Cultural Enterprise Hub Concept Report • August 2016 PO Box 2145, Broome, Western Australia, 6725 Phone: (+61) 8 9194 0100 Fax: (+61) 8 9193 6279 Email: [email protected] Web: www.klc.org.au Kimberley Cultural Enterprise Hub Bardi Jawi Oorany Ranger Bernadette Angus – Dampier Peninsula Cultural Enterprise Hub Report 3 General disclaimers: © Kimberley Land Council 2015 Reference: Kimberley Land Council, 2015, Cultural Enterprises Hub: Concept Report - August 2015 Acknowledgements: KLC Board sub-committee for Enterprise Hub Funding from Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Technical expertise and support from Jawun Corporate Partnerships Contents Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 6 The Kimberley – Innovation in a unique region of national importance .......................................... 8 The challenge facing Indigenous communities in the Kimberley ................................................... 11 How to create a place in the real economy .................................................................................. 13 The Kimberley Ranger Network – An example of successful cultural enterprises .......................... 14 The Cultural Enterprise Hub – A win-win opportunity ................................................................... 17 The Cultural Enterprise Hub – The way forward ........................................................................... 19 The Cultural Enterprise Hub – Governance .................................................................................. 20 Next steps ................................................................................................................................... 21 Appendices: ................................................................................................................................ 22 A: The Cultural Enterprise Hub – Governance model and services .......................................... 23 B: The Cultural Enterprise Hub – Costings .............................................................................. 24 C: The Kimberley Ranger Network – Profile of Enterprise initiatives ......................................... 25 D: Kimberley land tenure ........................................................................................................ 27 E: The Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development ....................................... 30 F: Creating economic opportunities for Northern Australia ..................................................... 31 G: The Kimberley – An economic overview ............................................................................. 37 H: The socio-economic circumstances of Indigenous people in the Kimberley ........................ 39 I: Indigenous suicide in the Kimberley ..................................................................................... 42 J: The role of existing Kimberley Indigenous organisations ..................................................... 44 K: The Kimberley – A place of national significance ................................................................. 48 Contents 5 Executive Summary The Kimberley is a unique region characterised by an ancient and living culture that remains an integral part of the lives of Aboriginal people Cultural Enterprise Hub Vision today. The region is rich in history, culture and A culturally empowered, environmental assets and has been identified as thriving and prosperous worthy of being maintained and preserved for the benefit of all Australians through its inclusion on Kimberley Aboriginal the National Heritage List. community. These characteristics provide enormous Mission opportunities for Kimberley Aboriginal people To provide cultural and if they can be successfully tapped into and their environmental business commercial value appropriately realised. expertise and services to A Cultural Enterprise Hub is a highly specialised Prescribed Body Corporates entity that identifies and develops commercial and ranger teams to build opportunities in remote areas. It provides thriving enterprises on specialist business and technical services for country. start-up and support to the ongoing operation of cultural enterprises. Goals of Cultural Enterprise Hub • Share best practice knowledge and expertise to grow sustainable enterprises that enhance and protect the cultural and natural values of the region; • Increase the number of Aboriginal people gaining income and employment on country; • Strengthen the Kimberley network and share knowledge through cultural exchanges; • Provide intergenerational investment into Kimberley cultural enterprises through the establishment of a Fund; and • Build a dynamic organisation that responds and adapts to new innovations. S 6 Cultural Enterprises Hub – Concept Report interface as the cultural governance model that links Aboriginal people to commercial “The aim of the Hub is to generate self- opportunities. sustainability and employment in remote communities. The ability to create The principles identified in the Harvard Project transformational change starts and ends have already been applied in the Kimberley through with us. We must be the leaders of and the Kimberley Ranger Network, which creates catalyst for change, developing our own jobs in cultural and environmental management, solutions rather than passive recipients of demonstrating how successful this approach can well-intentioned government policy.” be. The Ranger Network delivers the opportunity Nolan Hunter – KLC CEO for Kimberley Aboriginal people to live and work on country, preserving and enlivening the national heritage values of the region for the benefit of all Australians. Opportunity and solution Developing commercial opportunities in The Kimberley Ranger Network and other remote regions is a unique challenge. Success cultural enterprises are currently managed requires an appropriate interface between the through the Kimberley Land Council. The natural resources and cultural knowledge assets purpose of the Cultural Enterprise Hub is that are being drawn on, and the commercial to spin-off these management and business opportunities that are being unlocked. The development functions to a purpose specific- Harvard Project on American Indian Economic entity that will market opportunities and provide Development (Harvard Project) identifies this specialist support services for cultural enterprises SWOT Analysis of Cultural Enterprise Hub* Strengths Challenges • Scale: Number of native title groups; • Lack of capacity, knowledge of opportunity and • Ability of Traditional Owners to control access on governance at PBC level; exclusive possession; • Competing agendas and internal competition; • Cultural governance - strong foundations; • Historical welfare mindset and dependency; • Cultural knowledge and history; • Managing expectations of Aboriginal community, • Abundance of natural resources in the region investors and stakeholders. • KLC track record of delivering high quality projects Opportunities Threats • Increasing demand for Aboriginal cultural experiences • Threat to native title rights and interests: right to on country; manage and undertake economic activities requires • International obligations of Australian Government: land tenure reform; Protected areas, biodiversity, greenhouse emissions; • Political cycles and policy changes of government; • Career pathways: Developing people to go on to other • Third party funding - reliance on government, jobs. corporate or philanthropic investors who have their own priorities and targets. *Analysis undertaken by KLC Board subcommittee and Executive staff Executive Summary 7 The Kimberley: –Innovation Innovation in in a aunique unique region of national importance Warlu Jilajaa Jumu IPA – Ngurrara country The richness of the Kimberley Cultural enterprise development provides one way to deliver those opportunities to directly The Kimberley is a natural library filled with benefit Traditional Owners. information which deepens our understanding of history, environment and evolution. It is a place Valuing what we do – the asset unlocked of great importance to Indigenous tradition and and the services delivered history and is home to a living culture that dates back more than 50,000 years. The Kimberley’s natural and cultural richness cannot be taken for granted. It is a managed The Kimberley is a beautiful place of dramatic cultural and natural landscape. The knowledge, rocky coastlines and inspirational landscapes. It skills and experience that go into managing has dynamic cultural practices, which includes country are often overlooked when the landscape rock art painting, maintenance and preservation. is described as an ‘untouched wilderness’. The continuing connection between people, However, the Kimberley landscape has been cared country and culture in the Kimberley has been for by Traditional Owners for thousands of years. recognised through native title determinations that cover approximately 70 per cent of the region. The opportunities provided by native title determinations are yet to be fully realised. 8 Cultural Enterprises Hub – Concept Report Dambimangari Traditional Owners – north Kimberley coast Management and protection of the natural landscape also involves important ecosystem “The challenge for us as Aboriginal people and cultural management services. Places is to identify the things that we do that have within the