Supporting indigenous businesses to grow

A 100% Indigenous owned and women-led business, Iscariot Media designs and delivers creative, digital and training solutions, connecting with and empowering Indigenous people, communities and services.

“After attending a live TAFE tendering program and submitting a successful tender in 2018, the business moved from ‘ad hoc’ work to a regular supply, growing Iscariot to 14 staff in Cairns, Moreton and Logan shires, and Brisbane,” said Managing Director, Leesa Watego.

Iscariot Media is a great example of a business, who through their supply chains and other sourcing activities, support social outcomes and enhance the lives of Queenslanders by supporting small-sized businesses, and Aboriginal businesses and/or Torres Strait Islander businesses. Its support is realised by one-sixth of its small business-to-business spend being spent with Indigenous suppliers (for example. printing, cleaning, training, research, community engagement, art and creative services), with the aim to increase spend to 33 per cent over the next five years.

Iscariot has helped build micro-Indigenous businesses by working as the lead agency on large-scale tenders, such as the ‘Development and Delivery of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Training for Early Childhood Education and Care’ for the Department of Education.

Through collaboration, the ‘Embedding Connections’ program evolved. Nine Indigenous businesses, and community representatives delivered 21 Queensland workshops to mostly non-Indigenous early childhood educators.

“It’s good business for us to reach out to other areas, support them to grow and then be able to use them as partners in projects down the track, Leesa said.

“We’re keeping the growth opportunities here in Queensland.”

Iscariot Media has donated more than 2000 hours in pro-bono and volunteer support to the Aboriginal and Indigenous business sector and some Aboriginal community organisations.

The next challenge for Iscariot Media is teaching customers how to appropriately engage Indigenous businesses.

More information

• Find out more about the Buy Queensland approach, ensuring Queenslanders benefit from the government’s procurement investment.
• Sign up to receive our supplier newsletter