Cover Story

Regular Feature: Indigenous Bizness

The Corporation’s remarkable story began just six years ago with an idea emanating from the Northern Land Council to trade potential native title rights for the right to develop land. The resulting income could be used to pursue business opportunities, provide employment, training and other benefits to the estimated 2500 to 3000 people claiming Larrakia lineage, living in the Darwin area.

“The Larrakia are very proud because it’s an organisation that can stand up on its own two feet,” says CEO Greg Constantine. “There has never been any government funding or assistance.” Mr Constantine is referring to the cornerstone of the LDC’s success – Darla estate. In 2001, with the approval of a majority of Larrakia, the newly formed Corporation agreed to forgo any native title rights over the suburbs of Rosebery, Bellamack and Archer in Palmerston in return for the right to purchase a sizeable parcel of land. Sensing a great opportunity in the shortage of residential land, the LDC borrowed $1.2 million and bought 50 hectares.

“For the first three years our whole priority was getting rid of that debt, essentially operating out of the boot of a car,” says Mr Constantine. Five years, five land releases and 372 blocks later, the Corporation is well and truly debt free and operating out of its own modern office space in Winnellie. From 2004, the Darla development found itself in the midst of the real estate boom and has provided a $120 million boost to the NT economy, generating some 300 jobs over its duration.

The LDC retains Aboriginal control through a board comprised of five office-bearing Larrakia directors who are members of respected families and experienced professionals, and three non-Larrakia directors with expertise in business management. “The Larrakia directors are there to make sure we continue to focus on the benefits to be achieved for all Larrakia,” says Mr Constantine.

The Corporation’s novel approach to training reflects Aboriginal realities: “Once people are employed, then they can be trained,” says Mr Constantine. “The emphasis has been on training Indigenous people and then hoping they will get a job. We take the reverse – they get a job and then they do the training.”

Following on from this approach, in mid-last year the LDC began the next stage of its evolution by setting up three subsidiary companies: building company Larrakia Homes, landscaping venture Larrakia Environmental Services, and Saltwater Constructions, managed by Jeffrey May, which performs small-scale construction and maintenance work.

Larrakia Homes, which already employs 45 people, is building the Community Centre in the new Lyons development, and has completed three out of its five houses at Darla estate. It is managed by joint-venture partner Peter Poniris, a 30 year veteran of the local building industry. “I’ve been here for 46 years,” Mr Poniris says, “I grew up with Larrakia people and I’ve wanted to work with Indigenous youth for a long time.” As a stalwart of Darwin’s Greek community, Mr Poniris has “an endless supply of workforce and subcontractors.”

“We are now very busy putting young Aboriginal people in with those subcontractors,” he adds.

In addition, the LDC runs a job seeker to business matching service; a business advice and development service; and a computer course to improve literacy and numeracy among Indigenous prison inmates. Although most profits are re-invested into business ventures, the Corporation also helps Larrakia people directly through a small business fund, a scholarships program, a funeral fund and assistance with bills for the elderly.

The LDC’s focus on jobs is timely. With historically low levels of unemployment, Darwin’s CDEP scheme will be scrapped from July this year, leaving hundreds more Indigenous people unemployed. “The demise of CDEP should not be seen as a bad thing,” says Mr Constantine, pointing to the incentive of holding a job in ‘the real world’. And he has grand plans for where the jobs will come from. The Corporation is in negotiations over land in Palmerston to do ‘another Darla’. Traditional owners of the Cox Peninsula are also receptive to the long-term vision of town planners to have Darwin grow up on both sides of the harbour.

Then there is prime industrial land it owns near the passenger railway terminal, a turf farm in Palmerston and plans to build a caravan park at Mandorah. The LDC is directly involved in the proposed Indigenous Cultural Centre and pushes for Indigenous employment in many major projects... and what’s it all for? “The goal is to have every Larrakia person employed in the job of their choice and to have them participate fully in the life of the community,” Mr Constantine says. Not a bad mission statement for a company in the risky business of real estate development.