NSW Government Plan for Aboriginal affairs: education ... · PDF filethe contribution they make to our collective Australian identity, ... Their visions and aspirations form the basis

NSW Government Plan for Aboriginal affairs:education, employment & accountability

Professor ShaneHoustonDeputy ViceChancellor,(IndigenousStrategy andServices) Universityof Sydney

Mr Stephen RyanChair, Coalition ofAboriginal PeakOrganisations

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ISBN 978-0-646-90201-2 © April 2013

[email protected] www.aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au

The Hon. VictorDominello MP(Chair)Minister forAboriginal Affairs

Mr Danny LesterChief Executive,AboriginalEmploymentStrategy

Ms MaydinaPenrithYouth member

The Hon. JillianSkinner MPMinister for Health

The Hon. AdrianPiccoli MPMinister forEducation

ARTIST RECOGNITION

Kim Healey is a descendant of the Bundjalung andGumbaynggirr nations, and also a descendant of theDjunbun (Platypus) Clan, original custodians of theWashpool at Lionsville in Northern NSW. Shecurrently lives within Country in South Grafton NSW,creating and telling her stories along the mightyClarence River. Kim strives to capture Country andutilise her voice through her work, to interpret theworld around her.

This work captures Kim Healey’s connection toCountry. It speaks of the Bundjalung andGumbaynggirr nations which were created by theYuladarah, the creator of rivers, boundaries andtribal land. This is the Clarence River boundary withSusan Island in the middle of these two tribes whichis a birthing place. Using a sgraffito technique,scribing in the sandy medium is a mapping systemof Country.

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1. Minister’s Foreword 3

2. OCHRE – At a glance 5

3. Background 7

4. Healing – What the community said 11

5 Major Initiatives 13

5.1 Linking Education and Employment 13

5.1.1 Connected Communities 14

5.1.2 Opportunity Hubs 15

5.1.3 Economic Participation 17

5.2 Language and Culture 18

5.3 Local Decision Making 22

5.4 Accountability 26

5.4.1 Strong Aboriginal voice in design and delivery 27

5.4.2 Refocusing the role of Aboriginal Affairs 27

5.4.3 Improved coordination and oversight 28

5.4.4 Meaningful and measurable reporting and evaluation 28

6 Appendices 30

7 References 32

The Hon. MikeBaird MPTreasurer

The Hon. GregSmith SC MPAttorney Generaland Minister forJustice

The Hon. PruGoward MPMinister for Familyand CommunityServices

The Hon. KevinHumphries MPMinister for MentalHealth, HealthyLifestyles andWestern NSW

Dr MicheleBruniges AMDirector General,Department ofEducation andCommunities

Mr Chris EcclesDirector General,Department ofPremier andCabinet

Mr Jason ArdlerGeneral Manager,Aboriginal Affairs

Choice

Healing

Empowerment

Opportunity

Responsibility

2

is culturally significant to Aboriginal people within NSW and is used in ceremonies to bind people to each other and theirCountry. Ochre is recognised for its special healing powerswhich promote physical, emotional and spiritual health.

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1. MINISTER’S FOREWORD

Aboriginal people in NSW come from strong, vibrant cultures –some of the oldest living cultures in the world. They are proud oftheir rich history, their identity and the deep spiritual connectionthey have with Country. Aboriginal people draw strength from that identity, knowing who they are and where they come from.

1.As the First Peoples of our beautiful land, Aboriginalpeople have an important role to play in shaping theidentity of our state and our nation.

The majority of Aboriginal people in NSW are livingproductive, fulfilling lives. However, we know that thereare still a significant number of Aboriginal people whodo not enjoy a standard of living comparable to that ofthe broader community.

We – Australians – must strive for a society in whichdisparities between Aboriginal people and the broadercommunity no longer exist. To achieve this, we mustchart a course based on respect and mutualresponsibility between Government and communities.

In the past, the language of Aboriginal affairs hasfocused on ‘the gap’ and on ‘disadvantage’. Igenuinely believe that if we shift our terminology fromdisadvantage to advantage, that if we spend moretime celebrating our wonderful Aboriginal cultures andthe contribution they make to our collective Australianidentity, then it will be easier for the inner strength andresilience of Aboriginal communities to drive thesolutions to the challenges they face.

This document represents a new beginning, for it has been developed by NSW Aboriginalcommunities and Government, working together. We have moved beyond symbolic consultation. The Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations,represented by Stephen Ryan along with ProfessorShane Houston, Maydina Penrith and Danny Lester,together with seven Cabinet Ministers, have workedover the past year, visiting, and listening to,Aboriginal people across NSW. Their visions andaspirations form the basis of this plan.

21Taskforce reports

released

427surveys completed

by the public

207submissionsreceived from the public

27community and

industry forums heldby the Taskforce

2,700+people participatingin the community

and industry forums4

This plan is less about Government and more aboutAboriginal people. It focuses on revitalising andpromoting language and culture, creatingopportunities, increasing people’s capacity, providingchoice and empowering people to exercise thatchoice, as well as giving them the tools to takeresponsibility for their own future.

This plan includes a number of initiatives: Languageand Culture Nests will create learning pathways forAboriginal students, teachers and communitymembers. Revitalising language and culture will helpmotivate younger and older Aboriginal people to learntraditional languages, both within their communitiesand in schools. This will help build identity, self-esteemand resilience. Proud young people want to go school,and proud parents want their kids to do well at school.

Opportunity Hubs will link education with employmentopportunities to connect Aboriginal students to realand sustainable jobs. By laying the stepping stonesleading from school to work early on, students will beable to see the value of school more clearly. Mentoringand incentives will ensure our future Aboriginal leadersstay on track to employment and fulfilling lives.

Local Decision Making will empower Aboriginalcommunities to take responsibility for their own futures.It will drive greater capacity amongst local leaders andorganisations and foster stronger Aboriginalcommunities that make decisions around governmentservice delivery.

Making people more accountable for how they spendmoney and what they achieve by doing so will beembedded in these new initiatives, both forgovernment and communities. It is not about spendingmore money; it’s about getting better outcomes on theground for the money we already spend.

Aboriginal Affairs will have a high level strategicfunction and will regear itself towards empoweringAboriginal people and brokering opportunities withcommunities.

However, we cannot impose initiatives oncommunities that may not yet have the capacity orthe willingness to drive them. It is important then, that we begin in strong communities in which there is the greatest chance of success. Once successhas been demonstrated, they can show othercommunities the way.

This plan does not make bold statements aboutchanging the world overnight, or even within ageneration. Aboriginal people have heard this allbefore. This plan deliberately acknowledges that itwill take time to reach the destination of parity.

Indeed, the path will not be without difficulties andwill require adjustments along the way. However, if we work in genuine partnership with Aboriginalpeople, if we focus on strengths, if we place cultureand language at the heart of the journey and if wefocus on education, employment and transparentservice delivery, we will make faster progresstowards our goal.

I would like to personally thank the Aboriginal leaderson the Taskforce including Stephen Ryan, Geoff Scott,Shane Houston, Danny Lester and Maydina Penrithand the many people I have met along the way, forallowing me to be part of this journey with them.

