A Coalition Government funding boost of $601,000 for Indigenous entrepreneurs in Far North Queensland, is set to create business opportunities and jobs and provide much needed machinery.
Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, and the Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch MP, said today the Hudson Machinery Hire proposal would enable ‘Hudson Hire’ to purchase a grader, water truck and solid drum roller to help this local Aboriginal organisation win roads maintenance across Cape York.
“The Prime Minister made a commitment to doing things with Indigenous Australians, and through the Indigenous Entrepreneurs Fund we are working with innovative Indigenous businesses particularly in remote areas”, Minister Scullion said.
“There are too many Indigenous entrepreneurs whose business ideas have the potential to transform their communities but they just need a hand with the business assets to do the work, through this Package we are giving Indigenous entrepreneurs a fair go”.
“We also know that successful Indigenous businesses are key to improving employment rates for First Australians – an Indigenous business is 100 times more likely to employ an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander person than a non-Indigenous business.”
Managing Director of Hudson Hire Mr Thomas Hudson said the grant will mean a lot to my community at Kowanyama.
“We can go through a cyclone season up here and not have the machinery needed to deal with that type of event, “said Mr Hudson.
“This grant will give us the machinery we need, and it will also allow our young men and women to do training packages that will give them the tickets they need to drive these vehicles and secure jobs.
“It will also allow us to compete for major projects such as road construction and make us more attractive to outside businesses who win contracts,” Mr Hudson said.
Mr Entsch said he was pleased to announce the Coalition Government was backing local Indigenous small businesses in Leichhardt by providing Hudson Machinery Hire with $601,000 over the current financial year.
“This proposal is a strong economic and business development opportunity as there are currently a number of major capital works projects on the Cape York Peninsula.” Mr Entsch said.
This initiative complements the Coalition’s broader Indigenous economic development agenda including our new Indigenous Procurement Policy that has resulted in contracts worth $434 million in just its first 18 months. A spectacular success compared to the former policies under Labor, which resulted in just $6.2 million worth of contracts awarded to Indigenous businesses in 2012-13.
(ENDS)