The now arid zone of the Eastern Mediterranean was once green savannahs and grasslands that provided an ideal passage for multiple early human movements out of Africa, a new study finds.
Published in Science Advances, the international research team’s findings support the growing consensus for a well-watered Jordan Rift Valley that funnelled migrants into western Asia and northern Arabia.
“The research in the Jordan Rift Valley and Plateau zone clearly shows a humid corridor existed, supporting research in Arabia and the Levant that terrestrial routes were favoured by hunter-gatherers wandering across terrestrial ecosystems outside Africa,” Professor Petraglia said.
“The presently harsh environment of the Levant and Arabia are the key regions through which members of the genus Homo, including our species Homo sapiens, had to pass through when leaving Africa and moving into Eurasia.
“Our new research sheds light on the region around the Jordan Rift Valley as potentially a key successful dispersal route for modern humans during the last interglacial period (Marine Isotope Stage or MIS 5, between ~129-71,000 years ago.
“The northern corridor crossing the Nile River, into Sinai Peninsula to the Levant region in Arabia and beyond is the only terrestrial route out of Africa.”
The research team successfully integrated the chronometric data along with paleoclimatic records to examine this corridor.
This record is associated with the formation of the paleo-wetlands, which is associated with stone tools that have been found in the area dated to about 84 thousand years ago.
Sampling for luminescence dating at the top section of wetland sediments from Wadi Hasa area, west central Jordan. Photo credit: Zhongping Lai, Shantou University
Dr Mahmoud Abbas, a Jordanian, who is the study’s lead author from Shantou University, China, said: “The Levant acted as a well-watered corridor for modern humans to disperse out of Africa during the last interglacial, and we have now demonstrated this is the case in the Jordan Rift Valley zone.”
“The paleohydrological evidence from the Jordan desert enhances our understanding of the environmental setting at that time.”
“Rather than dry desert, savannah grasslands would have provided the much-needed resources for humans to survive during their journey out of Africa and into southwest Asia and beyond.”
Petraglia said: “Our research demonstrates the intimate relationship between climate change and human survival and migrations.”
The project was organized by Professor Zhongping Lai, the head of the luminescence dating laboratory at Shantou University, China, with joint collaborators of scientists from China, Jordan, United Kingdom, Australia and Czech Republic.
The research ‘Human dispersals out of Africa via the Levant’ has been published in Science Advances.
Plant-based diets have repeatedly been shown to lower environmental impacts. Studies show they lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and require less land and water. Food energy savings mean more people can be fed.
This has triggered many calls for dietary change. Rarely have those calls extended to our dogs and cats, but a major study just published in leading scientific journal PLOS ONE has demonstrated very large environmental benefits associated with nutritionally-sound vegan diets – for dogs and cats, as well as people.
Professor Andrew Knight.
After analysing pet food ingredients in detail, as well as food consumed by people, Veterinary Professor Andrew Knight calculated that the world’s dogs and cats consume around 9% of all land animals killed for food, or around 7 billion animals annually, as well as billions of fish and aquatic animals.
Professor Knight calculated that if all the world’s dogs went vegan, it would save more GHGs than all those emitted by the UK, land larger than Mexico, freshwater exceeding all renewable freshwater in Denmark, and would feed around 450 million additional people – more than the entire EU population.
If all the world’s cats went vegan, it would save more GHGs than all those emitted by New Zealand, land larger than Germany, freshwater exceeding all renewable freshwater in Jordan, and would feed around 70 million additional people – more than the entire UK population.
And if all the world’s people went vegan, it would save more GHGs than all those emitted by the entire EU, land larger than Russia (the world’s largest nation) combined with India, freshwater exceeding all renewable freshwater in Cuba, and would feed around 5.3 billion additional people – more than every single nation or collective region on Earth as defined by the World Bank (e.g., all low and middle income regions combined).
