THE first online and mobile phone indigenous service and business directory has been developed and launched in Cairns.

Aboriginal digital entrepreneurs Leigh Harris and Steven Pelham are the brains behind www.inguides.com.au aimed at indigenous people across the country regardless of geographic location.

"We just got sick of searching for hours through Google or Facebook trying to find information about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, services, events and businesses," Mr Pelham said.

"With many indigenous services using traditional language names like Wuchopperen, Gurriny Yealamucka or Derbarl Yerrigan, it’s difficult to find them in conventional directories," he said.

"Inguides overcomes this problem very simply through our unique system, so jump online to find out how it works."

Mr Harris said indigenous Australians were using mobile phones with an almost unprecedented enthusiasm but the delivery of quality indigenous content had lagged behind.

"Inguides will change that by adapting the latest digital technologies to meet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander needs and providing a new indigenous-designed and owned web and mobile-based innovation service."

Mr Pelham, a full-time university student, and Mr Harris, who owns and operates a design consultancy and photography firm, spent six months on the project.

He said they had spent $4000 on the project without seeking any funding from private or government sources.

They said they were proud to deliver Australia’s first innovation in indigenous new content delivery which would not just benefit indigenous people but all Australians, particularly the government and private sector seeking to engage the services of indigenous businesses or wanting to learn more about indigenous events in their area.

"Some of the largest IT and online companies began in someone’s backyard with little resources and capital injection so why not in the sheds of indigenous Australians," Mr Harris said. Mr Pelham said it would be a users-pay system.

"Users subscribe to a premium self-managed service for a quarter of the cost of local directories, like Yellow Pages, and receive a niche system to easily access indigenous organisations, services and events," he said.

Mr Pelham said with the Federal Government’s review of indigenous broadcasting under way they hoped the review would take into consideration the proliferation of online and mobile technologies. "To look at traditional media delivery and government-funded models as the only delivery systems would be a missed opportunity for our mob," he said.

The entrepreneurs are celebrating the much-anticipated launch of Inguides by releasing the whole site free for the first three months.

"We intend to become a fully sustainable, non-government-funded, private indigenous business and that means people will have to pay for the service following the trial," Mr Harris said. "We know that what we’ve created is unique and fills a massive gap for indigenous Australians to connect and promote their businesses, services and events.

"It is also providing the opportunity for non-indigenous Australians to discover the strength of our community and to better engage with the most appropriate services or businesses.

"We’re really expecting government bodies that service indigenous communities nationally to come on board with Inguides. The door is open to Indigenous Business Australia, Centrelink, health, corrections, education.

"We really hope that government bodies that support indigenous businesses promote those businesses through Inguides."

Over the coming weeks Inguides will release Australian iPhone, iPad and Blackberry applications and in the months following it will roll out announcements of Android and Symbian-based applications.

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