Hub Champions Indigenous Innovation and Digital Resilience at 2024 Developing Northern Australia Conference

Key takeaways

DNA Conference provided invaluable opportunities to connect with those aiming to build a thriving Northern Australia
TNQ Drought Hub sponsored several indigenous leaders and presented updates on hub activities
Congratulations to our Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise Program team for their significant support of this event.

The TNQ Drought Hub had the privilege of attending, presenting and sponsoring delegates at the 2024 Developing Northern Australia Conference (DNA Conference), hosted in Karratha, Western Australia on 26 – 28 August.

Indigenous leaders sponsorship opportunity to connect with industry

The hub’s Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise program sponsored two indigenous business owners, entrepreneur and leaders from the Cape to attend the conference.

Friend and collaborator of the hub, Dennis Fay of Salty Monkeys was a presenter on the ‘Unlocking Success in Northern Australia: Opportunities, Resilience and Interactive Insights for SMEs’ panel. His presentation including his story of creating a Torres Strait clothing brand and Marine Debris Taskforce, which has removed tons of waste from remote beaches. Dennis had previously attended last years DNA Conference.

Territa Chey-Anne Dick, Mayor of Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire and Chair of the Torres and Cape Indigenous Councils Alliance (TCICA) also attended where she got the opportunity to connect with many Government representatives including the Indigenous Reference Group for Northern Australia.

Dennis said “The conference provided invaluable insights into the larger picture of industries and opportunities across Northern Australia. I had the unique privilege of engaging with key stakeholders and I was able to share our projects and stories from the Torres Strait.

“A highlight of the event was my 20-minute presentation. Then being part of a panel on small business success also gave me an excellent platform to promote our brand. As a result, I connected with a potential retailer from Western Australia, opening the door to expanding our product reach into a new state. I’ve gained invaluable insights, connections, and exposure, which will greatly benefit Salty Monkeys going forward. I am immensely grateful for the support which made this opportunity possible.”

Digital tools crucial for resilience

Carrie-Ann Wilson, hub Knowledge Adoption Officer presented on “Digital Tools for Resilience in Agriculture: AgValuate & BeefVantage” where she highlighted the crucial role digital tools play in modern agriculture.

Carrie said ““Although agriculture represented a smaller part of the conference’s focus, its importance and impact on the region’s sustainability and economic growth was clearly acknowledged, along with the myriad of challenges our producers face. The audience response confirmed that these digital tools are both timely and crucial for building resilience across the sector. “

Carrie added, “The discussions on digital transformation across various industries highlighted how vital technological innovation will be for ensuring the long-term sustainability and growth of Northern Australia.”

AgValuate, a co-designed innovation readiness tool, empowers producers to assess their current and aspirational business models across social, economic, environmental, and technological dimensions. By identifying where AgTech integration can be most beneficial, this tool helps producers enhance their innovation capacity.

BeefVantage, currently in development, leverages cutting-edge AI and natural language processing to provide beef producers with tailored, actionable advice—ultimately enabling more productive, resilient, and sustainable operations. This tool has the potential to revolutionise how producers access and engage with knowledge, encouraging greater curiosity, problem-solving, and exploration of innovative solutions.

Indigenous Innovation in emerging industries

Tony Matchett, hub Agricultural Innovation and Commercialisation Program Lead presented on ‘Activating First Nations lead Agrifood Innovation Enterprise for Resilient and Sustainable Community growth’, where Tony spoke on the influence of 70,000 years of Indigenous Innovation on emerging industries such as energy, food and water. He also spoke on some of the challenge within this space including connectivity, strategic investment, access to resources and capacity.

Tony said, “The conference opened up a lot of really good conversations and built some really great relationships for the hub across all our programs. These conversations will feed into other conferences and events that are focusing on Northern Australia.

“It also reiterated how significant indigenous engagement is across everything that we, industry and government do. And the importance of getting the right balance between engagement, ownership and community which are the fabric of the future.”

We would like to recognise the significant role our Sustainable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Enterprise Program team play in the support of this event. Congratulations to Allan Dale who chaired the conference for the 10th year.

The DNA Conference aims to build a strong, connected, thriving Northern Australia by sharing best practices, exploring innovative concepts and facilitating meaningful connections to provide real solutions with applicable takeaways for all stakeholders.