Morrgul: better business, connections, collaboration
Located on Yawuru Country, an Aboriginal Economic not-for-profit organisation is driving business success and economic empowerment across regional Western Australia.
With offices located a few kilometres from Broome’s famous Cable Beach and in Perth, Morrgul, meaning ‘working together’, was established in 2013 and registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) to provide business support services to Aboriginal business start-ups, corporations and other economic organisations.
Since commencing operations, Morrgul has provided culturally grounded business support, mentoring and capacity-building to over 2000 Aboriginal business owners, enterprises and corporations.
Morrgul’s tailored services include establishment and compliance support, as well as helping businesses secure government and industry contracts. More than 91% of businesses supported by Morrgul are still trading after three years.
Between September 2025 and August 2026, Morrgul supported 392 Indigenous entities and through one funding stream alone helped Aboriginal businesses secure more than $31.3 million in contracts, creating an estimated 63 jobs for Aboriginal people.
For every dollar received by Morrgul under that service contract, $101.91 was returned to Aboriginal businesses through successful tenders.
The Morrgul team made the most of the opportunity provided by Connect 2026 in Boorloo (Perth), supporting nine Indigenous businesses from regional Western Australia to exhibit at the Tradeshow.
“One of our goals in attending Connect was pretty simple, we wanted to make sure that Aboriginal businesses located outside of Perth in more regional locations have the opportunity to be part of these important events too,” said Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Le Lievre.
Prior to attending Connect, the Morrgul team worked closely with the participating businesses to ensure they were well prepared to maximise the opportunities the event provided.
This included coordinating the design and production of professional marketing materials and digital promotional displays to help each business showcase its products and services effectively.
Morrgul also coordinated and funded event logistics, including travel and accommodation, exhibition booth design and layout, ensuring each business had a professional and engaging presence throughout the event.
This allowed business owners to focus on building relationships and exploring new procurement and partnership opportunities with government agencies, corporate buyers and industry representatives attending.
One of the businesses supported by Morrgul was Broome-based Renee Clifton Art, whose artist Kathleen Clifton was invited to be the artist in residence at the Indigenous Business Trade Show. Kathleen created an artwork live within the Sand Circle, sharing her talent and culture with attendees throughout the event.
“It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase her talent, culture and story to a large audience. This is why opportunities like Connect matter.
“We were incredibly proud to support the businesses, to see them take up the opportunity, make connections and represent their communities on such a significant stage,” said Mr Le Lievre.
Connect 2026 was a particularly significant and memorable event for the Morrgul team and the businesses attending with them. Morrgul was named winner of the prestigious Dr Dean Jarrett Award recognising Outstanding Impact, after also being awarded Registered Supplier of the Year at the Supplier Diversity Awards.
The nine Indigenous businesses supported by Morrgul represented diverse sectors including machinery and civil works, art and design, employment and recruitment, asset maintenance and plumbing, and tourism.
“The feedback following the event has been outstanding. We had businesses from Albany to Kununurra and many places in between, so that gives you an idea of the vast distances we cover,” Mr Le Lievre said.
“We are actively seeking new partnerships to expand the suite of services we can provide as the demand is there for specific types of business support.
“While we are proud of our numbers, businesses assisted and tenders won, the real story is what we see each and every day. Aboriginal businesses showing resilience, growing stronger, and employing Aboriginal people within their own communities. The social and economic impact of this work extends far beyond the figures.
“This is what fills us with the greatest pride. Our work speaks for itself, and we are honoured to be part of making it happen.”
