Missing in the Treasurer’s read‑out: Where did Indigenous business and Native Title go?

After a three‑day national economic roundtable in Canberra, Treasurer Jim Chalmers issued a public statement on the issues raised. According to The Indigenous Business Review, the statement did not mention Indigenous people, business or jobs, land rights or Native Title reform.

The same report notes that First Nations economic roundtables had been held around the country earlier in the month with the stated aim of informing the Canberra meeting, yet “on Thursday afternoon the Treasurer made no mention of Indigenous issues”.

Kimberley businessman and Indigenous community figure Wayne Bergmann criticised the omission. He said that “having meetings and not having Indigenous representation from some of the key sectors which drive the economy is a failure”.

Bergmann also argued that First Nations people are driving major economic development in regional and remote Australia, and that a large part of national wealth is derived from industries operating on Indigenous land where Native Title or other Aboriginal interests apply. He said “you can’t create productivity in some of the major growth sectors without the conversation about Indigenous interests”.

He described the task for decision‑makers as a “mammoth challenge” given the damage caused by centuries of exclusion from the economy, adding that social programs are being asked to make up for more than 200 years of exclusion. He said the Prime Minister’s words at Garma were welcome but argued the next step failed to engage Aboriginal people and businesses as part of the economic conversation, compounding that legacy.

A day earlier, at Supply Nation Connect 2025 in Sydney, the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, highlighted the scale of First Nations enterprise, saying First Nations businesses contribute over $16 billion a year and employ more than 116,000 people. She also pointed to the Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP), Indigenous Business and Employment Hubs, and the First Nations Clean Energy Strategy as current levers.

The Minister said that since 2015 more than 79,000 contracts with a total value above $12.6 billion have been awarded to over 4,400 Indigenous businesses, and foreshadowed IPP changes including stronger eligibility, higher targets, easier avenues to report black‑cladding and implementation of Australian National Audit Office recommendations.

Together, the reporting on the Treasurer’s roundtable statement and the Minister’s policy remarks set the factual context for a continuing debate:

How Indigenous business and Native Title issues are reflected in national economic forums and in their public read‑outs.