Simplifying Indigenous Engagement: Reflections from Our Melbourne Customer Lunch
On 19 February, InTravel Group brought together more than 50 customers and partners in Melbourne for a conversation centred on one important question:
How can corporate Australia simplify and strengthen engagement with Indigenous business?
The lunch was designed to create space for an open and honest discussion about Indigenous engagement. Not a presentation. Not a sales event. A genuine conversation.
As a proudly First Nations–owned organisation working with more than 70 customers across Australia and facilitating thousands of business travel journeys each week, many of our customer relationships originally began through supplier diversity or CSR commitments. While those pathways remain important, we believe our responsibility extends further, helping organisations translate opportunity into meaningful, measurable impact for First Nations communities.
The conversation reinforced something we see every day through our work with customers: there is strong intent across corporate Australia to engage with Indigenous business. The challenge is often navigating a complex and evolving ecosystem.
This event was designed to help cut through that complexity.
Why This Conversation Matters
Over the past decade, the Indigenous business ecosystem has grown rapidly. More organisations, more certification bodies, more frameworks and more discussion around authenticity and accountability.
While this growth is a positive sign of progress, it has also introduced a level of complexity that many organisations find difficult to navigate.
Questions raised during the discussion included:
- How can businesses ensure they are engaging with genuinely Indigenous-owned organisations?
- What role does due diligence play beyond certification?
- How can supplier diversity programs move beyond compliance and create real outcomes?
- What does meaningful engagement actually look like in practice?
The event was designed to bring together leaders who are actively navigating these challenges and allow the conversation to unfold organically.
Leadership and Perspective
The discussion was moderated by InTravel Group Founder Dwayne Good, a Bundjalung man who established the business with a clear purpose: to build a commercially successful enterprise that also delivers positive outcomes for Indigenous communities.
Dwayne reflected on the origins of Indigenous engagement programs and the responsibility organisations have to ensure these initiatives remain aligned with their original intent.
Indigenous engagement was never designed to be symbolic. It was established to deliver real opportunities, economic participation and long-term community impact.
Ensuring the ecosystem remains authentic, transparent and accountable is essential to maintaining that purpose.
Key Themes from the Discussion
Across the conversation, several consistent themes emerged.
Relationships Are the Foundation
Meaningful engagement begins with trust.
When relationships are genuine and values are aligned, partnerships naturally move beyond transactional interactions and develop into long-term collaborations grounded in transparency and shared purpose.
Participants repeatedly highlighted that the most successful partnerships are built through consistent engagement, open communication and mutual respect.
Due Diligence Matters
Certification plays an important role within the Indigenous business ecosystem. However, the discussion highlighted a growing recognition that certification alone is not always sufficient.
Organisations are increasingly undertaking additional levels of due diligence to ensure the businesses they engage with are authentically Indigenous-owned and led.
This approach protects brand integrity while ensuring that the intended community outcomes are realised.
Authentic Engagement Over Performative Action
A recurring theme was the importance of authenticity.
Businesses are increasingly aware of the risk of engagement becoming symbolic or performative. Participants emphasised the need to focus on initiatives that deliver tangible outcomes and foster long-term partnerships rather than short-term gestures.
These conversations reinforced that meaningful engagement requires intentional effort, transparency and accountability.
What Participants Had to Say
Feedback following the event highlighted the value of creating space for open discussion and connection between organisations navigating similar challenges.
“What a powerful event that gave time and space to further discussions on the challenges we face in meaningful engagement and support of first nations businesses. My key takeaway from the shared lunch was connection – to the people we met who have agreed to speak to our RAP group about their journeys, and the connection of knowing there are others doing exceptional work that we can all learn from. Thank you to Dwayne and the Intravel team”
Melbourne Cricket Club
“The event was exceptionally well organised and brought together a strong group of purpose-led organisations committed to meaningful impact. I particularly valued the opportunity to connect with like-minded leaders who are genuinely focused on strengthening Indigenous business outcomes.
A key takeaway for me was the clear commitment across organisations to undertaking robust due diligence to ensure the businesses they support are genuinely Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned and led. This level of integrity is critical in helping eradicate black cladding in Australia and building a more transparent and accountable ecosystem.”
First Australians Capital
“It was a pleasure to attend InTravel’s event and hear a range of perspectives on how we can continue building meaningful engagement with First Nations businesses. The discussion highlighted the importance of shared values, trust, and strong relationships as the foundation of any successful partnership. These elements are essential not only for building solid commercial outcomes, but also for growing and strengthening our network of people and suppliers over time”.
DT Global
The Power of Genuine Connection
For many in the room, the most significant takeaway from the lunch was not commercial opportunity but connection.
Creating a forum where leaders could share experiences, ask difficult questions and learn from each other created a level of dialogue that rarely occurs in more formal environments.
One of our team members, Mark Gregory, captured this sentiment well following the event:
“For me, the biggest takeaway wasn’t about sales at all, it was about genuine connection; the lunch really reinforced that what sets us apart is our ability to build authentic, personal relationships with customers and buyers, showing that we are not just a travel provider but a compassionate, values-led business that genuinely cares about community and long-term impact.
From the customers’ perspective, I felt they truly valued the opportunity to connect with like-minded leaders across the Indigenous business sector, to be part of conversations around Indigenous engagement that felt authentic rather than performative, and to see collaboration between corporates, suppliers and Indigenous businesses in action, while also gaining a clearer understanding of the tangible impact ITG creates beyond just managing travel”
Mark Gregory, InTravel Group
Thank You to Qantas
We would also like to extend our thanks to Doug Nigley and Qantas for supporting the event.
As a long-standing leader in Indigenous engagement and an important supplier within our travel buying group, CT Partners, Qantas’ involvement helped reinforce the collaborative spirit that defined the conversation.
Looking Ahead
The Melbourne lunch was never intended to be a one-off event. It was a step in a broader journey.
At InTravel Group, we believe our role goes beyond managing travel programs. It extends to building partnerships that strengthen networks, support Indigenous enterprise and create long-term outcomes for communities.
By bringing organisations together, facilitating honest conversations and supporting our customers as they navigate Indigenous engagement, we aim to play a small but meaningful role in strengthening this ecosystem.
The conversations that began in Melbourne will continue.