2025 Year in Review: Business

In 2025, the Indigenous business sector in Australia reached a milestone of $5.83 billion in procurement spend, with the mining and construction industries driving the majority of this growth.

Several businesses were recognised as leaders through national awards and significant industry contributions.

National Award Winners in 2025

DICE (Aust): Won the 2025 Telstra National Indigenous Excellence Award. Founded by Ray Pratt, it delivers infrastructure, renewable energy, and essential services projects across remote Australia.

Hardy Fencing: Named Certified Supplier of the Year by Supply Nation. This Aboriginal-owned company provides fencing and civil construction services while focusing on employment in remote Central Australia.

TVN On-Country: Honoured with the Karen Milward Excellence Award (top award at the Victorian Aboriginal Business Awards) and named Registered Supplier of the Year by Supply Nation. It is a major construction and project management enterprise.

Pindari WA: Awarded Indigenous Business of the Year at the 2025 WA Business Awards. It has grown over 25 years into a major contractor with nearly 400 employees serving the resources and government sectors.

Pindari WA was warded Indigenous Business of the Year at the 2025 WA Business Awards.

Munda Wines: Won the inaugural First Nations Exporter Award at the 2025 Australian Export Awards for its premium wine range that shares Indigenous culture globally.

Sector Leaders by Industry

Mining & Resources: Eastern Guruma won the “Indigenous Business of the Year” at the AEMEE Awards. Along with Warrikal and Yurra, it remains a top contractor for major miners like BHP and Fortescue.

Native Foods & Botanicals: Aus Native Foods, led by Nathan Lovett, won the I2I Award for strengthening Indigenous supply chains. Bush Medijina was recognised for its social enterprise work in skincare.

Munda Wines won the inaugural First Nations Exporter Award at the 2025 Australian Export Awards

Digital & Tech: Virtual Songlines won the Indigenous Digital Inventiveness Award for its interactive platform that reclaims First Nations narratives through “digital Country”. WV Technologies was named Indigenous Exporter of the Year for its IT lifecycle and data security services.

Consultancy & Recruitment: Pipeline Talent was a state winner for Indigenous Excellence, connecting First Nations candidates with executive roles. First Nations Economics Ltd was recognised for its advisory work focusing on economic prosperity.

Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA) Remains the largest Aboriginal corporation in Australia

Major Aboriginal Corporations

Arnhem Land Progress Aboriginal Corporation (ALPA): Remains the largest Aboriginal corporation in Australia, operating retail, hospitality, construction, and training services across 27 locations in the NT and Queensland.

North East Arnhem Land Aboriginal Corporation (NEALAC): Awarded the 2025 Blak Business of the Year by the NT Indigenous Business Network for its dynamic development work.

Eastern Guruma won the “Indigenous Business of the Year” at the AEMEE Awards.

Record spend

Supply Nation passed a new milestone as its members recorded a total of over $5.83 billion in procurement spend with verified Indigenous-owned businesses in FY25.

The record figure, which is based on 96 per cent of data submitted by corporate, government and not-for-profit members eligible to record procurement transactions, is $1.23 billion higher than a year earlier.

The result lifted the total procurement spend through Supply Nation to more than $26 billion since it was founded in 2009.

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