Page 52 - Australian Defence Magazine July-August 2022

52 INDIGENOUS ADVANTAGE IDIC
JULY-AUGUST 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
really good pilot for us working together,” Barter continued. “We’re looking at using that as a catalyst for iDiC to further support the other Defence airfield work we do, as project manager or designer.”
iDiC have also entered into an exclusive relationship with Beca for Beca’s submission for the Defence Infrastructure Panel 2022-2027 (DIP), which will allow Beca to continue providing a range of infrastructure-related professional ser- vices with iDiC to the Security and Estate Group, and spe- cifically Infrastructure Division.
There is more to gain from the partnership than the ex- change of products or services, however – sharing of knowl- edge and culture is equally important. The organisations are partnering on the development of Beca’s Reconcilia- tion Action Plan and have also jointly begun the roll-out of cultural awareness information sessions, hosted by iDiC in Beca offices across Australia.
“For us, education and training are key,” Mifsud said. “Because we’re here to educate and support and train up our Indigenous businesses, yes, but we put as much effort into educating and training our clients. So, creating a safe environment where our clients don’t have to walk on egg-
to Australia as being one of the benchmarks to help inform and guide their process to improve Māori and Pasifika busi- ness participation across government contracts.
“That’s where we’re at an advantage because we’re able to have an impact across the ditch, both in Australia and in New Zealand. We’re working with iDiC and our New Zea- land business to actually share those learnings.”
As an example, iDiC is participating in Beca’s inaugural First Nations Hui (the Māori word for gathering or meeting) this September, where First Nations people from Australia and New Zealand will come together to gain a better shared understanding of how to uplift First Nations peoples.
BEYOND THE IPP
As much as Australia’s implementation of the IPP has proved an effective tool for driving demand for Indigenous goods and services, Mifsud emphasises that there is more work to be done to engage Indigenous businesses in a meaningful and holistic way.
“When you look at what the spend was before the IPP mandated that you must have ‘x per cent’ of contracts with Indigenous businesses, the spend was very, very small, and over a short period of time, it’s got to a much bigger spend, which is fantastic,” Mifsud said. “However, there are still opportunities for some government agencies, including Defence, to be thinking more about how they engage with Indigenous people and businesses. And also, how they en- gage with prime contractors, who are serious about having Indigenous businesses in their supply chain.
“If you look at what meaningful is, for us, it’s not just providing a transaction, it’s not just doing a simple job, it’s actually building capability, and ultimately building capac- ity so we can develop that capability. We’re identifying proj- ects and opportunities through which we’re able to build expertise in that Indigenous business.
“It’s also about having very open discussions. It’s not about coming in with a preconceived idea, saying ‘Okay, let’s just use an Indigenous business for one type of service’ – it’s breaking down some of those stereotypical things, where people think Indigenous businesses can only do lower-skill type services. We’re going in with an open mind and looking at what else we can do. And it’s about creating people that can move up that chain – creating careers.”
In terms of what he hopes to see from Defence in order to overcome some of the barriers to Indigenous business growth, Mifsud reminds us of the statement for Reconcilia- tion Week this year: ‘Be Brave. Make Change.’
“What we find in Defence industry, what I’ve learnt over the last six years, is that people aren’t brave. Whilst there are some very brave people wearing uniforms, they’re not prepared to make change,” Mifsud said. “Often, you’ll find people that we have dealt with in Defence directly are very risk-averse, and understandably, but as a result of that, aren’t prepared to go outside the way they’ve done things in the past.
“They’ll always want to go with their proven contractor who can demonstrate they’ve done x, y, z before, whereas to break down some of the barriers that are holding back – not just Indigenous businesses, but SMEs – from work- ing in the Defence sector, sometimes you’ve got to take a
“IDIC IS PARTICIPATING IN BECA’S INAUGURAL FIRST NATIONS HUI (THE MĀORI WORD FOR GATHERING OR MEETING) THIS SEPTEMBER”
shells, and feel like they can ask questions about Indigenous Australia, about our shared his- tory, about what it’s like to work in this environment.”
This knowledge sharing goes both ways.
“Beca is also sharing knowl- edge, sharing information,” Mifsud said. “They don’t mind sharing IP with us, they’re
showing us how their systems work. And we’re learning from that, it’s helping our businesses create more sustain- able and efficient systems and processes.”
FIRST NATIONS ENGAGEMENT ACROSS THE DITCH
Beca began its operations in New Zealand over 100 years ago with a strong connection to local Māori community.
Its ‘Kanohi Māori’ strategy seeks to align values between Te Ao Māori (The Māori World) and Beca both internally, in the way Beca operates in day-to-day life, and externally, in its approach with government and Māori clients alike.
Since expanding into Australia 50 years ago, Beca has sought to incorporate the same understanding and respect towards the histories and cultures of First Australians here.
However, with New Zealand a little behind Australia in its formal targets for Indigenous procurement, Beca’s parent company is now drawing from the learnings of its Australian subsidiary to establish its own best practice for engaging First Nations businesses.
“In Australia, we’ve had formal policies put in place to try to improve and increase social outcomes, with the IPP which has been in place since 2015,” Cameron Menzies, General Manager – Clients and Markets at Beca said to ADM. “In New Zealand, they haven’t had that for as long, it’s only been about three years. And their equivalent of Supply Nation – which is called Amotai – is really looking