Until recently, such dietary change had not been seriously considered for dogs and cats – who are biologically omnivores and carnivores respectively.
In the last two years however, many new vegan pet foods have been developed by companies using plant-based ingredients supplemented with vitamins, amino acids and minerals, to ensure all necessary nutrients are included.
New studies have shown good health and behavioural outcomes for dogs and cats using such diets – there are now 9 such studies in dogs, and 3 in cats. The most recent very large-scale study showed positive health outcomes in vegan cats.
These studies have driven a rapid growth in this sector. By 2023, the vegan dog food market was valued at $USD14 billion and was expected to reach $USD26 billion by 2033.
Veterinary Professor Knight, the study author said: “This study is game-changing. We’ve long known that plant-based diets are better for the planet, but have not seriously considered the impacts of pet food. “However, pet food has profound environmental impacts. Conversely, very large environmental benefits can be achieved by nutritionally-sound vegan pet food.
“Large-scale studies have also shown that health outcomes for both dogs and cats are as good or better. And studies of feeding behaviour have demonstrated that average dogs and cats enjoy vegan pet foods as much as those made from meat.”
He concluded: “Pet owners who care about the environment or their animals’ health should consider nutritionally-sound vegan pet food. However, to safeguard health, it is important that people feed only commercial diets labelled as nutritionally complete, produced by reputable companies with good standards.”
A multi-institution study of the use-wear evidence on grinding tools excavated in the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia suggests a variety of practical uses from processing plants for baking bread and crushing bone to access marrow, offering fresh insights into a little understood chapter of the human story between 8,000 to 6,000 years ago.
The PLOS ONE research, which was co-led by Griffith University’s Professor Michael Petraglia, was based on use-wear analysis on five grinding tools that he and the team excavated at Jebel Oraf, at the UNESCO site of the Jubbah Oasis, in the Nefud Desert of northern Saudi Arabia.
Results show evidence for bone, plant and pigment processing in the Neolithic, and support previous research conducted by Professor Petraglia and the international team on painted rock art and faunal remains.
Professor Michael Petraglia.
Professor Petraglia, who is Director of Griffith’s Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, said the use-wear analysis of the grinding tools from the Jebel Oraf site in the Nefud desert showed the artifacts were used during the Neolithic, shedding new light on the subsistence and lifestyle of ancient peoples in the region.
“In recent years, studies have revealed that the now-arid region of northern Arabia was once much wetter and greener, providing Neolithic human populations with access to both water and game,” Professor Petraglia said.
“The present aridity of the region, however, preserves little organic matter, making a reconstruction of the Neolithic lifestyle difficult.”
Use-wear analysis shows that grinding tools were used for the processing of bone, pigment and plants, and were sometimes re-used for different purposes during their life span, before finally being broken up and placed on hearths.
In the new study, researchers use high-powered microscopes to compare use-wear patterns on the archaeological tools with those on experimental tools.
In experiments, the grinding of grains, other plants, bone or pigment produces distinctive macro- and micro-traces on the tools’ used surface, including fractures, edge rounding of individual grains, levelled areas, striations, and different types of polish. These distinctive traces were also identified on the Neolithic grinding tools, allowing the scientists to determine which materials were being processed.
Although faunal remains have previously revealed that meat was cooked and consumed at Jebel Oraf, wear patterns indicate that meat and bones were first processed on grindstones, revealing the possibility that bones were broken to access bone marrow.
Grinding tools were also used to process plants. While there is no evidence for domesticated grains in northern Arabia in this period, the authors argue that wild plants were ground and perhaps baked into simple breads.
“The hearths where we found the grinding tools were extremely short-lived, and people may have been very mobile – breads would have made a good and easily transportable food for them,” says Maria Guagnin, researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology and one of the study’s lead authors.
Painted rock art from northern Saudi Arabia hints at the importance of pigment processing. Photo credit: Maria Guagnin
The researchers also found evidence of pigment processing, which they argue may be linked to Neolithic rock art paintings.
