Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia

Despite commitment by the Australian Government to improve the economic independence of Indigenous people Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders they are the most socio economic disadvantaged group relative to other Australians. This commitment manifests in the four main strands of; 1) welfare, 2)...

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Main Authors: Pearson, Cecil, Helms, K.
Format: Journal Article
Published: International Foundation for Research and Development 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3761
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author Pearson, Cecil
Helms, K.
author_facet Pearson, Cecil
Helms, K.
author_sort Pearson, Cecil
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Despite commitment by the Australian Government to improve the economic independence of Indigenous people Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders they are the most socio economic disadvantaged group relative to other Australians. This commitment manifests in the four main strands of; 1) welfare, 2) installation of the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme, 3) legislation enabling Traditional Land Owners and miners to negotiate agreements for training and employment of Indigenous people, and 4) programmes to encourage Indigenous entrepreneurship. This paper reports an Australian Indigenous entrepreneurial business (furniture making) initiated by the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu people in East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. These Indigenous people are employed in timber milling and transporting the milled timber to Gunyangara on the Gove Peninsula where it is dried and used to make furniture. Overcoming the literature documented barriers to Australian Indigenous entrepreneurship compelled the Gumatj to develop a business model with potential to foster pathways for other Indigenous small business endeavours.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-37612017-01-30T10:33:53Z Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia Pearson, Cecil Helms, K. Furniture manufacturing Entrepreneurship Indigenous Australia Aboriginal Despite commitment by the Australian Government to improve the economic independence of Indigenous people Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders they are the most socio economic disadvantaged group relative to other Australians. This commitment manifests in the four main strands of; 1) welfare, 2) installation of the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme, 3) legislation enabling Traditional Land Owners and miners to negotiate agreements for training and employment of Indigenous people, and 4) programmes to encourage Indigenous entrepreneurship. This paper reports an Australian Indigenous entrepreneurial business (furniture making) initiated by the Gumatj clan of the Yolngu people in East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. These Indigenous people are employed in timber milling and transporting the milled timber to Gunyangara on the Gove Peninsula where it is dried and used to make furniture. Overcoming the literature documented barriers to Australian Indigenous entrepreneurship compelled the Gumatj to develop a business model with potential to foster pathways for other Indigenous small business endeavours. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3761 International Foundation for Research and Development fulltext
spellingShingle Furniture manufacturing
Entrepreneurship
Indigenous
Australia
Aboriginal
Pearson, Cecil
Helms, K.
Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia
title Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia
title_full Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia
title_fullStr Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia
title_full_unstemmed Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia
title_short Indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: The Gumatj venture in Northern Australia
title_sort indigenous entrepreneurship in timber furniture manufacturing: the gumatj venture in northern australia
topic Furniture manufacturing
Entrepreneurship
Indigenous
Australia
Aboriginal
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/3761