On 30 July 2010, the Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG) released a green paper to explore untapped labour pools, and invest in the recruitment and development of workers from non traditional areas, specifically Indigenous Australians.
ACELG Chair Margaret Reynolds officially released the paper during a function that was part of the ACELG’s National Roundtable on Rural and Remote Indigenous Local Government in Canberra. It is titled Local Government Indigenous Employment Program Green Paper – Closing the Gap Through Place Based Employment.
Margaret Reynolds said that the Local Government sector is living on a demographic fault line and urgently needs to grow its workforce.
“As the economy recovers, the sector will once again be engaged in a war for talent, particularly in regional and remote Australia,” she said. “The sector needs additional talent to alleviate skills shortages and the ageing workforce crisis.
“The proposed program is a response to an urgent need to increase the pool of available talent for Local Government.”
The green paper was also developed in response to the Australian Government’s commitment to halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non Indigenous Australians within a decade.
One of the program’s key objectives will be to advocate and promote the employment of Indigenous people by Local Government at a rate that reflects the local Indigenous population. The program, which was prepared following consultation with a number of Indigenous leaders also encourages and promotes Indigenous and non Indigenous stakeholders to work together for mutual benefit.
“Indigenous employment has a profound multiplier effect with potential for community cohesion and stability,” Margaret Reynolds said. “It extends to improving the lives of that person’s whole family and community. The Local Government sector is uniquely positioned to play a greater role in Indigenous employment as it is a place based employer with national reach that offers secure and diverse occupational opportunities.”
The green paper will be broadly distributed to a range of Indigenous and non Indigenous stakeholders to encourage and ensure full engagement and collaboration in the development of the final program. Interested parties are invited to submit comments and responses by the 30 September 2010 deadline.
The Local Government Indigenous Employment Green Paper can be downloaded from the ACELG website at www.acelg.org.au For further information contact Angela Zivkovic, Project Manager at ACELG’s Local Government Practice Unit, on (03) 9696 6077 or email angela.zivkovic@acelg.org.au
