OUR Social Development
Creating real economic participation for First Nations peoples
Indigenous economic participation isn’t an add-on for Gulanga. It’s our founding purpose. Every engagement we deliver creates direct economic benefit and career opportunity for Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous representation in ICT remains low. We use our position in the sector, and our relationships with government, education providers, vendors and customers, to create opportunities that might not otherwise exist.
Built on Country, built to walk alongside
“You can't be what you can't see.”
Gulanga was founded on Ngunnawal Country with the permission of Elders. The name means to walk alongside, to partner, and it describes how we work.
Our founder, Craig Dukes (1962–2022), a proud Mara and Jingili man, set out to build a sustainable Indigenous-owned ICT company that would:
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create employment pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
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reinvest profits into community
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operate with cultural integrity and strategic impact
His vision continues through the Craig Dukes Memorial Fund, a central pillar of our Indigenous Social Benefit Program.
Craig believed that opportunity starts with visibility. A young person who has never met an Indigenous software engineer, project manager or technology leader is far less likely to imagine that career for themselves.
That belief sits behind everything we do. We put Indigenous students in front of Indigenous professionals, tech companies, mentors and employers, so that a career in technology becomes something they can see, and then something they can choose.
How our social fund creates generational change
Our social fund is not a one-off donation. It is designed to build momentum from one generation to the next.
1
Commercial success funds it
When Gulanga wins and delivers work, a share of our profits goes into our social programs. The more we grow, the more we can give.
2
It backs people at every stage
Money goes into school our Indigenous Education programs. Support carries a person from a Year 7 classroom through study and into work.
3
Connections develop our ecosystem
Through our people solutions and partners across government and industry, graduates move into meaningful roles in ICT and beyond.
4
Students become future role models
Graduates mentor the students coming up behind them. Each person who walks through the door makes the path easier for the next.
What we are trying to do
Create pathways, build capability, strengthen communities and help the next generation of Indigenous Australians see a genuine future in technology and beyond.
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Lift Indigenous representation in ICT, an industry where it remains low
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Create education-to-employment pathways that last a lifetime, not a single program year
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Strengthen families and communities by building economic independence and capability
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Show industry that social procurement can deliver real, measurable change
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Leave behind a model that vendors, customers and other organisations can join and scale
We are not just delivering ICT. We're building futures.
Social impact is built into the business, not separate from it
Indigenous representation in ICT remains low. We use our position in the sector, and our relationships with government, education providers, vendors and customers, to create opportunities that might not otherwise exist.
We run a self-funded social investment model. A percentage of Gulanga's profits goes into our social programs.
Commercial Success
Partnerships
Investment
Education
Community
Outcomes
From Year 7 to a lifelong career
We don't want to open a door and walk away. We want to help people walk through it. The Pathway Program works with technology vendors, education providers and customers to support Indigenous Australians at every stage.
Years 7 - 12
STEM engagement through Young Indigenous Women in STEM Academy
Post Year 12
University scholarships for ICT and STEM degrees
Undergraduate
Internships and mentoring with industry
Graduation
Graduate employment across government and industry
Leadership
Senior roles, and mentoring the next generation
Six ways Gulanga puts purpose to work
ICT Career Pathways
We actively recruit, place, and develop Indigenous ICT professionals across government and enterprise, creating lasting career pathways in technology.
Employment
Our People solutions connect First Nations talent with meaningful employment across the ICT sector and beyond.
Community Investment
A portion of profit is allocated to Indigenous programs, education, skills development, and community initiatives.
STEM Education
Supporting Indigenous students into STEM fields through scholarships, mentoring, and connections with industry partners.
Supply Nation
Procurement through Gulanga meets your Reconciliation Action Plan obligations and demonstrates measurable Indigenous economic contribution.
Sovereign AI Impact
Dukes generates Indigenous benefit through every token consumed.
Creating real economic participation for First Nations peoples
Indigenous economic participation is not an add-on for Gulanga, it is our founding purpose. Every engagement we deliver creates direct economic benefit and career opportunity for Indigenous Australians.
Constellation: one platform, many programs
Every Star - Connected
Shared technology infrastructure for Indigenous programs. Instead of every program building its own systems, programs plug into one platform to teach, mentor, support and connect their people, from a Year 7 classroom to a lifelong career.
MANAGE
One case-management core for records, scheduling, mentors and matching.
TEACH
AI “Education Genies” for Maths, Science and English first, other curricula next.
GROW
Pathways into study and employment that don't stop at a milestone.
CONNECT
An “Engage” network of 6,000+ professionals, a LinkedIn for Indigenous Australia.
WHY CONSTELLATION
Each program is a constellation of its own, all part of one sky.
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DownLOAD BROCHURE
01. Programs shouldn't build alone.
Every new program starts strong instead of starting over, with morereaching people and less lost to overheads.
02. Shared foundations go further.
Enterprise-grade capability no single program could build alone and an improvement for one is an improvement for all.
03. Support should last a lifetime.
It grows with a person, school, study, work, network, so progress compounds instead of resetting.
