A Barayamal field guide
Blakwashing.
Greenwashing’s cousin. Same trick — borrow the virtue, skip the substance. Except here the costume is First Nations identity and the takings are real contracts, real jobs and real money that were meant for Indigenous businesses.
blak·washing /ˈblak-wosh-ing/ · noun
see also: greenwashing (environmental)
Organisations falsely claiming to be Indigenous-owned or exaggerating their involvement with Indigenous communities — to gain a competitive edge, secure government contracts or enhance their public image.
— Blakwashing Ultimate Guide, Barayamal, 2024black cladding · noun
the procurement version
Using shell companies and middlemen labelled as “Indigenous businesses” so government and corporate organisations can tick a diversity supply box — while the benefit flows somewhere else entirely.
— The Hidden Agenda of Corporate and Government Virtue Signaling, Barayamal, 2023If a company said “eco-friendly” with nothing behind it, you’d call it out. This is the same play.
The parallel
You already know this trick
Greenwashing taught everyone to distrust vague eco-claims. Blakwashing runs the identical playbook on First Nations identity — with one big difference at the bottom of this table.
| Greenwashing | Blakwashing | |
|---|---|---|
| The costume | “Eco-friendly. Carbon neutral. Sustainably sourced.” | “Indigenous-owned. Community partnership. Proudly supporting First Nations.” |
| What’s borrowed | The planet’s credibility | First Nations identity and trust |
| Who pays | Consumers and the environment | Genuine Indigenous businesses and the communities the money never reaches |
| The prize | Price premiums and brand halo | Government contracts, procurement targets and reputational cover |
| The regulator | Dedicated ACCC attention — published guidance, enforcement priorities and court action on green claims | General misleading-conduct law only. No dedicated program, no dedicated test |
Barayamal has argued since 2023 that blakwashing claims deserve the same scrutiny greenwashing claims now get — see Blakwashing Crisis in Aboriginal Representation.
The mechanism
How black cladding actually works
Four moves, endlessly repeated. Once you see the shape you can’t unsee it.
MOVE 01
The badge
A joint venture or shell company is set up with majority Indigenous ownership on paper. The paperwork is real. The business often isn’t.
MOVE 02
The bid
The badge unlocks Indigenous procurement contracts and supplier-diversity targets that were created to grow genuine Indigenous businesses.
MOVE 03
The switch
The non-Indigenous partner runs delivery, supplies the staff and controls the money. Ownership sat still; control never moved.
MOVE 04
The skim
Profit exits through fees and subcontracts. One example documented in 2023: the badge-holder kept 15% of revenue while a big consultancy did the work.
How much of the sector works this way? Unknown — and that’s the point. There is no transparency regime measuring it. Dean Foley flagged the gap in 2023; the audits that followed keep confirming weak verification.
The core distinction
Ownership is not control
On paper
51% Indigenous owned ✓
- Share registry says majority Indigenous
- Logo on the tender documents
- Ticks the procurement box
In practice — ask
Who runs it? Who profits?
- Who chairs the board and makes decisions?
- Who employs and manages the workforce?
- Whose account does the margin land in?
Supply Nation’s certified standard exists precisely because ownership alone is gameable — certification requires majority Indigenous ownership, management and control. Policy is slowly moving the same way: federal updates flagged in “Blakwashing” 101 point to an ownership-and-control test.
If you’re the Indigenous partner being offered the 51% — the same questions work in reverse. Ask who controls delivery, who employs the team and where the margin lands. A real partnership survives all six questions below; a cladding arrangement changes the subject.
The field test
Six questions to run against any “proudly Indigenous” claim
Genuine businesses answer these easily — most welcome them. Blakwash goes vague by question two. One rule before you start: this test is about business structure — who owns, who controls, who benefits. It never questions any person’s Aboriginality.
Questions 1–3 from Learn How to Spot Blakwashing (2023) · questions 4–6 from the Ultimate Guide (2024) and “Blakwashing” 101 (2025). Your answers stay on your device — nothing is collected.
Do something with it
Five moves that beat blakwashing
Verify
Check certification
Look the supplier up before you believe the logo. Certified beats registered.
Supply Nation →Buy
Buy the real thing
Barayamal’s directory of genuine First Nations businesses — find them, hire them, buy from them.
aboriginal-business.com →Ask
Run the six questions
In procurement, in meetings, at the counter. Genuine operators answer them easily.
The field test ↑Report
Report misleading claims
Falsely claiming Indigenous ownership can amount to misleading conduct under consumer law.
ACCC →Share
Spread the pattern
Seven years of reporting, free to read. The more people who know the shape, the less it works.
I-News archive →Sources for this page: Blakwashing Ultimate Guide (Barayamal, 2024) · The Hidden Agenda of Corporate and Government Virtue Signaling (Barayamal, 2023) · Learn How to Spot Blakwashing (Barayamal, 2023) · “Blakwashing” 101: What Audits and Policy Say About Procurement Rorts (I-News, 2025) · Supply Nation guidance. Illustrative patterns only — no company named on this page.