Minister's Message

Welcome to the Northern Territory Indigenous Economic Development Forum.

Firstly, I wish to acknowledge the traditional owners, the Larrakia people, on whose country we are meeting.

This is the third of three planned Indigenous Economic Forums aimed at inspiring and strengthening the partnerships between the Government, Indigenous Territorians and other stakeholders in the NT economy.

The Forum's charter is clear - to help drive economic progress for Indigenous Territorians through developing business partnerships, forging new relationships and sharing knowledge and experiences to achieve dramatically improved levels of sustainable economic development.

The discussion over Indigenous economic development has been elevated to the highest priority since the first Forum in 2003. Simply put, any improvements in key Indigenous indicators such as health and education can not be sustained over the long term without sustainable economic activity and employment.

We have learned over the last few years about how mainstream industries like mining and construction can do better to employ Indigenous people and spin off Indigenous businesses. We are continuing to learn about how new ways of doing business - such as cultural tourism, research and environmental services can take advantage of the unique relationship between Aboriginal people and their land and waters.

This years Forum, 'Partnerships and Pathways', was developed to share the lessons and successes from the past few years. We have a lot to celebrate but we also have a long way to go. One thing we see confirmed again and again is that it is only in partnership between Indigenous people, Government and the private sector, that real progress can be made.

This is the challenge we face and it is fitting and appropriate that the third IED Forum should build on our previous efforts and concentrate on pathways to jobs and business, and partnerships to achieve employment and business outcomes.

I would like to thank our sponsors and partners for helping to make this event a success through their generous assistance, in particular our platinum sponsors; TIO, Indigenous Business Australia and The Indigenous Land Corporation.

I am particularly proud of the support provided by my department and its significant role in implementing the government's commitment to maximising existing and future opportunities for Indigenous participation in the Territory economy and I would like to take this opportunity to thank the officers within my Department for their commitment and professionalism in bringing these Forums together.

The Hon. Kon Vatskalis, MLA
Minister for Business and Economic Development