Aboriginal Economic Development Strategy
Karabena Consulting were contracted by atticusnow to assist with the delivery of a report on an Aboriginal economic strategy, funded by and for the City of Melbourne.
Who funded the project
The City of Melbourne is the location for around a quarter of all employment in the greater Melbourne area including the great majority of high value jobs. While the City has been heavily impacted by COVID-19, it is likely to spring back strongly over the next year or two and will continue to be the largest employment zone and a home to innovation and future industries. Given this scale and centrality, it is critical for Aboriginal people to have effective access to these employment and enterprise opportunities if economic inclusion is to be improved. Indigenous people and businesses can also contribute unique elements in building a stronger and more sustainable city economy.
Karabena Consulting was contracted to assist the City of Melbourne develop a four-year Indigenous economic development strategy. To achieve this, Karabena:
facilitated a number of workshops with Kinaway Board and Aboriginal business owners,
provided training to Kinaway staff to undertake interviews, and
provided expert feedback on the report delivered to the City of Melbourne.
The main outcome of the project was the delivery of the report which outlined the needs of Aboriginal business owners in Melbourne which will hopefully lead to longer term impact for Aboriginal businesses should the recommendations be taken up by the City of Melbourne.
Summary
The objectives of the project were:
To assist the City to develop an Indigenous economic development strategy for the next four years
To give more detailed consideration to the development of an Indigenous Business Hub as part of this strategy
To work in partnership with the Indigenous business community
Project Aims
As part of this work, Karabena:
Facilitated a number of workshops with Kinaway Board and Aboriginal business owners
Provided community researcher training to Kinaway staff to undertake interviews with key stakeholders identified by atticusnow
Provided expert feedback on the report delivered to the City of Melbourne.
Methodologies
The training of Kinaway staff as community researchers helped to expand their skillset.
Karabena Consulting strongly advocated for the recognition and financial compensation of Aboriginal business owners through the project.
Methodological outcomes
Karabena contributed the following:
3 workshops
Training of 3 community researchers
Report of recommendations
Outputs
The main project outcome was the delivery of the report which outlined the needs of Aboriginal business owners in Melbourne which will hopefully lead to longer term impact for Aboriginal businesses should the recommendations be taken up by the City of Melbourne
Project Outcomes
City of Melbourne, Aboriginal business, economic development, Kinaway,atticusnow