Brendan O'Connor (Gorton, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment Participation) Share this | Hansard source

May I thank the member for Solomon for his question. The member for Solomon of course has a passionate commitment towards Indigenous job seekers, not only in Darwin but also beyond Darwin, and I thank him for the question. On 13 February the Prime Minister stood in this place on this spot on behalf of the nation apologising to the Indigenous Australians for the grief, suffering and loss that they endured. That apology was a historic and healing moment in this country. But the government believes that this apology must be accompanied by even greater substance. In particular, the government is committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the areas of life expectancy, educational achievement and employment outcomes. That is why we welcome and commend Andrew Forrest and his initiative to work with corporate Australia to provide 50,000 employment opportunities for Indigenous Australians. In doing so, I thank and acknowledge the great work already undertaken by employers in this field. There are, of course, many employers working in this area, but there is a lot more to be done.

We are aware that the Australian Employment Covenant is a bold challenge. Let me say that it will be supported by the Rudd government. We will work very closely with the covenant group and its supporters in the private and philanthropic sectors in pursuit of this worthy goal. The government will provide relevant accredited training and ongoing mentoring to ensure that Indigenous job seekers are given the support and skills they need to get a job and to keep a job. It is crucial for those many highly disadvantaged job seekers—who may have limited literacy and numeracy skills, who may have confronted awful experiences of domestic violence, who may have experienced social dysfunction or, indeed, who may not even comprehend, in the true sense, what paid work is all about—including, unfortunately, Indigenous job-seekers, that they can see that they have a future. One of the most powerful ways we can convince job seekers that they have a genuine chance is to give them a clear path between where they stand now and where that job lies. Because the Australian Employment Covenant is asking for undertakings from the corporate sector, it provides that type of opportunity for Indigenous jobseekers. That provides a better life for those Indigenous people, and it is for that reason this government will support this noble endeavour.

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