COVENANT REACHES JOB COMMITMENT MILESTONE

Minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Development Mark Arbib today congratulated the Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) on reaching its target of securing 50,000 job commitments for Indigenous Australians in two years.

Senator Arbib said the Covenant, which had been driven by Andrew Forrest and a team of enthusiastic staff, had captured the attention, imagination and commitment of some of Australia’s largest companies and focussed their attention on Indigenous employment.

“I want to congratulate the AEC and corporate Australia for getting behind the Covenant’s efforts and committing to Indigenous employment,” Senator Arbib said.

“The vast majority of business leaders I meet understand that employing Indigenous Australians is not just a corporate responsibility, it’s in their business interests.

“And this commitment is increasingly flowing down from CEOs to their human resource managers and area managers – the people who make sure employment strategies are followed through.”

Senator Arbib said many of the commitments secured by the AEC were long-term pledges.

“So far the AEC has filled more than 4300 jobs, which is a good start,” Senator Arbib said.

“But for corporate Australia and for the Government, the hard work is still in front of us and we are committed to the challenge.

“Some of the commitments are from companies who will employ thousands of Indigenous employees over five to 10 years and we need to ensure there are job-ready candidates to fill those positions.”

In 2008 the Australian Government set the target of halving the gap in employment between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018. This means an additional 100,000 Indigenous Australians need to get, and keep jobs in that time.

“We are starting to see some progress. Since 2009, Job Services Australia providers have made more than 68,000 employment placements for Indigenous job seekers,” Senator Arbib said.

“During the same period, the Government's Indigenous Employment Program has achieved more than 43,600 employment and training placements, well ahead of its targets.

“There’s nothing that can make a bigger difference to the social and economic disadvantage of someone than a good education with a pathway to meaningful employment.

“Having a job means more for your family than putting food on the table and shelter over their heads. Having a job creates self pride and self-esteem for individuals and provides positive role models for family members and communities.

“Indigenous employment is not a short term issue. That’s why over the next four years the Gillard Government has also committed almost $650 million to the Indigenous Employment Program.”

Senator Arbib said under changes to the Government’s Indigenous Employment Program from today, in regions with a significant Indigenous population, tenderers for Government contracts over $5 million ($6 million for construction), will need plans for employing and training local Indigenous people and for using Indigenous suppliers.

“Developing Indigenous enterprise is critical to the government's employment targets, but even more importantly it puts Indigenous people in charge of their own destiny,” Senator Arbib said