Their findings reveal pigment was ground and processed on a larger scale than previously assumed, suggesting there may have been more painted Neolithic rock art than the few surviving panels suggest.
This type of analysis has only rarely been applied to archaeological materials from the Arabian peninsula, but can provide important information on the manufacture, use, and re-use of grinding tools, which in turn provides insight into the subsistence, economy, and art of the people who produced them.
“It is clear grinding tools were important for the Neolithic occupants of Jebel Oraf,” said Giulio Lucarini of the National Research Council of Italy, the study’s other lead author.
“Many were heavily used, and some even had holes in them that suggest they were transported. That means people carried heavy grinding tools with them and their functionality must have been an important element in daily life.”
Researchers involved in this study work in close partnership with the Heritage Commission, Saudi Ministry of Culture. Additional partners include King Saud University and key institutions, the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Heritage Science (CNR ISPC), University College London and University College Ireland.
In 2017, Griffith University’s GAPS team was introduced to a talented, strong young woman living in a small village on an outer island of Vanuatu.
Eighteen months later, after participating in the GAPS programme and despite never having thrown a javelin before, Friana Kwevira won bronze in the women’s F46 Para Javelin at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
This was the first ever Commonwealth Games medal for Vanuatu.
Success stories like this are driving the global expansion of the GAPS programme, the team having just returned from Singapore in an effort to advance GAPS Asia.
The successful programme presently spans multiple continents, partnering with Commonwealth Games Federation and international universities to deliver GAPS activities in Oceania (Griffith University), Africa (Stellenbosch University), and the Caribbean (University of the West Indies).
However, pioneer of GAPS Associate Professor Clare Minahan said establishing GAPS in Asia would ensure it is operating in every region of the Commonwealth.
“We’ve had Asian athletes to our camps, including those from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India, but we definitely need a GAPS Asia,” she said.
“For a lot of athletes in these communities, particularly girls and women, it is really hard for them to access opportunities and part of that is due to societal conventions.”
“GAPS has the potential to impact society and community perception.It’s a catalyst for social change and an opportunity for sports diplomacy.”
Griffith’s GAPS programme prioritises talent transformation of sports people from developing regions, creating inclusive pathways to see them recognised on the global stage.
The programme’s objectives also include the empowerment of promising athletes and coaches whilst equipping them with additional skills, knowledge and resources.
The principal activity for the recent GAPS Fiji and Samoa trip involved the delivery of a coach identification workshops and the development of already identified coaches.
“We brought over a dual Olympian female weightlifter from the Cook Islands, as well as a world class Para powerlifting coach from Australia, to identify new coaches in Samoa and also to mentor Cook Islands coach Luisa Peters,” Associate Professor Minahan said.
“The sports we were working with included Para athletics, Para powerlifting and Para table tennis because they’re identified as being sports with high participation in the regions, as well as sports that have the potential to reach international events such as the Commonwealth and Olympic Games.
“We try to work with sports that need very little equipment and facilities because countries may not have those resources.
“We can provide them with some assets, but essentially all you need is an open field to get athletes working.”
Associate Professor Minahan said training and keeping coaches in country is important to maintain the longevity of a high-performance system and ensure best possible outcomes for the country’s homegrown athletes.
“Once we do transfer the relevant knowledge and skills, they can pass it down to their next generation of coaches and athletes.
“A lot of previous programs take athletes and coaches out of their home country and bring them to Australia, and they don’t necessarily return and pass on their knowledge.
“This can really jeopardise the development of an inclusive sports pathway in country.”
Griffith PhD student Georgia Brown working with para-athletes in the Pacific through the GAPS programme.
Griffith PhD student and sport scientist travelling with GAPS, Georgia Brown, said the trip successfully resulted in identifying incredible coaches who she hopes, with the right support, will lead their own countries in strength and conditioning.
