Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Implementation approach for the Stronger Futures Local Jobs for Local People

The Australian Government is publishing this paper as part of its commitment to demonstrate how it is working with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, their representatives and leaders to effectively implement Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory measures.

The Australian Government made a 10 year commitment to enable Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to build strong, independent lives, where communities, families and children are safe and healthy. Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory is a $3.4 billion investment and responds directly to what Aboriginal people told the Government is important to them.

The Australian Government will work with Aboriginal people in communities to support local jobs, tackle alcohol abuse and encourage children to go to school, as well as provide basic services, including health, education and police. The Australian Government will talk to Aboriginal people in each community about how best to deliver services under Stronger Futures, providing Aboriginal people with more responsibility for services within their own community.

The Australian Government will support Aboriginal organisations to deliver services under Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory and all services will be expected to employ Aboriginal people wherever possible.

Stronger Futures commitment to Aboriginal service providers and Aboriginal employment

The Australian Government is committed to developing the capacity of Aboriginal service delivery organisations and increasing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people. Aboriginal employment targets are being set for all Stronger Futures measures to encourage service providers to invest in employing Aboriginal people and developing their skills.

Stronger Futures commitment to engagement with Aboriginal people

The Australian Government is strengthening its engagement with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory by ensuring that all Stronger Futures measures are

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responsive to meeting community needs and appropriate mechanisms are in place for ongoing feedback.

As part of the Australian Government’s commitment to better engage with Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory, Remote Engagement Teams will help to improve government engagement, service accessibility and coordination with remote Aboriginal communities.

The Stronger Futures Jobs Package contributes to the objectives and outcomes of the National Partnership Agreement for Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory.

Stronger Futures Jobs Package

On 23 November 2011, the Australian Government introduced legislation to Parliament to tackle priority issues in the Northern Territory. It simultaneously released a Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory Policy Statement. As part of that Statement and in advance of the Stronger Futures National Partnership Agreement, the Australian Government announced a jobs package to create more employment opportunities in remote communities and help provide people with a sustainable economic base.

The Jobs Package includes the following three elements:

Job Creation

50 new ranger positions for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory for the Working on Country program to protect and conserve the environment.

Job Support

new Local Jobs for Local People Indigenous traineeships to assist up to 100 Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to fill service delivery jobs in their communities.

Micro-Enterprise Support

expansion of Indigenous Business Australia’s Indigenous Communities in Business program to two additional communities in the Northern Territory to help support the development of new businesses and economic activity in remote areas.

What is the objective of the Local Jobs for Local People element?

This element will support the delivery of up to 100 employment based traineeships for local service delivery jobs in remote towns in the Northern Territory over four years commencing from 2012. Traineeships will be provided in occupations where sustainable employment is a likely outcome.

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The traineeships will provide targeted job-specific training for participants and offer a period of job shadowing so the participants become job ready through supported on-the-job experience.

Funding support

The Australia Government has provided COPE funding of $8 million over four years (to 2016) to the Northern Territory Government for the Local Jobs for Local People element of the Stronger Futures Jobs Package.

Project funding will be used on wage subsidies, mentoring support, work preparation activities, retention support, project management and evaluation.

Expected outputs and outcomes

Outputs

The project will entail the following components:

employment based traineeship – all trainees will be employed during their traineeship.

wage subsidy – as an incentive, employers prepared to take on trainees will receive a wage subsidy over the period of the traineeship.

accredited training at Certificate level III or above – the project will provide traineeships in occupations where sustainable employment is a likely outcome.

Outcomes

The expected outcome is that up to 100 Aboriginal people will be able to take up opportunities for local service delivery jobs in remote Towns in the Northern Territory.

How will it be implemented?

In August 2012, the Northern Territory Government entered into a contract to develop and deliver the Local Jobs for Local People program for the employment-based traineeships.

Traineeships have been offered in Borroloola, Ntaria, Galiwin’ku, Gapuwiyak, Milingimbi and Ramingining. The initiative will then be progressively be rolled out in the Tiwi Islands, Angurugu and other townships.

The Northern Territory Government has responsibility for reporting on stakeholder engagement and management as part of its contractual arrangements with the Australian Government.

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Links to other programs

Under Stronger Futures, the Australian Government is committed to increasing employment opportunities for Aboriginal people. This initiative contributes to the Closing the Gap employment target to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians by 2018.

The Australian Government’s newly announced Remote Jobs and Community Program will provide more integrated and flexible participation and employment services from 1 July 2013 through single provider servicing and a permanent presence in in 59 remote regions of Australia. Twenty-three of these regions are within the Northern Territory.

The Stronger Futures Local Jobs for Local People initiative will contribute to supporting the employment commitments made under the Stronger Futures Northern Territory National Partnership Agreement to support Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory to access employment opportunities in Stronger Futures service delivery.

Monitoring, review and evaluation

The Stronger Futures Evaluation Framework provides the broad conceptual framework for the evaluation of the National Partnership Agreement on Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory and associated Implementation Plans.

The Australian Government will publish six monthly public reports in implementing the Stronger Futures package, including the Local Jobs for Local People package.

In addition, the Local Jobs for Local People initiative will be subjected to review processes at regular intervals:

a project review will be conducted at 52, 104, 156 and 208 weeks after the project period commences; and

a final project evaluation report is due by 31 August 2016.

Lead agency

The Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is the lead agency for the implementation of Local Jobs for Local People element of the Stronger Futures Jobs Package.

Contact details and questions

If you have any questions about the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory: Implementation approach for the Stronger Futures Local Jobs for Local People please contact the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Northern Territory Office on telephone 08 8936 5101.

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