BCG is a proud and long-standing supporter of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander development in Australia. We are a founding partner of Jawun, one of Australia’s leading Indigenous corporate partnership programmes, established in 2001. Through Jawun, BCG has supported more than 150 pro-bono secondments to Indigenous organisations. BCG secondees support enterprise, policy and other initiatives across diverse communities including Cape York, Shepparton, Djarkungjung (Central Coast), Redfern, East Kimberley, East Arnhem Land and the APY lands. The following article details an outcome of a recent secondment undertaken by BCG alumna Carina Stone with the Kaiela Institute.
In the Dungala-Kaiela (Murray-Goulburn) region, the Yorta Yorta people had a thriving economy built on deep cultural connections, relationships and responsibilities to the region. While their cultural legacy continues, economic participation has lagged in comparison to the non-Indigenous community since colonisation and dispossession.
This is where the Goulburn Murray Regional Prosperity and Productivity Plan comes in. The mission of the Plan is to reposition the value of First Nations people, shifting from crisis intervention and deficit mindset to an investment model to restore a thriving First Nations economy and generate shared prosperity for the region.
The Plan was launched in 2021 by the Kaiela Institute , a First Nations policy think tank on Yorta Yorta Country in Shepparton, Victoria. Updated forward estimates by Deloitte Access Economics and KPMG expect the Plan will deliver an additional $180 million in Gross Regional Product (GRP) each year and 500+ full-time jobs for the region by 2036.
It will also boost new businesses run by Yorta Yorta and First Nations peoples, and significantly reduce the costs of government and community services and interventions to Close the Gap.
In collaboration with KPMG, an investment model for the delivery of the Plan has been developed. The model involves establishing an independent Investment Fund, with re-investment linked to stage gated improvements in regional productivity and avoided costs over time. This innovative model will adopt and adapt the ‘earn-back’ principle from the United Kingdom’s City-Deals model. In the Goulburn Murray context, future GRP growth and avoided costs will repay the initial seed funding and subsequent reinvestment from government, philanthropy and corporates many times over.
The creation of business and economic opportunities is a steppingstone towards greater social inclusion and recognition of First Nations people. The benefits of implementing the GMRPPP will not only be economic but should enrich the social and cultural fabric of the Goulburn Murray region. The aim is for the Yorta Yorta and First Nations world view to be understood, valued and included as part of the region’s shared identity.
The Plan is co-chaired by Paul Briggs AO, the Chair of the Kaiela Institute and David McKenzie, the director of a local property valuation practice and director of Goulburn-Murray Water. In their respective fields and former and current leadership roles, Paul and David have a history of working to improve outcomes for the community.
Behind the Plan, sits a vision to empower First Nations and Yorta Yorta peoples, and build a strong, cohesive economy using a model developed with industry, university, local government and First Nations leaders.
“We have been looking to build a rights-based model to empowerment for First Nations and Yorta Yorta peoples. The model that we have come up with is based on the idea that if we were to close the gap on quality-of-life outcomes, there would be significant increases in productivity in the region,” Paul says.
The Plan comprises 56 initiatives, from quick wins to long-term changes. Initiatives go beyond closing the gap and crisis intervention, to lift aspirations and empower the whole community to work together to restore the Yorta Yorta and First Nations economy and create long-term prosperity. Initiatives range from approaching community leaders to pledge their support for the Plan, to developing programs to support cultural healing, and removing barriers to housing and employment.
One of the early successes of the Plan has been activating the Plan Champions – major regional employers, institutions and organisations in the region that commit to initiatives that support the goals, ambition and philosophy of the Plan.
“The Plan provides a safe environment for all sorts of conversations. It allows us to meet organisations at whatever stage of their journey they are at. All we are looking for are willing partners to be part of working on a better future, making our economy work better, making our community come together in a more fulsome and meaningful way,” David says.
The Plan’s success so far can be attributed to the strong partnerships and social licence that Paul, David and others have built over many years and the Plan’s dedicated focus on the region it serves.
It is part of an ongoing legacy to build a sense of belief in the region that it can be prosperous, productive and have a positive future. The Plan builds on the progress the region has seen on key indicators for First Nations peoples in recent years through initiatives that date back to the late 1990s, such as the First Nations Credit Union and the Rumbalara Football Netball Club – an Aboriginal sporting club and community organisation.
“I don’t think we can go back to where we were prior to the Rumbalara Football Netball Club. When we started the club, we [First Nations peoples in the region] were 80% unemployed, we are now something like 80-85% employed. We have a better vision around what the future could possibly look like.” Paul says.
The plan sees the Murray Goulburn region set an example for the rest of Australia in how to build a cohesive regional economy and community that meets the needs of its residents.
“My vision is that the Goulburn Murray region will be regarded nationally as an example of what can happen when a community decides to pull together and commits to drive change, to respect First Nations culture, and to provide full economic access for First Nations peoples,” David says.
Importantly, the Plan also demonstrates and respects the value that Yorta Yorta people contribute to the region and is an opportunity to address the injustices that have diminished the quality of life for First Nations people.
“The Prosperity Plan is about reframing and repositioning the value of First Nations people in the Australian psyche,” Paul says.
“Whether or not people acknowledge that they illegally or unjustly acquired the lands of Yorta Yorta people, and whether they are held responsible for the way in which they acquired the lands of Yorta Yorta people, they can restore quality of life and not allow poor indicators of poverty and life expectancy to continue,” Paul says.
This article is based on an interview with Paul and David, held by BCG consultant, Carina Stone on her Jawun secondment to the Kaiela Institute.
The authors extend their gratitude to Paul Briggs, David McKenzie, Carina Stone, Georgina Calvert, Luke Raffin, Jack Crane, Anna Leonedas, Faiza Ahmad and Dina Fichera for their vital contributions to this article’s development.
