Home | Search | Site Map | Help

Employment and Economic Development

Employment and the creation of sustainable business opportunities are keys to achieving economic independence.

ATSIC's and the Torres Strait Regional Authority's (TSRA) Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme is an important part of the Government's employment strategy for Indigenous Australians. ATSIC and the TSRA will spend $491.7 million in 2001-02 on projects that offer meaningful work to 36,300 participants and provide social, economic and cultural benefits to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. CDEP participants voluntarily forego their government income support entitlement to work on these projects. The scheme operates in urban, rural and remote areas. It is particularly crucial to those remote Indigenous communities where there are few labour market opportunities. ATSIC has implemented a number of improvements to the scheme following the recommendations of the Spicer Review into CDEP. The Government provided funding for an increase of 1,500 CDEP participant places in rural and remote areas in the 2000-01 Budget.

CDEP is a very successful programme that has benefited many communities and tens of thousands of Indigenous participants. However, there is widespread concern that the scheme is not as successful as it could be in terms of mainstream employment outcomes. The $31.1 million CDEP component of the Australians Working Together package will help to improve employment opportunities for CDEP scheme.

Through this initiative, the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business (DEWRSB) will contract CDEP organisations to increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people moving into permanent employment. The initiative will target 10,000 CDEP participants over four years in areas with good job opportunities, creating Indigenous Employment Centres which are more closely linked with mainstream employment services. These centres will offer work experience, tailor-made job search support and access to training. By working with local employers and Job Network members, the Indigenous Employment Centres will encourage people to find work and help them to retain it. This initiative, developed in consultation with ATSIC, complements the successful Indigenous Employment Policy.

The Indigenous Employment Policy has been operating since July 1999 with the aims of generating more employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians. The Policy, which incorporates three elements (Indigenous Employment Programme, Indigenous Small Business Fund and Job Network) has been generating many successful outcomes.

• Over 3,300 Indigenous people have found jobs since July 1999 through the Wage Assistance Programme which provides a financial incentive to employers to help disadvantaged Indigenous job seekers to find long term jobs. The rate of placements under the programme is increasing with 1,750 Indigenous people finding work in the period 1 July 2000 to 31 March 2001;
• In the nine months ending March 2001 over 150 Structured Training and Employment Projects had been approved, with accredited training particularly through new apprenticeships provided to around 2,500 Indigenous job seekers. In total over 5,100 Indigenous job seekers have been assisted under the programme since the policy was introduced in 1999;
• About fifty Australian companies have signed up to be Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment, with commitments to provide over 1,600 jobs for Indigenous people;
• The National Indigenous Cadetship Programme has provided opportunities for Indigenous undergraduates to gain the professional qualifications needed for a range of jobs in both the public and private sectors. About 70 cadets have been selected to commence employment in 2001; and
• A key focus of the Indigenous Employment Policy is improving outcomes for Indigenous people from mainstream-funded Job Network services. Between July 2000 and March 2001, about 6,750 Indigenous job seekers were placed in employment by Job Network.

Recognising the importance of business development for economic independence, the Government made a commitment to establish Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) prior to the 1998 election. In April 2001, IBA took responsibility for the operation of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commercial Development Corporation with the aim of forging partnerships between Indigenous people and corporate Australia. IBA will develop commercially viable joint ventures that will enable Indigenous Australians to acquire equity in a number of large businesses and provide opportunities for employment.

The establishment of IBA complements other ongoing programmes including ATSIC's Business Development Programme, and the joint ATSIC/DEWRSB Indigenous Small Business Fund.

The Indigenous Small Business Fund provides support for development and expansion of Indigenous businesses and enterprises. The fund will enhance business prospects by supporting skills development programmes, mentoring, networking, advisory services and market development (including export opportunities). As at 31 March 2001, a total of 42 projects had been approved.