Harnessing the corporate and community sectors
The experience of previous efforts to Close the Gap demonstrates that achieving our targets in this area will require commitments from the broader corporate and community sectors. The forging of corporate and philanthropic partnerships with Indigenous communities will help to deliver real and sustainable results.
The Australian Government is committed to working with the corporate sector to improve Indigenous outcomes. In consultation with Indigenous communities, business and community organisations, the Government is directly supporting a range of initiatives that aim to improve employment, education and health outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
Corporate Australia
The Government has welcomed the initiative of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) to lift the role of corporate Australia in actively supporting Indigenous economic development. The BCA will establish an Indigenous business network across member companies to help share information and experiences, build new partnerships and explore opportunities.
The BCA will also develop a Reconciliation Action Plan and work with Reconciliation Australia to develop a tool kit for BCA members looking to develop such plans in the future.
The BCA has recognised that strengthening Indigenous communities is essential. It is working with the Koori Resource and Information Centre to gain a better understanding of the challenges confronting Indigenous communities in order to participate in the development of strategies to secure a better future.
To oversee these initiatives, the BCA is forming an Indigenous Engagement Task Force and will report on the Indigenous engagement strategies, outcomes and experiences of member companies each year from 2009.
Corporate Australia commits to long-term action
Qantas, Australia’s largest airline and member of the Business Council of Australia, is implementing a range of long-term measures that will contribute to overcoming Indigenous disadvantage.
Since the establishment of its Reconciliation Action Plan in 2007, Qantas has increased its number of Indigenous employees by 30 per cent. Several targeted trainee and cadetship programs will contribute to enhanced Indigenous employment into the future.
These achievements sit alongside broader strategies to foster genuine reconciliation and change, including the promotion of Indigenous heritage and culture and equality of access to Qantas services.
Qantas has given strong public support to the objective of closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, and its ongoing commitment to a Reconciliation Action Plan is an excellent model for corporate Australia.
Source: Qantas Indigenous Programs, http://www.qantas.com.au/info/about/community/indigenous
The Australian Government has committed $20 million to the newly formed Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) to improve the educational outcomes of young Indigenous people around Australia.
One of AIEF’s key strategies is to provide scholarships for Indigenous secondary school students from rural and remote areas to attend boarding schools in major cities around Australia. Secondary-school options for many Indigenous students, particularly in remote areas, can be limited. This initiative will provide families with the choice of sending their child to a high-performing secondary school, which will bring with it access to quality learning environments and educational opportunities that might not otherwise be available.
The AIEF aims to match the Australian Government’s $20 million by raising funds from business. This will be invested in an endowment fund, and combined with investment revenues, will fund up to 2000 scholarships over the next two decades. These scholarships will cover tuition and boarding fees, as well as other expenses that families may not be able to meet, such as uniforms and sporting equipment.
The Australian Employment Covenant (AEC) is a major and practical commitment from members of the business community. This initiative has the potential to significantly broaden job opportunities for Indigenous Australians and make a major contribution to the objective of Closing the Gap. The AEC has set the ambitious target of working with corporate Australia to create 50,000 jobs for Indigenous Australians. The initiative builds on the great efforts of many Australian companies which have committed to Indigenous employment and challenges other Australian companies to commit to creating more opportunities for Indigenous Australians.
The AEC was signed on 30 October 2008 between industry, the Indigenous community and the Australian Government. To support the implementation of the AEC, the Government has committed $400,000 to enable the AEC to establish a call centre to take inquiries from interested employers and to develop a communication and marketing strategy, and will make resources available to facilitate training and provide post-placement support and mentoring.
The Australian Government has also provided an additional $10 million to support the expansion of Clontarf Academies – the first stage of a long-term commitment to support the Clontarf Foundation. The Clontarf Foundation currently operates 23 academies in 18 locations. The additional funding will allow the organisation to extend its activities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory and expand to other interested States, increasing Clontarf’s reach from around 1400 young people to 2100. This will allow an additional 500 Indigenous young people to benefit from the program in 2009 – increasing to 700 in 2010 – gaining the confidence and skills to achieve at school and make a successful transition to work.
The Clontarf Academies have been successful in engaging young Indigenous men in particular, encouraging them to engage with school education and to seek employment or undertake further education. Clontarf currently has 280 students participating in Darwin and surrounding locations. Results show that around 90 per cent of the students have improved their literacy and numeracy levels, demonstrating the value of the Clontarf approach.
Community sector involvement
The community sector also has a critical role to play in making progress towards Closing the Gap. Community-based organisations in all states and territories are making a significant contribution through a range of practical initiatives.
Reconciliation Australia is promoting and building better relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, working with corporations, Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations, government and community groups, as well as individuals, to form positive, mutually beneficial partnerships. Reconciliation Australia has helped broker a number of significant partnerships to foster reconciliation and social participation, educating, involving and encouraging the community to take responsibility for reconciliation by highlighting examples of success.
Reconciliation Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program is a significant initiative linking the community sector with corporate Australia. A Reconciliation Action Plan provides organisations with a framework for detailing practical steps and priorities to achieve Indigenous equality, facilitating good relationships, respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the contribution their unique cultures can offer, and co-operation to ensure Indigenous children have the same life opportunities as other children in this prosperous country.
To date, more than 30 leading community-sector organisations have engaged in the RAP program. They include Oxfam Australia, Mission Australia, World Vision Australia, the Fred Hollows Foundation and Amnesty International Australia. An increasing number of Australian businesses have in place or are developing Reconciliation Action Plans, including BHP Billiton, the ANZ Bank, the National Australia Bank and Qantas, demonstrating the growing sense of cooperation and goodwill across both the community and corporate sectors in Australia.
It is encouraging to see young people taking part in the RAP program, with a number of schools and universities participating in these efforts to promote positive and beneficial relationships with the Indigenous community. A number of schools from across Australia have already developed a Reconciliation Action Plan, with a particular focus on education and helping students shape better relationships for the future.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community health in the ACT
Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Services is a primary health care service initiated and managed by the local Aboriginal community to provide an holistic health service to the Aboriginal people of the ACT and surrounding areas.
Winnunga Nimmityjah contributes to closing the gap in life expectancy by offering a comprehensive model of health care encompassing not only medical care, but a range of programs to promote good health and healthy lifestyles.
The Aboriginal Midwifery Access program, administered by Winnunga Nimmityjah, originated in response to the identified need to improve Aboriginal women’s access to antenatal care in the ACT and surrounding areas. The program provides culturally appropriate and timely pre- and post-natal care to Indigenous women, including outreach clinical and non-clinical assessments at home, referrals to and support in accessing mainstream and specialist services, and the provision of information on mainstream health and community services.
The program has progressed significantly since its inception in 2000 and is strongly supported in the community.