Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

First Nations perspectives at the heart of Australia's international engagement on trade and investment 

Expanding First Nations trade and investment is a key focus for the Australian Government and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Working through Australia's diplomatic network, the Office for First Nations International Engagement (OFNIE) and Australia’s Ambassador for First Nations look to increase international market access through bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, working through multilateral forums including the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the Indigenous Peoples Economic Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA), and embedding First Nations perspectives and interests in Australia's foreign, trade and investment policy. 

OFNIE works across DFAT and with partner agencies, states and territories to strengthen engagement between First Nations businesses and international partners while promoting First Nations business to the world. Underpinning this work is a simple principle: First Nations businesses should have a say in the policy that shapes their market access.

Progress toward this agenda include:

• Australia's first Indigenous chapter in a free trade agreement - the Australia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, opened a pathway for First Nations businesses into the Gulf and its broader region. 
• In multilateral forums, DFAT and OFNIE has advocated for the protection of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, and advanced First Nations economic interests through IPETCA
• Successive trade missions with a focus on First Nations business to countries including UAE, Japan, India and North America have demonstrated both demand and opportunities for First Nations business internationally.
• Establishing the pilot First Nations Trade and Investment Advisory Group, chaired by the Ambassador for First Nations People, brings First Nations representatives to the table on trade negotiations, promotion and export pathways.

In July 2026, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade released its First Nations international engagement strategy with a key focus on First Nations participation in international trade and investment.