The Hon. Victor Dominello MP (Chair)Minister for Aboriginal Affairs

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2. OCHRE - AT A GLANCE 2.Beliefs

OCHRE has been developed around our core beliefin fostering aspirations, identifying opportunities andpromoting responsibility. Our evidence-basedapproach recognises that:

• Government should do things with Aboriginalcommunities, not for or to Aboriginal communities

• The strongest communities are those that drivesolutions

• There is no quick fix. Sustainable change occursover a generation and young Aboriginal peopleare at the centre of that change

• The business community has a key role to play inbroadening opportunities for Aboriginal people

• Recognising the diversity of Aboriginalcommunities is paramount.

Aims

To support strong Aboriginal communities in whichAboriginal people actively influence and fullyparticipate in social, economic and cultural life, we need to:

• Teach more Aboriginal languages and culture to build people’s pride and identity

• Support more Aboriginal students to stay atschool

• Support more Aboriginal young people to getfulfilling and sustainable jobs

• Grow local Aboriginal leaders’ and communities’capacity to drive their own solutions

• Focus on creating opportunities for economicempowerment

• Make both Government and communities moreaccountable for the money they spend.

OCHRE emphasises:

• Partnerships over paternalism

• Opportunity over disadvantage

• Successes over shortfalls

• ‘Listening to’ over ‘talking at’

• Local solutions over ‘one size fits all’

• Evidence over assumptions

• Participation over marginalisation

• Practice over theory

… and recognises the importance of Healing.

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3. BACKGROUND 3.The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairs was establishedby the Premier and the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in late2011 to inform a new plan to improve education andemployment outcomes for Aboriginal people in NSW and toenhance service delivery to support these goals.

The plan responds to the findings of three keyreports into the administration of Aboriginal affairs in NSW:

• The 2011 NSW Auditor-General’s performanceaudit report into the Two Ways Together – NSWAboriginal Affairs Plan, released by the previousGovernment in 2003, found it had not deliveredthe intended improvements for Aboriginal people.

• Similar shortfalls were identified in the NSWOmbudsman’s special report to Parliament,Addressing Aboriginal disadvantage – the needto do things differently.

• A review by the Allen Consulting Group, requestedby the Minister, of the NSW Government’sEmployment and Economic DevelopmentPrograms also highlighted the need for improvedcoordination and collaboration to support bettereconomic outcomes for Aboriginal people.

These reports confirmed concerns raised byAboriginal communities over the absence ofgenuinely shared decision-making, the duplication ofservices, lack of coordination, unclear accountabilitypathways and – despite significant investment overtime – limited demonstrable improvement in the livesof Aboriginal people in NSW.

Despite a stated goal of ‘doing things differently’ nosignificant progress had been made in reducing theeconomic disparity between Aboriginal andnon-Aboriginal communities.

The Taskforce recognised that Aboriginal peoplemust be at the heart of decision making if realimprovements were to be achieved in the future.

What Aboriginal communities told usDuring 2012, a comprehensive consultation processgave Aboriginal communities the opportunity toparticipate in the development of this plan. Some2,700 people participated in community and industryforums, 207 written submissions were received and427 people completed a comprehensive survey onthe proposals put forward by the Taskforce.

Aboriginal communities expressed concern that theyare often ‘over serviced’ but ‘under-delivered’ andthat they are ‘talked to’ not ‘worked with’. Aboriginalpeople also told us what matters to them:

• Aboriginal languages and cultures

Giving Aboriginal people the opportunity to learn(their local) language is a huge step for many inregards to not only discovering their personalidentity but also in grounding themselves andmaintaining their connection to who they are asan Aboriginal.’

Language in a school would bring confidenceback to the kids and make them proud of theirculture giving them confidence they can doanything.’

• Education and employment

The ideals of encouraging all youth, especiallyAboriginal young people to have a goodeducation and a chance at full and long-termemployment is a challenge that is well worth theeffort.’

I believe that the best way forward is to getgovernment, NGOs, schools, business andtraining organisations to work together.’

Greater emphasis should be placed onbuilding employer relationships with unemployedAboriginal people with potential for training in theskills required in the growth industries.’

• Local leadership

Aboriginal communities need to have more sayin how their community is run.’

• Partnerships

There is great scope for partnerships between

government, private sector and the not-for-profitsector.’

• Accountability

[There is a] fundamental lack of accountability tohow we allocate and spend Aboriginal monies.’

What are we doing?For over a year representatives from the Coalition ofAboriginal Peak Organisations and specialistAboriginal advisers sat around the Taskforce tabletogether with seven senior Cabinet Ministers andGovernment officials to consider how tangibleoutcomes can be achieved.

Recognising that seeking to solve a broad range ofissues at the same time had, to date, achievedlimited success, the Taskforce deliberately narrowedits Terms of Reference to: education, employment,service delivery and accountability. Consequently,the NSW Government responded with a plan thatsupports the following initiatives:

• Connected Communities to change the wayeducational services are delivered in someAboriginal communities

• Opportunity Hubs to give school studentspathways to real jobs by getting local employersinvolved in career planning at school

• An Aboriginal Economic Development Frameworkthat sets the strategic direction for NSW

• Industry-Based Agreements to improveemployment and job retention outcomes forAboriginal people

• Language and Culture Nests to support Aboriginalstudents to learn languages in communities andschools and better engage families in educationso languages are preserved and used

• A Local Decision Making model to increase thecapacity of Aboriginal communities andnon-government organisations to make decisionsabout local service delivery

• An independent Aboriginal Council to ensure astronger voice for Aboriginal people inGovernment and help monitor the delivery anddesign of the initiatives

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• An independent Coordinator General who willchair the Council, to work in collaboration withNSW Government agencies to broker solutionsand obtain information to assist the Council inassessing the Government’s performance.

OCHRE’s objectives are consistent with the overallgoals of the NSW Government’s ten-year strategicplan, NSW 2021, to strengthen local communities,devolve decision making, drive economic growth,deliver quality services and restore Governmentaccountability. The plan also supports NSW 2021’semphasis on partnerships with, and opportunities for,Aboriginal communities.

3. BACKGROUND

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Birth & early years School years Early

adulthood Adulthood Older people

CCCCOOOONNECTED COMMUNITIIEEEEEESSSS

OPPORTUNITY HUB

LOCAL DECISION MAKING

ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE AND CULTURE NEST

GENERATIONAL CHANGE

Why is this plan different?OCHRE represents a meaningful change in the wayGovernment goes about its business because it isunderpinned by a commitment to ongoingpartnerships and a commitment to tracking andmeasuring success. Implementation, too, will beguided by a new approach. It will be:

Targeted – Key initiatives will be initially rolled out in selected locations to allow for a focused effort,as well as review and evaluation, ahead of wideradoption. Initiatives will only be implemented inAboriginal communities where there is broadsupport and agreement.

Long-term and sustainable – Real change requireslong-term commitment. OCHRE is a long-term,evolving plan which will build on successfuloutcomes, and learn from experience.

Evidence-based – Ongoing evaluation of programsand initiatives will be built into implementation, sothat forward planning and future decisions can beinformed by, and based on, real evidence.

Local outcomes – Every community is different andone size does not fit all. Initiatives will be measuredlocally, with measures of success determined byAboriginal communities and outcomes will bepublicly reported.

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Aboriginal People in NSWThe Aboriginal population in NSW is larger than inany other state and is characterised by the proximityof many communities to cities and towns. Suchproximity represents an opportunity to improveservice delivery and to boost education andmeaningful economic participation – aims which areless easily achieved for remote Aboriginalcommunities in other states. The NSW Governmentrecognises the importance of this opportunity, just asthe relative younger age profile of Aboriginal peoplein NSW enables important programs to be deliveredthrough schools.

