Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin and minister for Indigenous Employment and Economic Julie Collins announced a “renewed and expanded” National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Economic Participation yesterday (July 4).
The National Partnership Agreement is an initiative of the Australian, state and territory governments invested in improving employment opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers.
From July 1 2014, the Australian government will expand the Indigenous Opportunities to cover all Commonwealth procurement processes above $5 million, regardless of location.
The public sector Indigenous employment targets of 2.6 per cent will also be extended in the new agreement to ensure Indigenous Australians have “greater access” to local jobs.
Ms Collins said the new partnership will help to build on the achievements of the current agreement, which she says has helped boost employment opportunities for Indigenous people, creating 1,500 jobs in government service delivery.
“This progress is really encouraging, but we know much more needs to be done to reach our target of halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018,” Ms Collins said.
“Creating more local jobs and better economic outcomes for Indigenous Australians is a key priority for the Australian government and fundamental to Closing the Gap.”
