Wiradjuri man Paul Towney highlighted the struggles of Indigenous businesses on ABC's Q+A program on Monday night.

Mr Towney, an audience member included as part of the show's discussion around the Voice, shared his personal story of trying to establish himself in the construction industry for the past 13 years and said he felt ready to "chuck it in".

He highlighted the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the private sector, where financial backgrounds and access to capital often determine success.

"You go out, get your licenses, get qualified and everything, but we don't have the financial background of non-Indigenous Australians," he said.

"In the private sector, everyone knows you've got to have a million dollars in your account to start off and we don't, but we rely on government support. This month alone, I've been knocked back about five times on government-funded construction projects in the billions of dollars."

"We all come off a mission and reserve. It wasn't our choice to live on these reserves or be brought up on these reserves. The government, they put us there."

The issue of Closing the Gap targets was also brought up by Mr Towney, who noted there continued to be slow progress in this area.

"This year, Closing the Gap, there have only been two targets met in, what, 30 years ... and then the other thing for me is national Indigenous unemployment; It's going up to nearly 20 per cent higher than the national unemployment rate," he said.

While some progress is being made in certain areas, Indigenous people continue to experience higher unemployment rates and are underrepresented in skilled and professional occupations.

In a bid to address these targets, a range of procurement measures and grant programs have been put in place by the Commonwealth and most state governments.

However, the Reserve Bank of Australia has noted that there are still substantial barriers that impair the success of many Indigenous business operators.

In it's June 2022 bulletin focussing on Indigenous business operators the RBA noted: "There are ongoing challenges of access to financial, social and symbolic capital continue to test First Nations business owners".