Across the Indigenous business community in New South Wales, a conversation is growing louder. It is a conversation about integrity, accountability, and whether the systems designed to support and protect First Nations businesses are truly delivering on that promise. The NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce (NSWICC) is not stepping back from that conversation. We are leading it. Certification should mean something. That is not simply a statement of principle. It is the foundation upon which NSWICC has built two decades of work on behalf of the Indigenous business community in this state.
NSWICC's approach to certification is deliberate and distinct. We certify the business, not the individual, and we audit every member business quarterly — not once, not annually, but four times a year. This is not a box-ticking exercise. It is a rigorous, ongoing process designed to ensure that the businesses carrying the NSWICC Assured certification are genuinely majority Indigenous-owned, controlled, and operated. Twenty years in, with over 500 certified Indigenous businesses and more than 60 partners across New South Wales, NSWICC has earned its standing the hard way: with rigour, not volume. That distinction matters enormously. A certification system that prioritises the number of businesses it onboards over the quality of its verification processes does not protect the Indigenous business sector, it exposes it.
There is growing frustration across the Indigenous business community about who is legitimately claiming Indigenous business status, and whether existing certification systems are genuinely promoting and protecting authentic businesses — or inadvertently allowing the exploitation of a framework that the NSW Government has committed to through Priority Reform 5 of the Closing the Gap agenda. That frustration is not a criticism of the government's commitment to Priority Reform 5. It is a call for the implementation to match it. Priority Reform 5 is a significant and meaningful commitment to strengthening economic participation and self-determination for First Nations people. But a policy commitment only delivers real outcomes when the certification and compliance infrastructure supporting it is robust enough to withstand scrutiny and resist exploitation. When that infrastructure has gaps, it is Indigenous businesses that pay the price - crowded out by non-Indigenous operators who have found ways to game the system, and left to compete on an uneven playing field. It is exactly why NSWICC's audit process exists and it is why we keep pushing on behalf of our members for stronger accountability when the system falls short.
When NSWICC certifies a business, the assessment goes well beyond a declaration of heritage. The process examines three core questions:
| Assessment Area | What NSWICC Examines |
| Decision-Making Control | Who is making the key decisions in the business? Is it the Indigenous owner, or is control held by a non-Indigenous third party? |
| Delivery of Work | Who is actually delivering the services or products the business is contracted to provide? |
| Financial Control | Who holds financial authority within the business? Where does the revenue flow? |
These questions are not incidental. They are the difference between a business that is genuinely Indigenous-owned and operated, and one that has adopted an Indigenous identity for commercial advantage - a practice known as black cladding. Black cladding does not just harm individual Indigenous businesses. It erodes the trust and goodwill of the government agencies, corporate partners, and procurement teams who are genuinely trying to do the right thing.
NSW Indigenous businesses deserve more than a certification that looks good on paper. They deserve a certifying body that genuinely backs them - one that audits, advocates, and holds the line. That is what NSWICC is here for, and it is the standard we will keep pushing for across government and industry. This means continuing to advocate for stronger compliance mechanisms within the NSW Aboriginal Procurement Policy. It means calling out the gaps when we see them, and working constructively with Aboriginal Affairs NSW, the National Indigenous Affairs Agency (NIAA), and the National Indigenous Business Chambers Alliance to drive the systemic reforms that the sector needs.
Whether you are a certified Indigenous business in NSW, thinking about joining NSWICC, or have run into real challenges navigating the NSW Aboriginal Procurement Policy, we want to hear from you. Every story of a business that has been undercut by a non-compliant operator, every experience of a procurement process that fell short, and every example of the policy working as it should - these stories are the evidence base for our advocacy. They are what we take into rooms with government and industry when we push for change. Together, we can push for the accountability, reform, and genuine compliance that Indigenous businesses in this state deserve. Together we are strong.
Learn more about NSWICC Assured Certification: nswicc.com.au
Get in touch: If you have a story to share or want to find out more about joining NSWICC, contact us directly through our website.