Funny thing about collaboration.
Everyone wants to be seen doing it —
but few actually want to share the table.
In recent days, I’ve read passionate words about “collaboration with exclusion as intent.”
And if that isn’t the most ironic summary of the Indigenous business landscape right now, I don’t know what is.
Because let’s be honest — exclusion often hides behind the prettiest words.
👉 Partnerships.
👉 Consultation.
👉 Representation.
All sound empowering… until you realise the rules of engagement were written long before you got the invite.
When Collaboration Means Control
I’ve spent 20+ years walking the line between “representation” and “permission.”
And it’s ironic, isn’t it — how quickly some are celebrated for speaking truth, while others are silenced when that truth feels uncomfortable.
We talk about walking together, but too often the invitation comes with conditions:
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- Speak, but not too loud.
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- Lead, but only in the space we give you.
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- Be proud, but not so proud that it challenges us.
That’s not collaboration.
That’s containment.
The Price of Authenticity
In recent weeks, my Tiwi heritage — something born of ceremony, family, and lived connection — has been put under a microscope by those far removed from that very community.
And yet, in the same breath, those same systems call for unity, partnership, and collaboration.
It’s hard not to see the irony.
Real collaboration starts with respect — not regulation.
With community — not contracts.
And it certainly doesn’t start with tearing down those who dare to build differently.
The Real Cost of Exclusion
Naomi Anstess’ recent article in the National Indigenous Times struck a chord because it spoke an uncomfortable truth:
Exclusion can be dressed up as partnership.
We’ve all seen it — gatekeepers deciding who is Indigenous enough, connected enough, or compliant enough to belong.
Meanwhile, the mob doing the real work — building businesses, creating jobs, empowering families — wait in the lobby until their name’s on the “approved list.”
That’s the kind of “collaboration” that costs our mob dearly.
The Ironic Future We Must Avoid
While systems debate who’s in and who’s out, real work continues on Country, in projects, and through Indigenous-led businesses that rarely get a headline.
We don’t need another directory, forum, or committee to validate our existence.
We just need space — and respect — to do what we do best:
Empower our people. Employ our mob. Build financial freedom.
Because collaboration without reciprocity isn’t collaboration.
It’s colonisation — just written in a friendlier font.
Walking the Talk
If we truly want to change the narrative, then collaboration must mean:
✅ Equal seats at the table — not token invites.
✅ Shared decisions — not dictated outcomes.
✅ Truth-telling — not selective storytelling.
It’s time to stop performing partnership and start practising it.
Until then, let’s call “collaboration with exclusion” what it really is —
💥 The most expensive shot our mob keeps paying for.
