The Blakwashing Record

The public record · est. December 2019

Before it made headlines, we were writing it down.

Barayamal founder Dean Foley, a Kamilaroi man, has documented blakwashing and black cladding since 2019 — from a lone warning about government inaction to a national evidence base of audits, studies and cases. This page is the receipts.

2019

On the record since December 2019

17

Published pieces — every one linked below

4

Official audits + studies now on the file

?

Total lost to cladding — still unmeasured. That gap is the finding

Two definitions, one problem

“Organisations falsely claiming to be Indigenous-owned or exaggerating their involvement with Indigenous communities for the purpose of gaining a competitive edge, securing government contracts or enhancing their public image.”
BLAKWASHING — Barayamal, Blakwashing Ultimate Guide, 2024
“A non-Indigenous business or person taking unfair advantage of an Indigenous business or person to gain access to Indigenous procurement policies or contracts.”
BLACK CLADDING — Supply Nation guidance, via “Blakwashing” 101

What the evidence says

Not opinion — the audit trail. Every tile links to the published source.

Exhibit A · ANU study

Half of $7 billion went to just 18 organisations.

18 organisations — halfevery other supplier — the other half

Australian National University research on Indigenous procurement concentration, reported by I-News in November 2025. Concentration is not proof of wrongdoing — it shows where verification matters most.

Read the report →

Exhibit B · The stakes

$439M · 357 contracts

Western Australia’s Aboriginal procurement in a single year (2023–24). WA’s own Auditor General audited the policy in 2024 and called out gaps in how it is monitored.

WA Government data + WA Auditor General 2024, via “Blakwashing” 101, Aug 2025

Exhibit C · ANAO, 2025

The Commonwealth auditor pressed for real checks.

A 2025 follow-up audit pushed entities to tighten compliance checks on Indigenous-participation requirements — instead of waving non-compliance through as exempt.

Via “Blakwashing” 101, Aug 2025

Exhibit D · ICAC SA

A corruption watchdog flagged black-cladding risks.

South Australia’s ICAC flagged cladding risks in state procurement. Barayamal’s follow-up asked the harder question: so what actually changed?

I-News, Sep 2025 →

Exhibit E · Canada, 2026

Canada cleaned out its directory. The pressure lands here.

Canada removed non-compliant firms from its Indigenous business list — putting direct pressure on Australia’s procurement rules to prove they can do the same.

I-News, Jan 2026 →

Exhibit F · The gap

Unknown.

How much is lost to cladding in total. No transparency regime measures it — which is exactly what Dean Foley has argued needs fixing since 2023.

The Hidden Agenda, Barayamal, 2023

Since 2019: seventeen pieces, all linked

The documentation trail, oldest first. Every title links to the original.

Dec 2019BARAYAMAL

Black Cladding is a major concern — so why is the Government looking away?

The first warning shot, published on Barayamal while the practice still flew under the radar.

Dec 2021LINKEDIN

How to avoid being “Blakwashed” + Blakwashing Examples

Dean Foley’s first published definitions of the term — how to buy actual Indigenous products instead.

May 2023BARAYAMAL

The Hidden Agenda of Corporate and Government Virtue Signaling

Names the greenwashing parallel outright — shell companies, middlemen and the diversity box-tick.

Sep 2023BARAYAMAL

Learn How to Spot Blakwashing + The Hidden Agenda Behind Government & Corporate Claims

The how-to-spot canon: vague commitments, missing partnerships, contradictory history.

Nov 2023I-NEWS

Blakwashing Crisis in Aboriginal Representation + the reconciliation-CSR question

I-News joins the file — with the first explicit call for regulation to match greenwashing law.

Jan 2024LINKEDIN

NSW Government Procurement Practices

State procurement under the lens.

May 2024BARAYAMAL

Blakwashing Ultimate Guide: How to Overcome Black Cladding

The definitive resource — definitions, legal framework and actions for consumers, businesses and regulators.

Jul 2024I-NEWS

Blakwashing: The Dark Side of the Indigenous Procurement Policy

The Indigenous Procurement Policy created the incentive; weak verification created the loophole.

Aug 2025I-NEWS

“Blakwashing” 101: What Audits and Policy Say About Procurement Rorts

The audit round-up — ANAO, WA’s Auditor General and Supply Nation’s own guidance. Published alongside One Per Cent Won’t Fix It? on the new IPP test.

Sep 2025I-NEWS

ICAC South Australia flagged black-cladding risks… so what changed?

Holding a watchdog’s warning to account a year on.

Nov 2025I-NEWS

ANU: half of $7 billion went to 18 organisations + Black cladding is economic violence against Aboriginal women

The concentration data lands — and the human cost gets named.

Jan 2026I-NEWS

Canada’s Indigenous business clean-out puts pressure on Australia’s procurement rules

The international comparison Australia can no longer avoid.

Procurement can be a powerful lever for Indigenous economic development — but only if verification and enforcement match the ambition of the targets.
— THE ARGUMENT OF “BLAKWASHING” 101, INDIGENOUS NEWS AUSTRALIA, 2025

The record grows. Follow it — or add to it.

You’ve seen the evidence. Now move the money.