“It was just the best experience,” Miss Brown said.
“Understanding how to communicate with athletes who have different abilities, some being deaf, blind or non-English speaking, is not something you always get at home and I wish that more people did.
“It really opens your eyes and you see how appreciative these people are for just having access to equipment like stretch bands, trigger balls, or even just an hour of your time.
“At the Suva camp in Fiji, we had an athlete with different abilities travel from the other side of the island both days, which was a four-hour bus trip.”
Associate Professor Minahan said transportation within their home country is just one of the enormous barriers to sports participation on the world stage for athletes in developing areas.
“Something as simple as qualifying and getting classified as a Para-sport athlete can be a barrier,” she said.
“There’s not enough Para-sport classifiers around the world and to take even just one athlete, perhaps to Australia, and get them classified, would cost them around $15,000.
“Athletes in less developed regions don’t have that funding.
“GAPS is trying to address some of those barriers, and at the same time trying to take the participatory, grassroots level athlete through a pathway that will prepare them for international competition.
The GAPS programme is in the process of working with National Sport and Olympic Committees to deliver world class facilities to areas of the Pacific.
A study led by Griffith University researchers has exposed two generations of a sediment-dwelling invertebrate to microplastic and found that while the parent generation experienced negative impacts, the child generation did not, possibly suggesting a potential adaptation response.
The study, led by PhD candidate Hsuan-Cheng Lu and the team from the ARI Toxicology Research Program in Griffith’s Australian Rivers Institute in collaboration with CSIRO, is the first metabolomics assessment in freshwater macroinvertebrate Chironomus tepperi to microplastic exposure.
PhD candidate Hsuan Cheng-Lu.
The results showed significant negative impacts on survival, growth, and emergence of C. tepperi in the parental generation, but no such adverse effects were observed in the subsequent generation.
Metabolite profiles in parental generation indicated that ingestion of microplastics could have influence on bioenergetics through inhibition of food acquisition or nutrient assimilation, which subsequently affect the survival, growth and emergence of parental larvae.
Larvae in unexposed conditions showed no differences in survival or metabolite profiles, suggesting that effects in the parental generation did not carry over to the next generation.
The results of the study suggest that Chironomus larvae have the potential to adapt within a generation to environmental stressors, such as low levels of microplastics in sediment, Lu said.
As contaminants of emerging concern, microplastics have been widely reported in global freshwater environments and freshwater sediment is considered as a major sink.
Despite ingestion of microplastics being well documented in aquatic organisms, there is limited information on effects of microplastics on the freshwater sediment-dwelling or benthic invertebrates, especially at realistic environmental concentrations and across generations.
This study provides insight into the lethal effects of microplastics on C. tepperi over two generations. Additionally, this study provides the first evaluation of metabolomics profiling to unravel the potential organismal and physiological responses of microplastics ingestion in C. tepperi.
“While the findings of the present study suggest that Chironomus larvae can adapt to low levels of microplastics, the mechanism is unclear,” Lu said.
“Do they learn not to ingest it? Is there a physiological adaptive mechanism? What happens in longer exposures? Do we see this adaptation continue in the 3rd and further generation, or is it lost?
“Also, our experiment was done with low levels of microplastics, but microplastics contamination is expected to increase as our use of plastics continues to increase, so what would higher levels of microplastics do?
“Future research should also be conducted to assess the energy uptake and allocation in response to MP exposure.”
The research ‘Metabolomic responses in freshwater benthic invertebrate, Chironomus tepperi, exposed to polyethylene microplastics: A two-generational investigation’ has been published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Breeda Crowley, Alison Butcher and Bozhao Li.
On a recent balmy Spring evening, I caught up with Griffith Industry Mentor, Alison Butcher, and her mentee, Masters of Information Technology student, Bozhao Li to learn about their Industry Mentoring Program (IMP) partnership. I’m delighted to share a bit about their experience, and what they have gained from their time in the IMP.
