Once a state senator in Kansas, Donald Betts found a new home and career in Australia, but he’s never forgotten his friends and business acquaintances in the Midwest.
And now, he’s bringing nearly 60 of his Australian friends and business acquaintances here with the goal of building partnerships and collaborations that benefit both groups.
After serving in the Kansas Legislature 2003-09, Betts and his wife Tania moved to her native Australia, where the bright and outgoing young African American was immediately embraced. He became the first African American to receive a Juris Doctorate from Monash University in Australia.
He was also received enthusiastically by the Indigenous Australian business community, who felt a connection to America’s Black community, which, like them, suffered from centuries of injustice and discrimination.
Kinaway Chamber to America
Betts is CEO of the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce that focuses on providing business support, strengthening relationships and creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, First Nations or Indigenous (used interchangeably and based on preference) businesses across Victoria, a state in Southeast Australia.
Under the auspices of the Kinaway Chamber, Betts is spearheading the largest First Nations trade mission to America in the history of Australia.
The delegation coming to Kansas will include 58 Australian Indigenous-led businesses of all sizes, hoping to forge partnerships and open avenues for economic collaboration between Australian First Nations entrepreneurs and their counterparts in Kansas.
“You come to Kansas because you come to the heartland to pump the heart and let the whole nation know we’re here,” says Betts.
The Australian Indigenous delegation will be in Kansas and the Kansas City area March 17-24. The businesses span sectors from technology and defense contractors to textiles, nonprofits, retail, and everything in between, with the trade mission hoping to build long-lasting relationships that are mutually beneficial.
Betts says that the group of First Nations business owners present unique business opportunities for American entrepreneurs of all stripes. Individuals and American businesses can expand their consumer base internationally and potentially leverage Australia’s $5 billion Indigenous Procurement Policy, which gives first preference to majority Indigenous-owned businesses when looking to fulfill Australian government contracts, among other incentives.
“This could mean big things for American businesses,” says Betts. “Once America starts to understand the importance of doing business with Australian First Nations people, they’ll realize how lucrative of a deal this is and why it’s important to get in the room with these Indigenous businesses.”
Lineup of Events
The delegation will arrive in Wichita on March 17. Once on U.S. soil, the trade group will meet with Native Americans along an ancient native trade route, where they will seek permissions and blessings for trade in the customs of Native Americans.
“We’re going to do the cultural respects; asking for permission to trade on the land and do it the right way to respect the Native American elders,” says Betts.
President Joe Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have pledged to do more Indigenous-to-Indigenous trade, and that is an aspect of the trade mission, but Betts says the mission is much larger.
The delegation will be in Kansas City for two days. On March 18, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly formed American Indian Chamber of Commerce of the Great Plains. The two groups will sign a “memorandum of understanding” allowing free trade between the Indigenous cultures.
March 19, the delegation heads to the World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial. The group of Indigenous business owners will be joined by former Australian Prime Minister and current Ambassador to the U.S. Kevin Rudd and First Nations Ambassador Justin Mohamed.
High-ranking officials from both Kansas and Missouri are also expected to be on hand to hear a presentation on the significant role the First Nations people played in WWI, which ultimately led to a long-standing alliance between the U.S. and Australia. The museum will receive a piece of Aboriginal art.
On March 20, the group travels to Topeka for a joint Native American and Australian First Nations trade show in the rotunda of the Kansas State Capitol.
The delegation heads to Wichita for three days before departing for Australia on March 24. In Wichita, there will be trade shows, leadership training, tours of local businesses, and business engagement and strategy that prepares the group to do business on a larger scale when they return to Australia.
The Wichita Chamber of Commerce will also host an event while the group is stateside, but it has not been formally announced. Betts encourages everyone to buy a ticket to the event when they can because it is expected to sell out quickly.
“This is a rare opportunity,” says Betts. “You’re gonna get introduced to the friends of a native son to feel confident enough to do business with my home.”
