Aboriginal Business Taskforce

Closing the Gap Priority Reform 5 and the NSW Roadmap for Aboriginal Business Growth

Unique to NSW, Closing the Gap Priority Reform 5 (PR5) aims to ensure Aboriginal people in NSW are empowered through employment, business growth and economic prosperity. The work aims to empower Aboriginal people to achieve employment that aligns with their aspirations and supports Aboriginal businesses to grow and flourish.

The reform looks to improve economic prosperity for Aboriginal people in NSW through increasing employment quantitatively and qualitatively, including via improving conditions and supports for Aboriginal businesses in the state. There are initiatives across government designed to deliver tangible outcomes to achieve the vision of PR5, including the NSW Roadmap for Aboriginal Business Growth (the Roadmap).

The Roadmap takes what Aboriginal businesses have told us and transforms these ideas into concrete policy responses. The ambition is to support a new generation of entrepreneurs to grow their own business knowledge, networks, assets and wealth. This will help remove barriers to employment and economic prosperity, and lead to improvements in health, education, justice, and other community outcomes.

Aboriginal Business Taskforce

In addition to transforming ideas into policy responses, the Roadmap commits the NSW Government to the establishment of an  Aboriginal Business Taskforce (Taskforce). The purpose of the Taskforce is to provide independent advice to the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Treaty (Minister) on supporting, growing and improving the Aboriginal business sector. The Taskforce is an advisory body only.

The Taskforce will be comprised of such members as are appointed by the Minister from time to time.

Role of the Taskforce

The role of the Taskforce is to:

The Taskforce will not be responsible for:

Composition of the Taskforce

The Taskforce will be chaired by the Minister. Aside from the Minister, the Taskforce will comprise between 6 and 10 remunerated members.

All members will be experienced and knowledgeable about strategic approaches to the Aboriginal business sector, a relevant industry or business sector growth.

Members must be able to ensure they can provide independent, and frank advice about strategy and approaches to growing a sustainable Aboriginal business sector.

Members need to bring extensive knowledge or experience relating to cohorts of businesses, or to relevant sectors.

The Taskforce will be comprised of such members as are appointed by the Minister from time to time.

The composition of the Taskforce will have a majority of members who are Aboriginal.

Next steps and questions


The EOI application period has closed.

Thank you to everyone who applied or made enquiries. There will be an update in coming months about the appointment of members to the Taskforce.

Applications are being reviewed by an assessment panel made up of government and independent sector stakeholders.

Recommendations will be made to the Minister who will appoint members to the Taskforce.

For any questions, please email: aboriginalbusinesstaskforce@aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au