Griffith alumnus and former IMP mentee, Alison, rejoined the Program as a mentor in 2022. Now established as a software engineer at Gold Coast University Hospital, Alison credits her success to the guidance of excellent IMP mentors during her time as a student. Bozhao, an international student originally from China, moved to Australia in 2022 with his young family to pursue further study and explore future career opportunities. Making the transition from a successful career in finance to the life of a student in an unfamiliar country was tough. Bozhao was grappling with the challenges of settling his young family and was looking for help to understand Australian work culture, navigate the Australian software engineering landscape, and provide some clarity and confidence around future career options. Alison’s patience, knowledge and dedication provided the support that he needed.
Bozhao stated that his experience in the Program has been a pivotal factor in his academic, professional, and personal success in Australia. He shared that one of the most notable aspects of their connection was the open and approachable environment that Alison nurtured – Bozhao never felt reluctant to ask questions and was able to speak candidly about the difficulties that he was experiencing: “It was helpful to have someone like Alison to share the challenges and concerns about life in Australia.”
Currently undertaking a WIL placement with Brisbane-based media-tech company Cinefly, Bozhao has been making a positive impression and is gaining valuable experience. Now excited about his future and feeling confident about the opportunities that await him in Australia, he was keen to acknowledge Alison’s insight:
“The knowledge and guidance I have gained under her mentorship are truly irreplaceable. As I move forward in my career, I will carry these lessons with me and strive to emulate her professional ethos.”
Bozhao said one of the most notable aspects of the mentorship connection was the open and approachable environment that Alison nurtured.
Meanwhile, Alison noted the importance of understanding the unique challenges faced by many international students. She shared what she has learnt from the connection: “Meeting Bozhao has been a valuable learning experience for me, too. It has opened my eyes to the struggles and aspirations of international students like him who are not only striving for academic success but also trying to adapt to new culture and environment.” She added that she is learning so much as a mentor and recognises the importance of building authentic connections to make the greatest impact with her mentees.
This encounter gave me the opportunity to reflect on yet another successful mentoring story and the power of generous human connection. It is inspiring to see how both Alison and Bozhao have benefited from this mentorship and the learning and growth they have achieved through such a meaningful connection. The impact that our industry mentors have on unleashing student potential continues to help pave the paths of Griffith students towards future career success.
For more information please contact:
Breeda Crowley
Industry Mentoring Coordinator, Student Success, Griffith University
A national team of experts will advance an innovative biopolymer particle-based platform technology to develop vaccine candidates to protect against biowarfare threats including Q Fever, tularaemia, and melioidosis.
Professor Bernd Rehm
Health Security Systems Australia (HSSA) is engaging with leading scientific experts from across Australia, led by Griffith University, including the Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory in Geelong, the NSW Department of Primary Industries, the University of Western Australia, and industry partner BioCina Pty Ltd, an Australian-based global biologics Contract Development Manufacturing Organisation (CDMO).
The two-year funding will advance this project which ultimately aims to establish sovereign capability in Australia to rapidly develop and manufacture vaccines against biothreats and emerging infectious diseases at an industrial scale.
This project was identified from an HSSA national call for collaborative proposals in 2022, with funding support from Defence through the Next Generation Technologies Fund. The call focused on key priority themes, including the need for vaccine products or platform technologies for infectious disease threats, which aligns with HSSA’s mission to develop medical countermeasures that protect military and civilian personnel against chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) threats, emerging infectious diseases and pandemics.
The technology developed at Griffith University uses a platform approach, using engineered bacterial cells to rapidly assemble biopolymer particles coated in an immunogenic antigen. This unique, cost-effective and scalable biomanufacturing process has developed multiple precision-engineered vaccine candidates that are effective against pathogens of interest. The developed platform technology can provide rapid vaccine design and manufacture and overcome critical bottlenecks of existing vaccine technologies regarding the speed of response, manufacturability, functionality, and stability.
