprises.

Since 2018, almost 600 contracts have been awarded to Indigenous SMEs through the DTA’s Digital, Hardware and Software marketplaces, with a 1300% increase in contracted value from 2018–19 ($13M) to date ($188M).

Minister for Employment, Workforce, Skills, Small and Family Business, Stuart Robert, said these figures demonstrate the significant value government procurement platforms like the DTA’s Digital Marketplace bring for SMEs.

‘The DTA’s marketplaces are making it easier for Indigenous sellers to showcase their services, and in turn, assist government agencies in delivering better government services for Australians,’ Minister Robert said.

Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, said driving more Government annual spend into Indigenous businesses was vital to economic advancement for Indigenous Australians.

‘The increased contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses through the DTA’s marketplaces demonstrates the success the IPP has had,’ Minister Wyatt said.

‘These contracts embed Indigenous businesses into our supply chains and will help them grow and prosper, leading to more jobs and increased opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.’

The DTA works in close partnership with the National Indigenous Australians Agency to drive awareness, participation and growth for Indigenous SMEs to access and win work across government.

The DTA’s marketplaces make buying and selling digital goods and services for government easier. These marketplaces offer a range of products for hardware, software, telecommunications, digital consultancies, data centres and cloud.

For more information about the DTA’s marketplaces, visit the Buy ICT website.

For more information about the Indigenous Procurement Policy, visit the National Indigenous Australians Agency's Indigenous Procurement Policy page.