The 2011 Census population estimates show that208,364 Aboriginal people live in NSW, 31 per cent of the Australian Aboriginal population. With a medianage of 21, compared to 38 for the non-Aboriginalpopulation, Aboriginal people make up a higherproportion of Australia’s children and young peopleand a lower proportion of the elderly. Unlike otherparts of Australia, in NSW, 95 per cent of Aboriginalpeople live in regional areas or major cities, and onlyfive per cent in remote or very remote locations.

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ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IN NSW

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During community consultations undertaken by the Taskforcethe issue of healing and wellbeing was continually raised byAboriginal community members.

4.4. HEALING – WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAID

It became clear that for Aboriginal communities the need for healing, and thereby overcominginter-generational trauma and loss, is a significantand fundamental issue which must be recognisedand addressed in order to achieve real change andto improve the everyday lives of Aboriginal people.

This document’s formal recognition of the need forhealing is, therefore, central to its broader purpose.

While the term healing was frequently used inconsultations, it clearly meant different things todifferent people.

However, a number of common principles emerged.Notably, healing was not just about resolvingphysical trauma. Aboriginal wellbeing has social,economic, emotional, cultural and spiritualdimensions and healing needs to occur at theindividual, family and community level. Healing is a process that takes time and cannot be achievedthrough a one-off event or program.

For many Aboriginal people, the legacy ofcolonisation and the consequences of successivegovernment policies have been powerlessness and a loss of control over their own lives; a loss ofpurpose and an inability to fulfil responsibilities forthemselves, their families and their community; theundermining of community leadership and decisionmaking structures; and the continuing devaluing oftheir culture and identity.

This history of trauma and loss has left manyAboriginal people angry, frustrated anddisenfranchised and is often expressed in highlevels of disadvantage, depression, substanceabuse and anti-social behaviour.

Treating these symptoms of trauma alone will notheal communities, yet this has largely been theemphasis of governments’ efforts to date.

In two recent reports released by the NSWOmbudsman, Responding to Child SexualAssault in Aboriginal Communities andAddressing Aboriginal Disadvantage: the need todo things differently, the importance of healingfor Aboriginal communities is highlighted.

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Rather than proposing new programs to treat thesesymptoms, this response from the NSW Governmentaims to tackle trauma by addressing its underlyingcauses.

Such an approach is being advocated by Aboriginalpeople themselves. Throughout our communityconsultations, Aboriginal people emphasised thatcommunity development, including increasingemployment and educational outcomes, andenhancing Aboriginal leadership and communitydecision making, were inseparable from achievinghealing and wellbeing in Aboriginal communities.

It also cannot be underestimated how important it is to Aboriginal communities that the NSWGovernment, through this document, formallyrecognises that healing and inter-generationaltrauma and loss are real, significant and ongoingissues for communities. The overarching aim of thedocument is to commit Government to ongoingchanges to its relationship with Aboriginalcommunities to achieve improvements to Aboriginalpeople’s wellbeing.

Recognising the need for healing is a key step in that process, especially as many previousgovernment programs and policies contributedsignificantly to the trauma, loss and pain felt by many Aboriginal people.

As a start, the NSW Government will work withAboriginal communities, policy practitioners andservice providers to advance the dialogue in NSWabout trauma and healing and to begin developingresponses informed by evidence of good practice.

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5. MAJOR INITIATIVES 5.

In his report, Responding to Child Sexual Assaultin Aboriginal Communities the NSW Ombudsmanhighlights the link between building the economiccapacity of Aboriginal communities and improvingsocial wellbeing more broadly.

In his report, Addressing AboriginalDisadvantage: the need to do things differently,the NSW Ombudsman recommended that theNSW Government work to improve Aboriginalemployment outcomes and enhance Aboriginaleconomic capacity through identifying andfacilitating partnerships between the privatesector, government and Aboriginal entities.

5.1 LINKING EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT

Economic participation is essential for strong andsustainable communities. As well as improvedfinancial security and prosperity, sustainableemployment generates substantial personal andsocial benefits for individuals, families andcommunities. However, there are large disparitiesbetween economic outcomes for Aboriginal andnon-Aboriginal people in NSW.

The NSW Government recognises that meaningfuleconomic participation cannot be achieved inisolation. To generate real opportunities for satisfyingcareers and work, new pathways must be forged tolink strengthened school communities to furthereducation and training, ‘job-ready’ programs andentrepreneurial capacity building. This in turn, mustbe linked to employers and business opportunities.

This pathway of opportunity begins in the early yearsof school by fostering improved educationaloutcomes and boosting school retention rates andmust be continuously supported, right through toeffective engagement with businesses and industriesand capacity-building initiatives for Aboriginalentrepreneurship.

What the evidence tells usIn their 2011 Closing the school completion gap for Indigenous students for the Closing the GapClearinghouse, Sue Helme and Professor StephenLamb reported that a key factor in increasingengagement, achievement and school completion is school culture.

The Taskforce deliberately focused on only three Terms ofReference – education, employment and service delivery –to ensure real and measurable progress can be achievedthrough the major initiatives detailed in this section.

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Positive aspects of this culture include:

• A shared vision for the school community

• High expectations of success for both staff and students

• A learning environment that is responsive to individual needs

• A drive for continuous improvement

• Involvement of the Aboriginal community inplanning and providing education.

Completion of secondary education hasdemonstrable economic benefits for Aboriginalyoung people. On average, a student whocompletes Year 12 will earn half a million dollarsmore over the course of his or her lifetime than astudent who leaves school in Year 10 or below. Thedifference is even greater for those who completehigher education. Early school leavers are generallymore likely to be unemployed, be in lower paid jobs,be reliant on government income support, becomeyoung parents, experience homelessness, becomeinvolved in crime, and have poor health outcomes.

Sue Helme and Professor Stephen Lamb identified a need for hands-on assistance for Aboriginalfamilies to ensure they are engaged in the careerdevelopment processes.

The 2011 Census highlights the disparities betweenAboriginal people in NSW and the wider community;the unemployment rate for Aboriginal people aged15-64 years in NSW was 17 per cent, compared with5.8 per cent for their non-Aboriginal counterparts; theaverage income for Aboriginal adults was $530 perweek compared with a state-wide average of $801.

Professor Nicholas Biddle in his 2011 Report on theCouncil of Australian Governments (COAG) Closingthe Gap targets found that without substantialimprovements in Aboriginal employment outcomes,substantive improvements in areas such as lifeexpectancy and education are unlikely to beachieved.

In 2011, the Allen Consulting Group’s report into the NSW Government Employment and EconomicDevelopment Programs for Aboriginal People –Review of programs and broader considerationsfound that despite a long record of seeking to

improve the economic circumstances of Aboriginalpeople in NSW, economic and employmentprograms in this state have, to date, beenopportunistic and uncoordinated.

What are we doing?

5.1.1 Connected Communities

The Taskforce endorsed Connected Communitieswhich is being implemented by the Department ofEducation and Communities in 15 schools toimprove Aboriginal student educational outcomes.

Connected Communities is changing the wayeducational services are delivered in some Aboriginalcommunities. In the past a school’s ability to providea quality education for its students was oftenhampered by factors that are beyond the control andscope of the school Principal. Under ConnectedCommunities school principals in collaboration withparents, local governance groups and schoolcommunities are free to make decisions to alignresources to meet the needs of the students in theirschool and break down barriers to student learning.

