Allyship is a practice, not a badge.
The complete Barayamal Allyship Toolkit — moved out of a Google Doc and into the open, with a self-audit that shows you what to practise next. Written for non-Indigenous Australians who are done watching from the sideline.
The ally self-audit
Ten honest statements across the four strands of allyship. Rate yourself as you are — not as you’d like to be — and we’ll point you at your next three moves.
Why be an ally?
Every Australian has heard the words “closing the gap” — the national objective of ensuring First Nations people have the same quality of life, choices, agency and opportunities as everyone else. At an individual level it can be hard to see what you can do about it. That powerlessness isn’t real: being an ally is a step anyone can take.
Being an ally means working to ensure responsibility for the existing gaps falls on non-Indigenous Australians and is no longer carried by First Nations people. It’s more than social activism — it asks you to personalise your activism, recognise how your privilege operates and decolonise your own thinking. At its deepest, it means sitting with discomfort and not turning away when the work gets hard or unthanked. That experience of discomfort is the everyday reality of generations of Indigenous Australians — who get back up every single day anyway.
What allyship is — and isn’t
The key to allyship is mutual benefit — and a true ally makes the benefit of their actions to Indigenous people as great as it can be, even when they have to give something up. What looks like allyship isn’t always allyship. Six patterns from the real world:
A bank’s inclusion report counts four times more “Indigenous staff” than actually self-identify.
Why: misrepresentation for public appearance and share price.
An employer announces it will “increase Indigenous procurement” this financial year. That’s the whole announcement.
Why: no target, no community impact, no definition of an Indigenous business — possibly just PR.
A bank commits 3% of business loans to Indigenous-owned businesses, publishes the plan and reports progress publicly.
Why: clear goal, clear benefit, public accountability.
Your mate does the research, takes a course, volunteers at the local Indigenous centre and calls out racist comments.
Why: deliberate, conscious, proactive — action, not talk.
Another mate changes their avatar to the flag and reshares posts — and does nothing else.
Why: slacktivism. Good intentions without learning or connection.
A workplace RAP produces a scripted Acknowledgement email and a Reconciliation Week morning tea; the supplier register dies unowned.
Why: tokenism — responsibility for change was never embedded in the organisation.
Behaviours to practise
Allyship can be confronting for those of us raised in a European-Australian context — our systems were founded on a philosophy that failed to recognise Indigenous cultures at all. These five behaviours keep you learning instead of taking offence.
Put your ego aside and understand a viewpoint on its own terms before assessing it. Don’t argue — don’t even agree. Just listen, then start asking questions.
Books, research, talks, museums, on-country tours. Australians live alongside the world’s oldest continuous living culture — learning it is a journey, not a module.
Watch your automatic reactions as you read, listen and interact. They’re products of upbringing — observing them is what lets you shift them.
It’s not enough to know: allies also do. Giving time and skills strengthens Indigenous efforts and connects you with community. Win-win-win.
Politicians shape policy, law and funding. Work closely with a local Indigenous organisation first, then advocate for their objectives — not your version of them.
Behaviours allies avoid
Our cultural upbringing tends our thinking in these directions sometimes. That’s not unusual — noticing it is the work. None of us is perfect, and we all have 200 years of colonial cultural influence to work past.
Your role is support. If you’re asked to lead a task, understand where that leadership ends — and foreground Indigenous Australians, not yourself.
Uninvited ideas read as saviourism — they presume people need “saving” and can’t help themselves. Ask if input is wanted, offer it as a suggestion, then listen.
The hard truths you’re discovering are their lived, daily reality. Discuss your feelings with family and friends — don’t ask Indigenous people to carry them.
Not status, skills, contacts or a resume line. Allyship is about giving, plain and simple. Leave your ego at the door.
First steps: help First Nations entrepreneurs now
Help First Nations people create thriving businesses. Donations of $2 or more are tax deductible.
Donate now → VolunteerWe always need more volunteers — take a look at our current projects and get in touch.
Get in touch → Research your communitySeek out Indigenous suppliers near you — and beware black cladding. Do your research first.
The Blakwashing guide →Definitions
Terminology carries history. Keep researching words you’re unsure of so you’re using language that doesn’t inadvertently offend — and says exactly what you mean.
A person who deliberately, consciously and proactively combines their efforts with those of Indigenous Australian people to benefit our whole country — with self-awareness and a willingness to learn.
The peoples in Australia before British colonisation. Most prefer it as the national term — it acknowledges hundreds of distinct nations — while identifying with their tribe or language name first.
With a capital A, the Indigenous people of Australia. Some prefer not to use it: it was chosen by non-Indigenous people to describe many nations as one group.
Mainland Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders together. The common international and UN term, though it groups distinct peoples.
“Blak” differentiates the Indigenous Australian experience of colonisation — and makes clear nobody is “less Indigenous” for lighter skin.
Presenting as Indigenous — via claimed heritage, employment or First Nations branding — to win contracts, customers or goodwill.
Removing or reducing the Indigenous quality of something to suit non-Indigenous tastes — lightened skin tones in print, non-Indigenous actors in First Nations roles.
Identifying and dismantling colonial thinking and systems — not winding back the clock, but finding approaches genuinely inclusive of all Australians.
Everyone has the same status, rights and access to opportunities.
Fairness. Equal isn’t always fair: charging every student the same fee is equal — supporting those who can’t pay up-front is equitable.
How systems of inequality — racism, sexism, colourism, disability — combine into challenges that can’t be separated from each other.
A name some Indigenous Australians from a region of NSW use for themselves; Murri is used similarly elsewhere. Use it only for people who identify that way.
Reconciliation Action Plan — an organisation’s plan to advance reconciliation, economic equity and self-determination. A floor, not a badge.
The right of all peoples to choose their political status and pursue economic, social and cultural development as they see fit.
Australia’s systems are built on British models. Their creators’ descendants never have to learn them the hard way; everyone else does.
Reflective template
Allyship will expose you to situations you can’t immediately make sense of — or that you react strongly to without knowing why. When that happens, take five minutes here. Your words stay on your device; print them if you want to keep them.
Resources & FAQ
Places to start or continue learning about First Nations cultures, history and contributions — and don’t forget your local library or Indigenous cultural centre.
How can First Nations entrepreneurship help close the gap?
Government data shows the Indigenous employment rate fell from 48% in 2006 to 46.6% in 2016 while the non-Indigenous rate held around 72% — despite billions of taxpayer dollars. First Nations people can’t rely on government help. Through business, communities support themselves, achieve self-determination and build resilience — that’s why Barayamal exists.
What are the benefits of Indigenous entrepreneurship?
It follows a different model from Western business: instead of profit for personal enrichment, it upholds people’s connections to each other and to country. Business must benefit the group and the place where they live — not just the individual.
Don’t all Australian businesses deserve my custom?
Sure — so long as they operate legally and match your values. But many people treat spending as voting with the wallet: money spent with First Nations businesses uplifts communities that have been marginalised, with a bigger societal impact than the same dollars spent elsewhere.
Donate to a First Nations charity or buy from First Nations businesses?
Both are great — they have different impacts. Buying supports Indigenous Australians through commerce; donating supports non-commercial initiatives and puts the choice of how funds are used with Indigenous-run organisations.
Who is, or knows, the perfect ally? Help us describe one.
With more than 250 Indigenous nations in Australia, understandings of allyship vary — so this guide stays open, exactly as it did when it lived in a Google Doc. If something’s missing or wrong, tell us and we’ll make it better.