Professor Bernd Rehm, Director of the Centre for Cell Factories and Biopolymers at Griffith University’s Institute for Drug Discovery, said: “HSSA’s investment in this project, and the facilitation of a national collaboration, is key to addressing an unmet need for protection against biowarfare threats and infectious diseases in Australia.”
“There are currently no vaccines approved for melioidosis and tularaemia, and only one approved vaccine for Q Fever,” Professor Rehm said.
“The development and potential manufacture of an innovative vaccine candidate could be made possible by the collaborative network of experts involved in this project.”
Mark W. Womack, CEO of BioCina, said: “BioCina is honoured to be the manufacturing partner for this innovative project, aimed at providing greater sovereign health protection in Australia.”
HSSA’s General Manager, Dr Felicia Pradera, said: “This technology is a perfect fit for the Medical Countermeasures portfolio. A novel vaccine platform technology that protects against biowarfare agents with high efficacy and safety, as well as overcoming current technology constraints including stability and cold chain dependency, and can be used in a rapid response pipeline against emerging threats, is a key capability in ensuring Australia’s health security.
”The Medical countermeasures program has been an enduring priority theme of Defence’s investment in game-changing technologies, and health security is also increasingly being acknowledged as a key component of national security,” Dr Pradera said.
A Griffith University researcher will dive beneath the surface to better understand the role of genes recently associated with a neurological condition called Motor Neuron Disease (or Amyotrophy Lateral Sclerosis).
Dr Jean Giacomotto, a research leader and NHMRC Research Fellow from Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery and the Centre for Cellular Phenomics, has been awarded a $299,791 FightMND Impact Grant to further his research into the surprising role that a species of fish could potentially play in modelling this debilitating disease.
The zebrafish, a small freshwater fish, is a powerful model for both genetics and for its versatility for drug discovery.
Dr Giacomotto and colleagues will tweak zebrafish genetics to better understand the individual pathogenic role of MND risk-genes and develop zebrafish animal MND-models optimised for drug discovery and pre-clinical studies.
“Our project will help to better understand the pathogenic contributions of genes associated with MND and has the potential to establish innovative research models for drug discovery and pre-clinical studies,” he said.
“We are tremendously honoured to receive the support of FightMND. Thanks to them and their donors, our innovative work can reach a new stage and will contribute to making a world without MND.”
Founded in 2014, FightMND was established with the purpose of finding effective treatments and ultimately a cure for MND.
Every day two Australians are diagnosed with MND.
MND is the name given to a group of diseases in which the nerve cells (neurones) controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, swallow and breathe fail to work normally and eventually die.
With no nerves to activate them the muscles gradually weaken and waste.
There is currently no truly effective treatment and no known cure.
With the new research support from FightMND, Dr Giacomotto and his team aim to develop two innovative genetic systems that will serve a two-fold strategy.
“First, our approach and technology will ease the study and confirmation of the different MND-genes pathogenicity,” he said.
“And second, and most importantly, it has the strong potential to lead to the generation of stable MND zebrafish models presenting early phenotypes – which are MND hallmarks – that could be used for drug screening and drug discovery.
“This combined with the outstanding drug discovery expertise of Distinguished Professor Vicky Avery, thanks to FightMND, our team will build a very strong foundation toward the discovery of innovative therapeutics for patients.
“All in all, this research has tremendous potential to both better understand MND and provide new powerful tools for looking to drug therapies.”
Griffith University has scored the 2023 Online Universities Award in front of five major universities, showing student experience is a top priority at Griffith.
Griffith received a five star rating as a result of the Canstar Blue survey for categories such as quality of education received, learning resources, student support available, opportunities and career prospects after graduation and overall satisfaction.
Provost Professor Liz Burd is passionate about enhancing the quality of Griffith students’ learning experience.
Provost Professor Liz Burd is passionate about enhancing the quality of Griffith students learning experience.
