Desert Knowledge Australia (DKA), based in Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory, is a point of contact for Australia's knowledge of successful desert living. It is a community-driven organisation of partnerships and networks combining and harnessing the ancient and the innovative in both scientific knowledge and informal know-how of sustaining and thriving desert communities. DKA applies the knowledge to create demand for Australian expertise and to promote best practice in economic, social and environmental development. DKA also brings people and ideas together, networking across borders and making the connections to build business opportunities. It facilitates targeted actions and projects to create opportunities and meet desert challenges, and provide support and infrastructure to foster desert knowledge.
Cross Border Business Networks Project
One project is the Cross Border Business Networks Project, a A$10 million cross border business networking project that will significantly strengthen the critical small medium sized business sector in desert Australia.
Australian Government commitments of $1.07 million over three years from the Aboriginal Benefit Account and $1.9 from the Enterprise Connect Program will combine with major corporate support from BHP Billiton ($1.807 million), Telstra Country Wide ($368,000) and Qantas ($368,000) as well as a range of state and regional partners.
The Desert Knowledge Australia Cross Border Business Networks Project will develop the business opportunities and capacities of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across nine regions of desert Australia.
Key regional development and tourism organisations, Chambers of Commerce, Local Governments and SMEs will collaborate to build upon previous Desert Knowledge Australia successes.
Desert Knowledge Australia facilitated the project's development and will manage the project. Included in the project is the development of cross border business network development services for key industries such as mining services, tourism, sustainable building and bush products and local foods, as well as resourcing to further progress the 'Our Outback' tourism partnership. An important element of the project will be the development of business opportunities for Aboriginal owned and staffed businesses through partnerships at a regional and cross border level.
The project strongly aligns with DKA's approach that builds capacity, resilience and opportunity across the 70% of Australia that is desert through partnerships and innovation.
Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase
Desert Knowledge Australia is also partnering with the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and the Desert Peoples Centre to host the 2008 Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase on 3 to 6 November 2008, at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.
This is a rare opportunity to hear about how business innovators, researchers and educators from Australia and overseas are working in partnership with communities, industry and governments to develop a body of desert knowledge that will help sustain desert communities around the world.
2008 Desert Knowledge Symposium and Business Showcase will focus on six key themes:
- Making remote governance work
- Networking business and knowledge
- Learning for desert futures
- Capturing industry opportunities for desert people
- Seizing the desert environment opportunity
- Exporting desert knowledge
Mike Crowe mike.crowe@desertknowledge.com.au
Networking and Communications Manager
16 December 2008
