On 25 October, a 13 year old Indigenous girl from Sydney told the nation that all Australians must help to create real jobs and a better future for Indigenous Australians in this generation.
Madeleine Madden was the first person to ever deliver an Address to the Nation on every free to air television network that reached some six million people.
She delivered her message on behalf of GenerationOne – an organisation that is ending the disparity between Indigenous and non Indigenous people by creating equal opportunities in education, training and jobs.
In the 24 hours following the telecast GenerationOne:
- attracted over 2.5 million hits to the website equating to about
350,000 visitors - signed up over 12,000 new supporters
- had questions asked in Parliament about the movement.
“With a job – a real job – you can look after yourself, your family and help your community,” Madeleine said in her Address to the Nation. “I’ve seen the difference this has made in my own family because my Grandfather worked his whole life to give his kids what he never had.”
The Granddaughter of Aboriginal activist Charles Perkins, Madeleine has grown up in inner Sydney and she has traveled to rural and remote communities. As a result, she is well aware that many Indigenous Australians still face significant barriers in the pursuit for better education, training and employment opportunities.
GenerationOne is a grass roots movement to bring all Australians together to end the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in one generation – this generation.
It says that all Australians can end the disparity through real opportunities in education, training, mentoring and employment.
GenerationOne is a non government organisation financially supported by a number of business leaders such as Andrew and Nicola Forrest, James Packer, Kerry Stokes with further backing from the Fox and Lowy Families and Harold Mitchell.
To increase Indigenous employment, GenerationOne has partnered with the Australian Employment Covenant (AEC), a national industry led initiative, aimed at securing the commitment of 50,000 sustainable jobs for Indigenous Australians.
The AEC is assisting employers and employment providers who facilitate the placement into these roles.
This represents a major commitment to providing the majority of Indigenous Australians, with a real opportunity to achieve their full potential as productive members of Australian society.
Since its launch in March 2010, GenerationOne has hit the ground running and today, has brought together more than 53,000 supporters.
For further information and to watch the Address to the Nation visit www.generationone.org.au
