Core Project 3: Desert Biz™

An exchange between two Aboriginal tourism operators, Iga Warta and Titjikala, proved to be very successful. Both groups shared information on how to operate a business from an Aboriginal perspective and compared ways to link business and the community.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the desert economy. These businesses sustain desert communities by providing services and products, they support larger companies that operate in the desert, and they are a source of the skilled employment necessary for growth to take place. There are several important factors affecting the success or failure of a desert small business—factors that are different from those faced by a business in an urban area. Many of these factors are beyond the business’s control¹: the desert’s sparse, low-density population (only 3% of the population of Australia); coastal-centric policymaking; the difficulties in attracting and retaining quality staff²; distance to markets; and extreme climate variability. However, understanding these factors allows businesses to identify barriers to sustainability and profitability while also creating business synergies.³ This is the work of Desert Biz™.

Outcomes

• Desert people able to see more opportunities for successful businesses.
• Existing and new businesses are more successful and enduring.
• Aboriginal people more economically independent through livelihoods in and as a result of, small businesses.
• Governments and businesses creating larger regional economies through local procurement of goods and services.

Patricia Gunter at the Beltana Field Day with a display of the commercial products that she has created and is marketing—including these massage oils—as part of a bush produce small enterprise.

Project components

Auditing the business environment

The audit will determine opportunities and needs for SME
development and the business-readiness of potential SMEs.

Business impact

We are analysing the impact that businesses have on the community and the local economy in order to determine the ‘multiplier effects’ of various businesses, and identifying areas for further investment.

Action research

Carrying out action research with SMEs and communities will help us understand the critical success factors and business models that are more culturally appropriate to Aboriginal entrepreneurs and suited to desert Australia.

Participants

Fay Rola-Rubzen is a project leader in the DKCRC. Fay manages a national team of researchers working on a range of diverse projects that aim to make desert businesses more sustainable and profitable.

The project’s participants and partners are:

• Australian National University
• Charles Darwin University
• CSIRO
• Curtin University of Technology
• Australian Government Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy
• Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
• Dinahline Homeland, SA
• Far West Coast Aboriginal Enterprise Network, SA
• Griffith University
• Gunter family business, SA
• Kooniba Community, SA
• Murdoch University
• Newmont Mining
• Northern Territory Government
• Scotdesco Homeland, SA
• Southern Cross University
• Tjupan-Ngalia Tribal Aboriginal Land Council, WA
• University of South Australia
• Walkatjurra Cultural Centre, WA

<sub>Notes
1. These issues are addressed extensively in: Stafford Smith, M. 2008. The ‘desert syndrome’— causally-linked factors that characterise outback Australia. The Rangeland Journal 30 (1): 3–14.
2. Haslam McKenzie, F. 2007. Attracting and retaining skilled and professional staff in remote locations. DKCRC Research Report 21, Desert Knowledge CRC, Alice Springs.
3. Jones, M & James, C. 2006. Review of desert enterprises reliant on natural and cultural resources. DKCRC Research Report 25, Desert Knowledge CRC, Alice Springs.</sub>

For a list of Desert Biz^TM publications and presentations click here.