Connected Communities complements and buildson a number of key reforms in education including:

• Local Schools Local Decisions which enablesgreater authority and flexibility for principals tomake decisions about the best use of schoolresources to improve teaching and learningoutcomes

• Early Action for Success which focuses onimproving literacy and numeracy

• Every Student Every School which strengthenslearning and support in all public schools,including for students with disability and learningdifficulties.

Connected Communities schools will not all be thesame, because the communities they serve aredifferent. The key features of ConnectedCommunities include:

• Cultural awareness (Connecting to Country)delivered locally for all staff

• Teaching Aboriginal language and culture

5. MAJO

R IN

ITIATIVES

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• Additional school executive positions (Leader,Community Engagement)

• Early-years focus through to further learning andemployment

• Personalised learning plans for all students

• Schools as a hub for service delivery, such ashealth and community services

• Targeted student support and mentoring

• Partnership and co-leadership with the Aboriginalcommunity

• Partnership with universities and TAFE institutes.

Each Connected Communities school has anExecutive Principal appointed for 5 years whoreports to the Director-General of the Department of Education and Communities. Each ExecutivePrincipal will appoint a Community EngagementLeader, an additional executive position for anAboriginal person to assist with facilitating linksbetween the school and the community. This positionwill also act as a cultural mentor to the ExecutivePrincipal and school staff.

The Executive Principal will appoint a communitymember, endorsed by the community, to teachAboriginal culture and language. Each school willalso establish a School Advisory Council to provideadvice to support the delivery of quality educationand training.

The following schools and communities areparticipating in the Connected Communitiesinitiative:

• Boggabilla Central School

• Toomelah Public School

• Wilcannia Central School

• Walgett Community School

• Bourke Public School

• Bourke High School

• Moree East Public School

• Moree Secondary College

• Coonamble High School

• Coonamble Public School

• Taree Public School

• Taree High School

• Brewarrina Central School

• Menindee Central School

• Hillvue Public School (Tamworth).

5.1.2 Opportunity Hubs

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended that an Opportunity Hub model bedeveloped, trialled and evaluated within selectedlocations in NSW to coordinate employment andtraining opportunities between schools, localbusinesses and the community.

The Opportunity Hubs initiative responds tofeedback from Aboriginal communities emphasisingthe need for pathways to assist Aboriginal youngpeople in the transition from school into tertiaryeducation, training and/or employment. The initiativeaims to better coordinate and utilise existingresources and to improve accessibility toappropriate services – not to create new programs.

NSW is a state of opportunity and the NSWGovernment recognises that it has a role to ensurethat these opportunities are made more accessibleto Aboriginal young people. It is important thatAboriginal students are supported to nurture genuinecareer aspirations, not trapped in a cycle of trainingthat does not lead to meaningful employment.

The NSW Government is committed to ensuring thatAboriginal young people are aware of career optionsand supported to develop and pursue theseopportunities. By highlighting real opportunities thatlead to a real job, and engaging with students’families, Aboriginal young people will be more likelyto stay at school and do well. By identifying suchopportunities locally, we are investing in youngAboriginal people to become future leaders.

There is an enormous amount of goodwill andpotential in the private sector to open up training andemployment opportunities for Aboriginal people. TheNSW Government is committed to increasingemployment opportunities for Aboriginal youngpeople through private-sector partnerships and to

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making it easier for employers to access futureAboriginal employees.

The Hubs will:

• Provide Aboriginal young people with clearpathways and incentives to stay at school andtransition to real jobs or tertiary education

• Coordinate local opportunities, mentoringprograms and resources to identify secure jobplacements and match opportunities to Aboriginalstudents’ career aspirations

• Build skills and capacity within the local Aboriginalcommunity and drive employment and leadershipexpectations among Aboriginal young people

• Build local Hub partnerships with businesses,tertiary education and training providers and NGOs

• Connect Aboriginal students and their families totertiary education, training and potentialemployers early on

• Support students through individualised careerplanning, mentoring and support services and theengagement of family and community members

• Monitor and track Aboriginal students and theirtransition pathways following the completion ofsecondary school.

Four Opportunity Hubs will be initially rolled out inselected locations offering employment and trainingopportunities. Opportunity Hubs will not be imposedon communities and, while responsibility for theoperation of each Hub may vary acrosscommunities, local Aboriginal leadership andownership of the Hub will be critical to its success.

During the community consultations, of the 427people who completed a survey:

• Some 97% thought the Opportunity Hub initiativewas ‘a really good idea’ or ‘worth a go’

• Some 94% agreed that design flexibility wasimportant

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5. MAJO

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ITIATIVES

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• Some 96% agreed that each Opportunity Hubshould adapt to the circumstances of the localcommunity.

5.1.3 Economic Participation

There are significant, untapped opportunities to buildwealth and strengthen economic independence inAboriginal communities. These opportunities stemfrom a range of sources including land grantedunder the NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983,Government investment in goods and services, andfrom the enterprise and innovation already evident inAboriginal communities.

The NSW Government will work with Aboriginalcommunities and key government stakeholders,including Australian and local governments, todevelop an Aboriginal Economic DevelopmentFramework that:

• Sets the strategic direction for NSW

• Coordinates the activities across government toimprove alignment, address duplication issuesand identify gaps for future investment.

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended a combination of strategic directionsetting, coordination and concrete reforms beimplemented to improve economic developmentoutcomes for Aboriginal people including:

• Agreements with key industry groups tosupport industry specific strategies andpartnerships to create training, employmentand business opportunities for Aboriginalpeople and develop education and trainingpathways

• Opportunity Hubs (once established) toinclude business and entrepreneurial skillsdevelopment

• Partnership with the NSW Aboriginal LandCouncil and its Economic DevelopmentCommittee to support Aboriginal land councilsin developing their land and business holdings

• Employment opportunities created throughpublic sector procurement.

In NSW, opportunities have been identified for:

Industry-Based Agreements

The NSW Government will develop Industry-BasedAgreements with key industry groups and implementinitiatives to improve employment and job retentionoutcomes for Aboriginal people. Agreements mayincorporate mentoring, training, employment andbusiness opportunities for Aboriginal people.Opportunity Hubs may link industry groups to localschools to ensure school leavers are job-ready.Opportunities have been identified in growth sectorsand areas of skill shortages such as: community,health and aged care, retail, manufacturing,automotive, engineering and construction,hospitality, mining, finance and insurance,professional services and scientific and technicalservices.

Aboriginal land and natural resources

The NSW Government will work with the NSWAboriginal Land Council network and other keystakeholders to explore and pursue opportunities to improve the management and economic potentialof Aboriginal owned land and natural resources togenerate employment on Country.

The NSW Government will also work with a new NSW Aboriginal Land Council EconomicDevelopment Committee, which is to be establishedto help identify, develop and support economicopportunities for Aboriginal land councils.

Public sector employment

The NSW public service is a major employer and has a role to play in demonstrating good practice in Aboriginal employment. The NSW Public ServiceCommission will focus on Aboriginal employmentand career development to boost both the number of Aboriginal people in employment and theirrepresentation in decision making roles. In 2014, the Public Service Commission is expected torelease a new Aboriginal employment strategy,which will include action to strengthen Aboriginalcultural competence and understanding in the NSW public sector.

