Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Crossin for the question. I know she has worked tirelessly on this issue. Many Northern Territory members of the community have benefited from her work. As senators in the chamber are aware, the Gillard government is committed to closing the gap in Indigenous inequality. At the heart of this effort is a drive to halve the gap on Indigenous employment. While the government is working hard with Indigenous communities through programs like the Indigenous Employment Program and Job Services Australia, the enormity of the challenge is great, and we cannot do it alone. It is vital that we engage corporate Australia to help drive demand for Indigenous employees, create sustainable career paths for jobseekers, and drive cultural change so that Indigenous employment becomes the rule rather than the exception in workplaces.

Because of this work we saw progress on the weekend. The Business Council of Australia report shows a number of positive changes. Forty of the 100 BCOA member companies now have Indigenous engagement initiatives, compared with 28 last year. Twenty-nine companies have Indigenous employment and/or traineeship strategies, compared with 21 last year. Twenty-one companies have specific Indigenous employment goals or targets, compared with 14 last year. Fourteen companies have completed reconciliation action plans, RAPs, compared with nine last year. This is good news and it is complemented by work being done by ACCI, Reconciliation Australia and AiG. Of course, because of the size of the challenge and the complexity of the issue, a great deal still needs to be done. That is why the government is working extremely closely with programs like the AEC, Australian Employment Covenant, through our Indigenous employment program assisting companies to train and employ Indigenous Australians. The covenant has now generated more than 22,000 commitments. (Time expired)