Media Release – National Blak Chamber Summit August 29, 2022
On Monday 29 August 2022, the current and operational Indigenous Chambers of Commerce and Industry from across the Nation met on Ngunnawal country to unite as a collective for the ‘Rise of the Blak Economy’. Together, we committed to collaboration, to impact, and to unite and form a national peak body. Representing thousands of majority owned Indigenous business members across the nation, the Indigenous Chambers, as a collective, is the authority on Indigenous business and economic development. With a grassroots and placed-based approach, our Chambers reflect Indigenous decision-making and sovereignty.
The collective confirmed our definition of an Indigenous Business to be majority owned, managed and controlled – 51% or greater. This will be applied across the nation, and we call for Government and Corporates to adopt this definition. We have declared that cultural protocols are central to everything we do. We have committed to action and will meet again in Darwin, on Larrakia Country during Indigenous Business month from 11-13 of October. We have established a Working Group to consider an appropriate constitution and at this meeting we will elect our representative Board and governance structure moving forward. At this critical meeting we will declare our national priorities for Indigenous economic reform. As the only self-determining Indigenous-owned, Indigenous-led, and elected Indigenous representative body, the national peak body will be the authentic and legitimate authority in this space. We will be unapologetic in our mission to create impact. We welcome the opportunity to partner with Government and Industry to support our sovereign approach that will Close the Gap for our people.
For more information, please contact Naomi Anstess on 0400 397 664 or email naomia@ntibn.com.au.