Procurement

The NSW Public Sector Employment andManagement Amendment (Procurement of Goodsand Services) Act 2012 streamlined Governmentprocurement processes. Together with therecommendations of the Taskforce, the Act presentsan opportunity to increase Aboriginal employmentthrough Government social procurement andprovides a new legislative framework for supportivepolicy measures.

Social procurement is purchasing that accounts forthe social outcomes of buying goods and servicesfrom a given supplier. Social procurementacknowledges the public value of positive socialoutcomes that are generated or supported throughprocurement processes.

What we hope to achieve

By addressing the key challenges which currentlypresent barriers to meaningful economicparticipation for some Aboriginal communities,OCHRE aims to:

• Contribute to an increase in school attendanceand retention

• Increase student transitions from school toemployment or tertiary education

• Increase the number of Aboriginal peopleemployed

• Increase the number of Aboriginal ownedbusinesses.

5.2 LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

In his report, Addressing AboriginalDisadvantage: the need to do things differently,the NSW Ombudsman recommended that theNSW Government explore innovative approachesto help keep Aboriginal children and young peopleengaged with education.

Aboriginal people have a fundamental right torevitalise and maintain traditional languages as anintegral part of their culture and identity.

The teaching of Aboriginal languages and culturecan help increase school participation and retention,better engage parents and families and improvecommunity relationships between generations.

Teaching languages and culture in schools can alsocontribute to improved interactions betweenAboriginal students and non-Aboriginal students,reducing racism and promoting reconciliation.

What the evidence tells us

The UNESCO Endangered Languages Atlas and theNational Indigenous Language Survey have identifiedall remaining Aboriginal languages in NSW ascritically endangered. Action is urgent as mostremaining speakers are Elders and there is little or notransmission of Aboriginal languages to youngergenerations.

A tangible connection between language learningand psychological wellbeing, increased self esteem,reductions in youth suicide and self harm, andimproved physical health is highlighted by DrShayne Williams in his 2011 report, The importanceof teaching and learning Aboriginal languages andcultures: the triangularity between language andculture, educational engagement and communitycultural health and wellbeing.

‘Where cultural perspectives are incorporated intothe school curriculum, Indigenous students’performances have been found to be comparativelybetter than those of Indigenous students in otherschools,’ the Overcoming Indigenous DisadvantageKey Indicators Report for 2011 notes.

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Pre-school

Primary school

High school

Uni/TAFE

Teachers Learners

AboriginalCommunities& Language

Centres

LANGUAGE NESTS

In the consultations with Aboriginal communitieswhich informed this plan, of the 427 people surveyed:

• Some 96% said they ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’that Aboriginal languages should be offered inschools

• Some 94% said ‘flexible and locally drivendesigns’ are the key to successful culture andlanguage initiatives.

What are we doing?

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended that Aboriginal Language andCulture Nests be trialled initially in one locationeach from five Aboriginal language groups:Gamilaraay; Gumbaynggirr; Bundjalung;Paarkintji/Barkindji; and Wiradjuri.

In partnership with the Aboriginal EducationConsultative Group (AECG) and the Centre for

Aboriginal Languages Coordination andDevelopment (CALCD), the NSW Government hasselected five Aboriginal language groups to initiallyroll out the Aboriginal Language and Culture Nests(Language Nests) at one location each, based onvarious pre-conditions for success, including:

• The number of language speakers

• The availability of language teachers

• The availability of language resources

• The level of commitment and activity aroundlanguage revitalisation within local schools

• Proximity to the resources, infrastructure andsupport available through local communities and regional AECG networks, TAFEs, universitiesand schools.

Lessons learned will then be shared with otherAboriginal language groups to support communitiesaspiring to rejuvenate and revitalise their localAboriginal language.

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A community based approach aims to provide acontinuous pathway for learning for Aboriginalpeople in communities and recognises the existinglanguage skills and knowledge of Aboriginalcommunity members.

• Each language group community will develop an Aboriginal Language Agreement that commitsgovernment and non-government partners tosupporting local learning needs

• Each Aboriginal Language Agreement will reflecta commitment to share the lessons learned sothat other Aboriginal language groups can benefitfrom this knowledge

• Regional Aboriginal Language Centres will beestablished by CALCD to:

- Offer Aboriginal communities an opportunity tolearn an Aboriginal language

- Help document and catalogue Aboriginallanguages to preserve them into the future

- Support local projects to restore and revitaliseAboriginal languages.

• The NSW Government recognises that manyAboriginal people and organisations are alreadyworking hard to revitalise local Aboriginallanguages. The current Aboriginal LanguagesPolicy will be refocused in partnership withCALCD to coordinate language revitalisationefforts across NSW.

Language Nests in Schools aim to provide Aboriginalstudents and their families with a continuouspathway for learning from pre-school to Year 12 andinto tertiary education (TAFE and universities) and tooffer Aboriginal students a new opportunity toconsider language teaching as a vocation.

• Relevant Aboriginal communities will work inpartnership with the Board of Studies to developcurricula including a scope and sequence forteaching and learning Aboriginal languages.

• Participating local schools will implement the newcurricula.

• Principals and teachers who work in schools withLanguage Nests will participate in the Connectingto Country cultural immersion program facilitatedby the local AECG.

• Teachers will be endorsed by the local communityand will be either a local Aboriginal languagespeaker (supervised by a qualified teacher) or aqualified Aboriginal language teacher.

• Family members of Aboriginal students will beinvited to participate in language classes withtheir children or encouraged to enrol inafter-hours community classes held at schools orlocal TAFEs.

• An effective remuneration package for Elders andAboriginal community members who share theirknowledge will be developed.

What we hope to achieveThe Language Nests initiative will serve as aspringboard for both school students and communitymembers to access language learning pathways,beginning as early as pre-school and continuing intohigh school and further education.

To achieve this, we need to grow the number ofteachers of language – both in the community, athome, in the classroom and at TAFE or university.The NSW Government believes that if we invest inboth people and the development of resources wecan increase the number of language teachers andspeakers.

That is why Language Nests aim to build acoordinated and strategic approach to Aboriginallanguage revitalisation by providing links betweenAboriginal communities, schools, TAFEs anduniversities in language regions.

Language Nests aim to:

• Improve knowledge of, and competency in, localAboriginal languages

• Strengthen Aboriginal identity, pride andcommunity resilience

• Increase the number of language learners

• Increase the number of language teachers

• Contribute to increased school attendance andretention.

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5.3 LOCAL DECISION MAKING

In his Performance Audit of Two Ways Togetherthe NSW Auditor-General noted that Aboriginalcommunities were best placed to make decisionsabout their day-to-day lives and recommendedcontinued support for community governancebodies.

The NSW Government recognises that Aboriginalcommunities are best placed to understand localneeds and that service delivery can becompromised if distinct local conditions areoverlooked in favour of a ‘one size fits all’ approach.Aboriginal people have expressed a strong desirefor a greater role in decision making, so that thedesign and delivery of services can be shaped by a genuine understanding of local communities andtheir aspirations for the future.

The NSW Government appreciates that there aremany service providers, both government andnon-government, working hard to deliver positiveoutcomes for Aboriginal communities. However, such services are generally not well coordinated or are unresponsive.

NSW Government agencies need to invest in andcommit to building sustainable, informed, localisedand culturally appropriate services. However, tostrengthen service delivery we also need tosimultaneously strengthen accountability to ensurethat what is happening on the ground is well alignedwith local needs. The NSW Government is committed to:

• Systematically monitoring and evaluating servicedelivery outcomes within communities

• Ensuring the community is well informed aboutwhat is working and what is not

• Greater flexibility in spending, balanced byaccountability for outcomes.

