Multi-billion-dollar economic policy undermined by 'black cladding' (opens original article in a new tab)

A joint venture between Indigenous entrepreneur Scott Franks and Glad Holdings, established under Australia's Indigenous Procurement Policy, faced financial and legal challenges, with Franks alleging that the minority shareholder controlled the business despite his majority ownership, raising concerns about 'black cladding' in Indigenous procurement.

• Glad Indigenous was a joint venture between Scott Franks and Glad Holdings under Australia's Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP) to provide government contracts with Indigenous-owned businesses.
• The business faced financial losses and legal disputes, with Scott Franks alleging that the minority shareholder controlled the company despite him being the majority owner and CEO.
• Research suggests less than a third of IPP contracts went to businesses that were majority Indigenous owned, raising concerns about 'black cladding' where non-Indigenous entities exploit Indigenous-owned businesses for government contracts.