First Nations Bushfoods Alliance announces its first General Manager

First Nations Bushfoods and Botanical Alliance Australia has today welcomed Amanda Garner as General Manager of the organization to work with the board to lead national conversations and change across the bush foods and botanicals space where only 2% of its peoples are represented despite the industry’s reliance on their cultural knowledge.

The Alliance was established as a result of a national conversation of 120 First Nations people who made their way from across Australia to attend the inaugural National Indigenous Bushfood Symposium in Sydney, November 2019.

According to Chair and Northern Territory Alliance Director, Rayleen Brown, “we welcome Amanda who brings with her a wealth of industry knowledge and who can hit the ground running working alongside us to encourage all stakeholders to support the Alliance to accelerate First Nation economic growth into a multi-million dollar Industry.”

“We are all looking forward to now being able to enact some of the actions coming out of the Symposium and working for our mob to move the Industry forward,” Rayleen said.

Amanda says she is delighted and honoured to represent First Nations people and the Alliance in increasing participation and leadership of the bushfood and botanical industry in Australia.

Rayleen who is also owner of Kunga’s Can Cook, has spent the last 20 years running her own bush foods business in Alice Springs as well as advocating for the women wild harvesting in the Central Desert Area said “I have worked for many years with a range of stakeholders in the industry to develop ethical guidelines for the bush foods industry,” Rayleen said. “I am yet to see a meaningful return for our people. We are ready to pursue First Nations economic interest and solutions and the market is demanding authentic, First Nations lead products from the Industry.”