“Griffith is delighted our students are enjoying their study experience with us,” Professor Burd said.
We thank our dedicated staff who have put in a lot of effort to provide high-quality learning, and we are committed to further enriching the online and on-campus experience for our students.
Griffith understands students are balancing all sorts of life situations and commitments, and we strive to offer our students the freedom to study in a way that suits their changing needs.
Having offered online study for 20 years, we’ve helped thousands to achieve their study goals.
Providing the flexibility to fit study into your life is a big part of our success.
Griffith offers a range of flexible learning options such as online, accelerated online, part-time, full-time and a third trimester giving students an opportunity to pick up extra courses over summer.
Canstar Blue Editor-in-Chief Christine Seib said choice of university is a potentially life-determining decision.
Canstar Blue Editor-in-Chief Christine Sieb said seven out of 10 students and graduates surveyed said their degree was vital to ensuring their career prospects were bright, which makes choice of university a potentially life-determining decision.
“Griffith University plays an important part in offering strong choices in tertiary education, not just through the greater accessibility its online degrees allow but also by providing online students and graduates with what they considered to be a five-star quality of education, with equally valuable learning resources and support, that ensured they had top-rated post-graduation opportunities.
“That helps explain why Griffith University’s online students and graduates were more satisfied with their overall university experience than those of other online universities – their tertiary study provides an outcome that they will continue to benefit from long after their uni days are over.”
Dr Zannie Langford of the Griffith Agribusiness team has collaborated with Supply Nation to produce a detailed analysis of Australia’s Indigenous businesses sector in a post-pandemic landscape.
Supply Nation is the Australian leader in supplier diversity, and since 2009 has worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, along with the procurement teams from government and corporate Australia, to help shape the rapidly evolving Indigenous business sector.
The geographies of Indigenous business in Australia: An analysis of scale, industry, and remoteness combines data from Supply Nation, the Office of the Registrar for Indigenous Corporations, and the Australian Bureau of Statistics to highlight the diversity of Indigenous businesses in Australia and provide insight on the differences between businesses in different industries and locations.
Registered charities and not-for-profit Indigenous enterprises
“With the upcoming Voice referendum, a lot of political commentary has emphasised the gap that exists between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations, but it is important to also recognise where success has occurred,” Dr Langford said.
“The Indigenous business sector is a striking example of this. Having doubled in size in just five years, it’s now worth an estimated $10 billion in annual revenue.
“Much of its growth has been driven by the Indigenous procurement policies of government and private companies, which have provided opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs across Australia to build businesses which provide employment opportunities and services in some of Australia’s most remote areas.”
Data provided by Supply Nation on member businesses reveal that smaller Indigenous businesses employ Indigenous workers at twice the rate of larger businesses, and businesses based in regional and remote areas employ Indigenous workers at twice the rate of those in major cities.
The report revealed differences in revenue in Indigenous employment outcomes between businesses based on their size, industry, and remoteness to inform more targeted policies that will continue to support the Indigenous business sector to grow.
Indigenous procurement policies have been hugely successful in supporting the growth of the Indigenous business sector, however benefits have been concentrated in a relatively small range of sectors.
“In 2022, just three organisations (The Commonwealth Department of Defence, Fortescue Metal Group, and Rio Tinto) were responsible for more than half of the total spend with Supply Nation registered businesses. These organisations require services in specific industries, but do not support the growth of Indigenous businesses in others,” Dr Langford said.
“Similarly, a previous supply Nation report found that female-owned businesses attracted only 14% of the total contract revenue of Supply Nation businesses.
“A strong understanding of the sectors, regions, and entrepreneurs benefiting most from procurement policies is necessary to support Indigenous businesses in a wide range of contexts.
“These findings can inform more targeted policy to support the Indigenous business sector to grow and more effectively provide benefits to all Indigenous Australians.”
The full report published by Supply Nation can be found here.