What the evidence tells usWorking together through partnerships, networksand shared leadership is fundamental in overcomingAboriginal disadvantage, according to Dr Fadwa

Al-Yaman and Dr Daryl Higgins, authors of the 2011report for the Closing the Gap Clearinghouse, WhatWorks to Overcome Indigenous Disadvantage.

In addition, by comparing research from NewZealand, Canada, the United States and Australia itis evident that:

• The relationship between Aboriginal people andGovernment agencies in NSW is unclear andlacks well defined and clearly identified points ofcontact for Aboriginal communities

• Investment at the community level is inadequateto sustain staffing, funding or leadershipdevelopment

• Governance structures currently in place lackpathways of progression, programs to strengthenself-management and a Government agency as a champion.

International best practice (see section 7 of this planfor references) identifies six key elements to supportlocal decision making:

1. Building capacity within communities to work in partnership with government

2. Building capacity within government to work inpartnership with communities

3. Enabling communities to define the issues andpriorities which drive negotiated local responses

4. Integrating and coordinating service deliveryacross all levels of government

5. Building strong partnerships betweengovernment and non-government sectors todeliver effective localised responses

6. Localising accountability, reflection and review.

Some 2,700 people attended the communityconsultations which informs this plan. Responseswhich reflect the communities’ views included:

Communities are over-serviced yetunder-delivered.’

Governments need to work together to avoidduplication.’

Aboriginal communities need to have more say in how their community is run.’

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Of the 427 people who completed a survey:

• Some 89% said Local Decision Making was ‘a really good idea’ or ‘worth a go’

• Some 93% agreed or strongly agreed that theway Local Decision Making should work withinlocal Aboriginal communities must be decided by local communities and that a one-size-fits-allmodel would not work.

What are we doing?

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended the initial implementation of anAboriginal Local Decision Making model in threecommunities (preferably one urban, one regionaland one remote) to improve service deliveryoutcomes and accountability.

The ultimate aim of the Local Decision Making modelis to ensure Aboriginal communities have a genuinevoice in determining what services are delivered and how they are delivered, growing the capacity ofcommunities to make decisions about their future.

The Local Decision Making model will be informedby research into successful place-based programsoperating in Australia, North America and NewZealand.

1. A staged process of power-sharing

Aboriginal communities will be given increaseddecision making powers through localmanagement committees that will progressivelybe delegated greater powers and budgetarycontrol, once capacity is proven andpre-determined conditions are met.

STA

GES

3

2

1URBAN REGIONAL REMOTE

PLANNING DELEGATION• Allows the Local

Management Committee to take on greater responsibilities

• Sets service delivery priorities in partnership with government

• Can direct the allocation of speciÞed funding

IMPLEMENTATION DELEGATION• Allows the Local

Management Committee to take on greater responsibilities


• Can direct the allocation of speciÞed funding

• Can manage the delivery of services

• Reports formally to government

ADVISORY DELEGATION• Builds on existing

governance structure to form a Local Management Committee



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There will be three stages of delegation; advisory,planning and implementation. Each stage willmean a greater level of decision making. Theprocess for transitioning from one stage to thenext will be based on open and transparentcriteria, evidence of success and increasedcapacity. Every Aboriginal community is differentand communities may not progress through thedifferent stages of delegation either by choice or by circumstance.

For instance, implementation delegation isunlikely in urban areas given that Aboriginalcommunities in urban areas represent only asmall percentage of the total population andservices are largely mainstreamed.

2. A commitment to building communityleadership, skills and capacity

A progressively greater role in decision makingwill serve as an incentive for managementcommittees to increase their skills andcapabilities. Skills in which progressively greatercapacity will be required include probity andethics, leadership, facilitation, financialaccountability and management. Effective localtraining programs will be developed to ensurelocal management committees have access tothe skills development they need.

To enable government and its Aboriginalcommunity partners to build on successes andlearn from experience, and so ensure genuinechange, the model will be:

• Initially rolled out in three communities so thatimplementation can be evaluated ahead ofwider adoption

• Implemented in partnership with communitiesand by the invitation of communities only.Interested communities will be selectedthrough an open and transparent Expressionof Interest (EOI) process and chosen via anopen and transparent selection process

• Built on existing strengths and localgovernance structures, ensuring thatmanagement committees represent the wholecommunity

• Flexibly implemented to take into account therange of needs and aspirations within differentcommunities.

Working with Aboriginal NGOs

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairs alsorecommended an Aboriginal NGO capacity buildingstrategy.

The NSW Department of Family and CommunityServices will explore opportunities to:

• Build the capacity of Aboriginal peak bodies totake a leadership role in capacity building acrossthe Aboriginal NGO sector

• Assess the transferability of specialist strategiesacross sectors, testing what works, and how itmight apply more broadly in NSW

• Improve the targeting of generalist capacity andworkforce development strategies to AboriginalNGOs.

What we hope to achieveThe Local Decision Making model represents asignificant change in the way Aboriginalcommunities and government agencies interact andthe way agencies identify, plan and implementservices and programs. By staging the introductionof power-sharing mechanisms while simultaneouslybuilding community leadership skills and capacity,the model aims to:

• Decrease the duplication of services

• Increase the effectiveness of service delivery to better meet local needs

• Increase the skill and capacity of localgovernance bodies.

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5.4 ACCOUNTABILITY

The Auditor-General and NSW Ombudsman haveboth called for greater transparency andaccountability in the design and delivery ofprograms and services to Aboriginal people. Inaddition, both the Auditor-General and NSWOmbudsman have made a number ofrecommendations in the following key areas:

• The appointment of independent advisors toGovernment.

• Development of a solution broker role withinGovernment.

• A strengthened evidence base includingimproved data collection, analysis, monitoringand reporting.

• Strengthened reporting of Aboriginal specificfunding.

• Establishing a new accountability framework for Aboriginal affairs.

Taken together, these reports confirm theconcerns raised by Aboriginal communities aboutthe absence of genuinely shared decision making,duplication of services, lack of coordination,unclear accountability and, despite significantinvestment, limited demonstrable improvement tothe lives of Aboriginal people.

The NSW Government’s new partnership withAboriginal people will both respond to the call for agreater say for Aboriginal communities in measuresaffecting their lives, and will strengthen and clarifypolicies and programs for the communities they aredesigned to support. Those closest to where thepolicies operate – in Aboriginal communities – arebest placed to see how they are working, and howthey can be improved.

At the same time, stronger accountability, in line withrecommendations from the Auditor-General and theOmbudsman, with a refocused role for AboriginalAffairs across all the activities of Government, willensure OCHRE initiatives are coordinated andimplemented successfully within other governmentprograms, and that resources are used efficiently.

What the evidence tells usEffective oversight of Government provides animportant mechanism to drive change across thestate and sends a strong signal to Aboriginalcommunities about the commitment to real reformand focusing effort on what works. It also providesan important mechanism to drive change withinagencies, particularly when combined with publicreporting on outcomes and expenditure. Thisoversight is often provided by integrity agenciessuch as the Ombudsman and Auditor-Generaloffices.

