Civil Construction Specialists

PROGRESSIVE INDIGENOUS FOUNDER

When my colleagues asked me to put together a bio for this website, I wanted those who read this to understand where I am from and what has driven me to put together an organisation.

I am a proud indigenous man who grew up in the Gladstone/Bundaberg Region and have worked and travelled in various parts of Australia. I am from a modest indigenous family of mud crabbers that began with my grandfather, Bob Appo. My father along with a number of my uncles were crabbers and now being on the water, putting the pots in, is my happy place. It’s what I do when I am not working.

INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT

Over the past 20 years running projects and businesses I have seen a big shift in thinking and commitment towards indigenous participation and engagement. It all started with more traditional labour hire initiatives such as traineeships and apprenticeships. Then there were Indigenous employment programs and funding incentives for employers to employ indigenous workers.

Over the last 5 years, there has been a push for the development of Indigenous businesses. This is where it gets tricky.

• Contracts with tier 1 & 2 companies
• Often complex contracts with extended payment terms
• Onerous reporting
• Higher safety requirements
• Organisations require adequate systems – quality, safety, environmental
• Need for financial capacity/cashflow to execute the works
• Need for contractual acumen and experience to administrate contracts
• Fixed rates –higher risk (not just labour hire)
• Requirement for HR/IR Policies/processes

All these make it difficult for the smaller Indigenous businesses to participate in the delivery of these high-profile projects.