Launch of New National Roadmap to Boost Indigenous Skills, Jobs and Wealth

Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP, has today launched the National Roadmap for Indigenous Skills, Jobs and Wealth Creation, providing a long-term commitment to substantially lift economic outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“This National Roadmap sets the framework for Indigenous businesses to build greater financial independence and to boost Indigenous employment,” Minister Wyatt said.

“It has been informed by wide consultation with stakeholders and follows months of roundtables with some of Australia’s most prominent industry leaders.

“The Roadmap is about the practical steps we can take to get more Indigenous people job-ready, increase Indigenous participation in the workforce, and foster Indigenous entrepreneurship.

“This Roadmap is an example of working in partnership with industry and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities to identify the immense opportunities to increase Indigenous participation in all areas of Australian industries.

“Supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs to build sustainable businesses and encouraging all business – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – to employ more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will create inter-generational wealth and contribute to Australia’s long-term growth and prosperity.”

The National Roadmap and its focus on enabling economic opportunity will complement and help realise the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

The Roadmap will support the achievement of Closing the Gap targets on tertiary qualifications (Outcome 6), youth in employment or education (Outcome 7), economic participation (Outcome 8) and relationship with land and waters (Outcome 15), as well as contributing to the Priority Reforms which lie at the heart of the National Agreement.

“Over the coming months, I will establish an Indigenous Reference Group to work with me, industry champions and key stakeholders to develop the action plan to implement this Roadmap,” Minister Wyatt said.

Minister Wyatt thanked the Business Council of Australia’s CEO Jennifer Westacott, and Minerals Council of Australia’s CEO Tania Constable for their ongoing commitment to backing the Roadmap, and Indigenous wealth creation.

Jennifer Westacott, Business Council of Australia chief executive, said: “Business is a critical part of meeting this challenge because only economic advancement at an individual, family and community level can create opportunities and deliver real, genuine and lasting change.

“We congratulate the minister for his plan to foster Indigenous entrepreneurship, business formation and job creation and to give Indigenous people access to greater opportunities for wealth creation and advancement.”

The Minerals Council of Australia’s CEO Tania Constable said: “The Roadmap will help unlock even more opportunities for Indigenous Australians in mining’s highly skilled, highly paid roles and foster Indigenous business ownership, including as mine owners and operators.

“It also reinforces the importance of locally-informed, place-based economic development programs – an approach that is critical to mining supporting Traditional Owner aspirations for skills and employment pathways for young people and in community, and for local business opportunities.”

The Roadmap can be viewed here.