Professor Chris Aulich in his paper IntegrityAgencies as One Pillar of Integrity and GoodGovernance for the Australia and New ZealandSchool of Government (ANZSOG) Institute forGovernance states that the independent work ofintegrity agencies in corruption investigation, auditreview and public sector ethics has increasinglybeen commended as essential for good governance.

What the community told us207 submissions were received in the first round ofconsultations held by the Taskforce and some 2,700people attended the community consultations. Hereis what a few people had to say:

The issue of governance and accountability is closely related leadership, representation andguidance.’

[There is a] fundamental lack of accountabilityto how we allocate and spend Aboriginal monies.’

5.4.1 Strong Aboriginal voice in design and delivery

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended that a key element of theaccountability framework is a strong Aboriginalvoice in design and delivery, including theestablishment of an independent AboriginalCouncil.

The NSW Government will establish an independentAboriginal Council that will:

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• Monitor and report on Government progress tothe NSW Parliament

• Advise the Minister on issues relating to theimplementation of initiatives in this plan

• Report on progress made by the SeniorManagement Council, which is a forum made upof Directors General

• Advise the Minister on other strategic issues thatrelate to Aboriginal affairs and advise on futurereform proposals

• Have a core membership of five Aboriginalnon-government people chosen largely for theirskills and expertise, rather than asrepresentatives of particular organisations orgeographic regions

• Co-opt or commission experts for support andadvice where required.

In his Responding to Child Sexual Assault inAboriginal Communities report the NSWOmbudsman recommended the creation of astatutory Aboriginal advisory body to ensure thatGovernment is achieving real progress.

The independent Aboriginal Council will beestablished and governed by legislation and theNSW Government will work with Aboriginal peopleand peak bodies on the drafting of a Bill to putbefore the NSW Parliament.

The Council’s role will be enshrined in legislation toensure its longevity and to ensure that its functionsare clearly set out.

5.4.2 Refocusing the role of Aboriginal Affairs

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended that a key element of theaccountability framework is clearer roles andresponsibilities for Aboriginal Affairs (the agency)which includes a focus on whole-of-governmentpriorities and economic development opportunities.

The NSW Government will realign its AboriginalAffairs agency to fulfil the following functions:

• Setting whole-of-government priorities andpolicies

• Adopting a solution broker role to coordinatewhole-of-government solutions

• Driving the performance of service provisionagencies

• Providing oversight for the implementation of this plan

• Opening up and developing economicopportunities

• Implementing the Aboriginal Local DecisionMaking model

• Providing secretariat support to the newly createdindependent Aboriginal Council and theCoordinator General (the chair of the Council).

Aboriginal Affairs will be repositioned as astrengths-based agency, focusing on opening upeconomic opportunities, capacity building andwhole-of-government policy. This change of functionwill mean that Aboriginal Affairs will not deliver directservices (with the exception of its current role inmaintaining family records) and service deliverywork will continue to be the business of core servicedelivery agencies.

Provision of high-level strategic advice will allowAboriginal Affairs to take on a helicopter view ofgovernment supporting agencies to increase theirperformance and avoid duplication.

A Memorandum issued by the Premier to allMinisters will communicate the new functions ofAboriginal Affairs and will be binding on all NSWGovernment departments.

5.4.3 Improved Coordination and Oversight

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended that a key element of theaccountability framework is improved coordinationand oversight which includes a solution brokermandate to work across agencies.

The implementation of this plan will take across-government approach, with various agenciesleading the implementation of specific initiatives.

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It will require a solution broker role be mandated toengage across Government on systemic issues andareas requiring cross-government coordination, and to identify emerging issues relating to Aboriginalcommunities. It will include breaking down silosbetween government agencies by engaging withthem on issues that require whole-of-governmentcoordination, and identifying problems early on and brokering solutions at the local, regional andstate level.

Improved coordination and oversight

To ensure that the response is trulywhole-of-government:

• A new Coordinator General for Aboriginal Affairs(who would also act as the Chairperson of theindependent Aboriginal Council) will beestablished by statute to:

- work in collaboration with relevant Governmentagencies to broker cross-agency solutions

- obtain information from agencies to assist theindependent Aboriginal Council in assessingthe Government’s performance

- report periodically to the Minister on activitiesand outcomes achieved by the Council

• The Senior Management Council, whichcomprises the Directors General of all NSWGovernment departments, will have oversight of the reforms

• The performance agreements of DirectorsGeneral of NSW Government departments willinclude implementation of the specific initiatives inOCHRE, as well embedding the new partnershipapproach with Aboriginal people includingchanging agency practices

• Relevant targets in the NSW 2021 plan will bereviewed in light of the priorities identified in thisdocument and included in the performanceagreements of Directors General

• Aboriginal Affairs will also be authorised to call onthe Government’s Regional Leadership Groups totroubleshoot and escalate issues as required tothe Senior Management Council

• Treasury will take on a strengthened role incoordinating data on a program basis acrossgovernment as part of the NSW Government’snew financial management framework. Over timeagencies will work with Treasury to link programevaluations within financial reporting to increaseunderstanding of the effectiveness of Governmentinvestment.

5.4.4 Meaningful and Measurable Reportingand Evaluation

The Ministerial Taskforce on Aboriginal Affairsrecommended that a key element of theaccountability framework is meaningful andmeasurable reporting which includes:

• periodic reporting by the independentAboriginal Council and by Government

• Treasury coordination of expenditure data.

Through OCHRE, the NSW Government aims toensure investment of resources in programs andinitiatives which have the greatest effect onAboriginal communities and deliver improvedoutcomes on the ground. To do this OCHRE will beaccompanied by:

• A process to publicly report and monitor actions

• A robust evaluation framework that will providedata and evidence to support decisions so thatprograms are based on what is shown to work

• Ensuring communities help set the targets forreporting on progress.

Once the initiatives in OCHRE have been operationalfor three years, the results will be examined beforeimplementation is considered at a state-wide level.Evaluation of OCHRE overall will also consider theeffectiveness of supporting reforms and possiblebroader roll out of the initiatives.

Research recognises that it can be difficult tomeasure the real effect of government programs andactivities aimed at social and economic change associo-economic outcomes are influenced by a rangeof factors and real change can only be achieved inthe long term.

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Based on best practice and experience it isproposed that the evaluation of the three keyprograms (Opportunity Hubs, Language Nests andLocal Decision Making) will focus on measuring theireffect on program participants and communities at the trial locations. This will include directinvolvement of the Aboriginal communities at the trial sites in designing the evaluation methodologyand the evaluation process (e.g. participant surveys or community assessment processes). The program evaluations will be publicly available.

What we hope to achieveThe NSW Government recognises the need tostrengthen accountability arrangements to:

• Embed a new partnership with Aboriginal peopleacross Government

• Ensure that all the initiatives in OCHRE areimplemented successfully

• Improve the effectiveness of governmentexpenditure in Aboriginal affairs.

