Independence and sustainability … A better future for Indigenous Australians presented by Foresters ANA Mutual Society and The Centre for Aboriginal Independence and Enterprise

The current situation … Years of solutions aimed at helping Indigenous Australians have created dependency on passive welfare. The health of our Indigenous Australians is below third world standards and many people are living in significant poverty, disconnected from the benefits of mainstream Australia. The current solutions are just not working.

Why doesn’t welfare work? Welfare creates individual dependency, a breakdown of self reliance, and loss of self respect. Welfare dependency is not a choice among many, but in many cases the only choice. Sadly, social and economic under-development permeates many Indigenous communities. These communities lack opportunities for employment, education, health care, business and enterprise development.

Case in point For entire communities, welfare dependence creates artificial economies. In one regional community in Queensland, approximately $2 million in welfare payments flows into the town each fortnight. However, because the community does not have any locally-owned businesses, this money flows back out to businesses in the surrounding areas. This creates a leaky bucket of resources and reduced opportunities for local residents.

What will work? It is time to find creative and locally-responsive ways to plug the holes in the leaky bucket and circulate resources in local areas. We need to develop genuine partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and leverage the existing successes and skills of all involved. We need to transfer control and responsibility for Indigenous Affairs to Indigenous people. Our vision is to develop locally-owned and developed economies that are sustainable, and economies that build the financial, social, emotional, cultural and environmental health of Indigenous communities.

New thinking … Foresters ANA Mutual Society (Foresters) and The Centre for Aboriginal Independence and Enterprise (CAIE) seek to establish an Indigenous Community Economic Development Company (ICEDC). The company will develop strong Indigenous communities and local economies across Queensland and it will be governed and operated by Indigenous people for Indigenous people.

New thinking … The ICEDC will revitalise underinvested communities by focussing on individual asset building, social business and community enterprise, and community asset building. Training to build community-owned economies will be provided to Indigenous people so they can support and encourage local people to create community projects and employment opportunities.

New thinking … Some of this work is already occurring in Indigenous communities across Queensland. The ICEDC will harness the power of community development finance to increase the scale and impact of this work.

Building blocks … The ICEDC will hold a trust of combined funds from Government, corporate and philanthropic sources. The funding goal is $20 million by the end of 2009 which will create a perpetual core of funds sustained by investment interest.

Building blocks … It will take three to five years to establish the program, develop the organisational framework, train the directors and employees, and source sufficient investments. The fund will be governed by The Directors of the ICEDC and Foresters will provide community development finance expertise.

Proven outcomes … In Central Queensland, a community economic development organisation has provided flexible and individual training to develop the capacity of local Indigenous people to engage in local enterprise development. This has created 11 Indigenous businesses in across a range of trades such as carpentry and plumbing.

Proven outcomes … In the Cairns Hinterland, investment in an Indigenous-owned arts business has created opportunities for local artists to compete with internationally-owned and run art companies. Local artists and elders are producing and selling their works and precious rainforest culture is being preserved and passed on to new generations through demand for local works and cultural knowledge.

Community Finance.... These businesses require the specialised financial products and support to assist them to grow their business beyond the life of Governments grants. This would be one of the core areas of focus for the ICEDC.

Time for action We invite you to take part in this exciting and innovative project that will create welcome and positive change in our Indigenous communities. Will you be part of the team making a positive difference for Indigenous Australians? Will you be one of the leaders to put words in to actions and see the changes take place in your lifetime? We encourage you to partner with us in this project, through investment or philanthropy, to restore hope and pride in our Indigenous Australians.