What is Strategic Advocacy Australia?

Strategic Advocacy Australia provides advocacy support, influence mapping, accountability tools, and policy strategy services for individuals, communities and organisations.

What are the Accountability Tools?

They are lightweight web applications designed to support advocates with structured evidence gathering, conflict-of-interest tracking, decision-mapping, and timeline documentation.

What is black-cladding in Indigenous procurement?

Black-cladding occurs when Indigenous businesses are used as fronts or figureheads to access Indigenous procurement policies, while non-Indigenous entities maintain actual control and profit from arrangements.

How does the scorecard assess partnership authenticity?

The scorecard evaluates five key criteria: actual control, delivery participation, shadow ownership indicators, structural integrity, and community benefit across a 0-3 scale to identify genuine partnerships versus tokenistic arrangements.

What patterns indicate black-cladding risk?

Key indicators include Indigenous partners excluded post-tender, symbolic shareholding without voting power, profits flowing to non-Indigenous entities, shadow ownership through staffing arrangements, and front-company structures used to access procurement pathways.

How can organizations use the assessment results?

Organizations can use results to identify patterns requiring investigation, document evidence for procurement bodies, share findings with Indigenous business organizations, and develop more equitable partnership structures that ensure genuine Indigenous participation.

Black Cladding Scorecard

Black-Cladding Scorecard

Assess whether a business partnership or tender arrangement reflects genuine Indigenous ownership, control & participation — or indicates tokenism, shadow ownership, or structural exclusion.

These tools make invisible systems visible — from identifying figurehead directors to tracing shadow ownership and front-company arrangements.

🔍 Step 1: Identify the Business Arrangement

Business Name

Related Entity / Contractor(s)

Project / Tender Name

Year or Contract Start

💡 What to Watch For

Indigenous partner excluded post-tender ("see you later" pattern)
Indigenous shareholding symbolic, no voting power or control
Majority of profits flowing to non-Indigenous entity
Shadow ownership through related-party staffing, payroll, or control
Front-company structures used to access Indigenous procurement pathways

📊 Step 2: Score the Indicators (0–3)

Criteria	Description	Score
Actual Control	Does the Indigenous partner have real decision-making authority?
Delivery Participation	Are Indigenous partners involved in delivery, not only tendering?
Shadow Ownership	Do non-Indigenous actors appear to run operations or control finances?
Structural Integrity	Are governance arrangements fair, transparent & enforceable?
Community Benefit	Does the business deliver real community benefit? (Higher score = less benefit)

Total Score: 0/15 Likely Genuine · Continue Review

Interpretation:
0–5: Genuine partnership likely · 6–10: Mixed indicators · 11–15: High risk of black-cladding.

📢 Step 3: Advocacy Actions

Document multiple cases to identify systemic patterns
Check governance documents for real vs symbolic control
Share findings with Indigenous procurement bodies & watchdogs
Use both business names in public reports to maintain clarity

🧾 Submit Your Scorecard to SSA

Submitting lets SSA aggregate patterns of black-cladding across sectors.

✅ Thank you! Your scorecard has been submitted successfully.

📈 Live Black-Cladding Ledger

Newest submissions appear first.

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📚 Further Reading and Study

Expand your understanding of Indigenous business integrity, procurement accountability, and anti-blackcladding strategies with these essential resources.

🏛️ Government & Policy

Indigenous Procurement Policy Framework: Commonwealth guidelines for genuine Indigenous participation
National Indigenous Procurement Strategy: Department of Industry, Science & Resources
Supply Nation Certification Standards: Verification requirements for Indigenous businesses
Indigenous Business Sector Strategy: Commonwealth Government 2023-2028

🔍 Research & Analysis

Black-Cladding in Australian Procurement: University of Technology Sydney Business School
Tokenism vs Genuine Partnership: Journal of Indigenous Policy
Shadow Ownership Patterns: Australian National University Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research
Measuring Indigenous Business Outcomes: Productivity Commission Inquiry Report

🛠️ Implementation Guides

Due Diligence Framework: Indigenous Business Australia (IBA)
Partnership Assessment Toolkit: Supply Nation Best Practice Guide
Procurement Integrity Checklist: Australian Government Procurement Board
Community Benefit Metrics: Reconciliation Australia Action Plan Framework

📖 Case Studies & Real-World Examples

Infrastructure Sector Analysis

Examination of black-cladding patterns in major infrastructure projects and their impact on Indigenous employment outcomes.

Mining Industry Partnerships

Analysis of successful Indigenous partnerships in mining versus tokenistic arrangements identified through contractor analysis.

Government Contract Review

Systematic review of government contracts to identify patterns of shadow ownership and front-company structures.

🎯 Recommended Actions for Organizations

Implement Structured Due Diligence: Use this scorecard as part of your procurement assessment process
Document Patterns: Maintain records of assessments to identify systemic issues across multiple projects
Engage Indigenous Organizations: Consult with Indigenous business chambers and advocacy groups
Review Governance Structures: Examine actual decision-making processes, not just formal ownership
Monitor Delivery Participation: Track Indigenous involvement throughout project lifecycle, not just tendering
Report Findings: Share identified patterns with relevant procurement bodies and watchdog organizations

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