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6. APPENDICES

ABORIGINAL LANGUAGE AND CULTURE NESTS

Lead Agency Department of Education and Communities

Key partners Aboriginal language speakers and Elders

NSW Aboriginal Education Consultive Group

NSW Centre for Aboriginal Languages Coordination and Development

Regional Aboriginal Language Centres

NSW Board of Studies

TAFE NSW institutes

Universities

CONNECTED COMMUNITIES

Lead Agency Department of Education and Communities

Key partners Aboriginal students and their families

Local Aboriginal Elders and/or key community members

Local NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group

Key government agencies

Partner non-government organisations, such as the Aboriginal Medical Services

Chamber of Commerce or local business representatives

OPPORTUNITY HUBS

Lead Agency Department of Education and Communities (State Training Services)

Key partners Aboriginal students and their families

Aboriginal communities

Schools

TAFE

Local business and other employer groups

Peak industry bodies

Employment support programs

Australian Government

NGOs

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6. APPEN

DICES

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Lead Agency Aboriginal Affairs

Key partners NSW Aboriginal Land Council

NSWALC Economic Development Committee

Aboriginal communities

Industry

Key NSW and Australian Government agencies

Local government

Education institutions



Key partners Aboriginal communities

Existing Aboriginal governance bodies

Government agencies delivering services (with the exception of statutory services such as child protection and police) at the trial locations

Department of Premier and Cabinet

Local government

Australian Government

ACCOUNTABILITY


Key partners Aboriginal communities

Independent Aboriginal Council

Senior Management Council

Department of Premier and Cabinet

NSW Treasury

7. REFERENCES

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Connected Communities

Aboriginal Affairs, 2012, MinisterialTaskforce Community ConsultationReport Round One andCommunity Consultation ReportRound Two

Helme, S and Lamb, S, Closingthe school completion gap forIndigenous students. Resourcesheet no 6, Closing the GapClearinghouse, January 2011

NSW Ombudsman, AddressingAboriginal Disadvantage: the needto do things differently, NSWGovernment, 2011

NSW Ombudsman, Responding toChild Sexual Assault in AboriginalCommunities, NSW Government,2013

Purdie, N and Buckley, S, Schoolattendance and retention ofIndigenous Australian students.Issues Paper No 1, Closing theGap Clearinghouse, September2010

Opportunity Hubs


Aboriginal Affairs, Economicimpact of early school leaving,Agency calculations based onmedian weekly earnings outlinedin Education and TrainingExperience, ABS, 2009

Aboriginal Affairs, Impact Of Year12 completion on labour marketoutcomes, Agency calculationsbased on data from the 2011Census of Population andHousing, ABS, 2013

Anglicare, Non-completion of Year12 schooling, February 2004

Australian Bureau of Statistics,2008 National Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islanders SocialSurvey, Reported in Thesocio-economic benefits ofinvesting in the prevention of earlyschool leaving, Deloitte AccessEconomics, 2012

Boulden, K, Present, Pregnant andProud: Keeping pregnant studentsand young mums in education

Helme, S and Lamb, S, Closingthe school completion gap forIndigenous students. Resourcesheet no 6, Closing the GapClearinghouse, January 2011

Marks, G & Fleming, N, Earlyschool leaving in Australia:Findings from the 1995 Year 9LSAY Cohort, 1999, AustralianCouncil for Educational Research


Lamb, S (et al), Non-completion ofschool in Australia: The changingpatterns of participation andoutcomes, Australian Council forEducational Research, 2000

Weatherburn, D, What causescrime?, Crime and Justice Bulletin,February 2001

Wilkinson, R & Marmot, M, Socialdeterminants of health. The solidfacts, World Health Organisation,2003

Economic Opportunity


Allen Consulting Group, NSWGovernment Employment andEconomic Development Programsfor Aboriginal People: Review ofprograms and broaderconsiderations, Report to theMinister for Aboriginal Affairs, 2011

Australian Bureau of Statistics,2011 Census of Population andHousing, NSW Community Profile,ABS, 2012

Biddle, N, Defining the COAGtargets within NSW: Backgroundpaper, Centre for AboriginalEconomic Policy Research,prepared for Aboriginal Affairs,2011



Language and Culture


Australian Bureau of Statistics,2011 Census of Population andHousing: Selected PersonCharacteristics by IndigenousStatus, ABS, 2012

Australian Institute of Aboriginaland Torres Strait Islander Studies,National Indigenous LanguagesSurvey Report, 2005

Steering Committee for the Reviewof Government Service Provision,Overcoming Indigenous

Disadvantage: Key indicators2011, Productivity Commission,2011

Moseley, C (ed), Atlas of theWorld’s Languages in Danger,United Nations Educational,Scientific, and CulturalOrganization, 2010,http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas

Williams, S, The importance ofteaching Aboriginal languagesand cultures: the triangularitybetween language and culture,educational engagementcommunity and cultural health andwellbeing, Aboriginal Affairs, 2011


Local Decision Making model


Al-Yaman, F & Higgins, D, Whatworks to overcome Indigenousdisadvantage: Key learnings andgaps in the evidence. Closing theGap Clearing house 2011

Closing the Gap Clearinghouse(AIHW, AIFS) 2012. What works toovercome Indigenousdisadvantage: key learnings andgaps in the evidence 2010-11.Produced for the Closing the GapClearinghouse. Canberra:Australian Institute of Health andWelfare & Melbourne: AustralianInstitute of Family Studies.

Cornell, S. and Jorgensen, M.2007. The nature and componentsof economic development inIndian country, Paper for NationalCongress of American IndiansPolicy Research Centre, May 152007, Arizona.

Department of Human Services,Creating a Fairer Victoria: Ministerfor Housing’s statement.Melbourne: Department of HumanServices, 2009

Department of Prime Minister andCabinet, Governance Models forLocation Based InitiativesAustralian Social Inclusion BoardCommonwealth of Australia 2011

Moore, T & Fry, R, Place basedapproaches to supporting childrenand families Policy Brief Issue 23,Centre for Community ChildHealth, Melbourne, 2011

Morgan Disney & Associates,Synopsis Review of the COAGTrials, November 2006

Neil Bradford, Place-based PublicPolicy: Towards a New Urban andCommunity Agenda for Canada,Research Report F|51, FamilyNetwork March 2005 CanadianPolicy Research Networks Inc

NSW Ombudsman, Inquiry intoservice provision to the Bourkeand Brewarrina communities, NSWGovernment, 2010

Steering Committee for the Reviewof Government Service Provision,Overcoming IndigenousDisadvantage Key Indicators2011: Commonwealth of Australia2011

The Auditor-General, Whole ofGovernment Indigenous ServiceDelivery Arrangements, AuditReport No.10 2007–08Performance Audit, AustralianNational Audit Office,Commonwealth of Australia, 2007

Tony Vinson, Markedly SociallyDisadvantaged Localities inAustralia: Their nature andpossible remediation, DEEWR2009

Torjman, S, The New PovertyAgenda: Place BasedInterventions, Presentation to theQueen’s University Conference,August 20, 2008

Tsey, K et al, Improving Indigenouscommunity governance throughstrengthening Indigenous andgovernment organisationalcapacity, Resource sheet no. 10,produced for the Closing the GapClearinghouse January 2012

Wilkinson, R & Marmot, M, Socialdeterminants of health. The solidfacts, World Health Organisation,2003

Accountability

Audit Office of NSW. 2011.Performance Audit: Two WaysTogether – NSW Aboriginal AffairsPlan

Aulich, C. 2011. Integrity Agenciesas One Pillar of Integrity and GoodGovernance. Australia and NewZealand School of Government(ANZSOG) Institute forGovernance

NSW Ombudsman. 2011.Addressing Aboriginaldisadvantage: the need to dothings differently

NSW Ombudsman. 2012.Responding to Child SexualAssault in Aboriginal Communities

Documents

NSW Government Plan for Aboriginal affairs: education ... · PDF filethe contribution they make to our collective Australian identity, ... Their visions and aspirations form the basis