Aboriginal Investment Group has had the pleasure of working with the Barunga community for close to a decade supporting the Bagala Aboriginal Corporation (BAC) with our free or heavily discounted business support services.
Our involvement hit its peak about 12 months ago where AIG was managing the Bagala Community Store, the Bagala Community Bus, the Sybil Ranch, securing the liquor license for the soon to be built Bagala Social club, the Remote Laundries project there, and working with the Bagala Aboriginal Corporation in governance, grant writing and financial support.
The road to self determination
Recently AIG and BAC have begun designing a plan for BAC to transition from AIG management and into a model of self-management, which is a positive and crucial step towards self-determination.
Local decision making and self-determination underpins AIG’s reasons for providing our business support services and our enduring goal is to have clients transition to self-management.
Our business support services model ensures our experience and skill is imparted in such a way, that we build capability for the Aboriginal controlled organisations we serve, and when they are ready to take the reins, as BAC is, they do so with an enhanced set of skills, knowledge and expertise, underpinned by strong processes and robust systems.
General manager important part of the transition plan
Part of BAC’s transition plan is to secure grant funding for a new general manager and AIG will work closely with the GM and the BAC Board to transfer operational management of all BAC assets.
The GM will also oversee the development of Bagala’s licenced social club and management of the Bagala Community Store, the Bagala Remote Community Bus, Sybil Ranch, and housing in the community. We are all working towards the goal that by the end of 22/2023 financial year Bagala will be under self-management.
It’s been a privilege
Our business support services model is unique because we are an Aboriginal corporation too. We understand intimately the complex challenges for Aboriginal controlled organisations to grow strong and successful, and to be a part of the growth of the BAC’s growth towards self-determination has been a privilege.
We’re excited for BAC and delighted with the amazing outcomes that have been created across the last nine years.
