Pride. Place. Belonging. SIGA is seeking diverse, goal-oriented professionals who take pride in contributing to a high-performing team. Apply today at siga.sk.ca/careers Aboriginal Business Report - 4.583” x 7.0” February 2018, the Australian Government announced that over $1 billion had been spent with Indigenous businesses since the IPP was announced in July 2015. To understand the magnitude of this outcome, you only have to look back to the 2013 budget year, when Australian Government spend on Indigenous business was only $6.2 million. Leah Armstrong, chairperson of the Supply Nation Board, says the policy is good for both the Indigenous, and Australian economy. “The policy is creating shared value through government diversifying their supply chain, which brings innovation,” she notes. “With Indigenous businesses being more profitable, they are 100 times more likely to employ Indigenous people, which increases tax revenue and [results in] less reli- ance on government social services.” RAISING THE BAR While significant progress has been made in Australian Indigenous procurement since Supply Nation was founded in 2009, Australian organiza- tions are nonetheless setting their sights on the work ahead. November 2017 marked the commencement of the Raising the Bar program, a joint initiative between Supply Nation and the Business Council of Australia, whose membership is comprised of CEOs of Australia’s largest companies. Raising the Bar is designed to grow the Indigenous procurement capability and impact of Business Council companies. Twenty-one companies representing an annual procurement spend of over $40 billion dollars have opted in to the program to co-design a target-setting model for the Business Council, while also refining or developing their own Indigenous procurement targets. The program offers an opportunity for the Business Council to help develop a thriving Indigenous busi- ness sector, while fostering improved social and economic outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. The goal is to develop a robust model for Indigenous supplier diversity target-setting that can be adopted by all industries to advance reconciliation through the supply chain. The Australian case study shows just what can be achieved for Indigenous communities, corpora- tions and governments through organizational commitments, clear and measurable targets, and an active community that brings together buyers and Aboriginal businesses. CCAB’s recently launched Aboriginal Procurement Strategy is applying these and other insights to the needs of Aboriginal businesses and corporations in Canada. By connecting organizations committed to championing Aboriginal procurement to CCAB’s Certified Aboriginal Business (CAB) directory, the Strategy provides a way for Aboriginal business to be represented and to thrive in the supply chains of Canadian corporations and governments. The Aboriginal BUSINESS REPORT 33