Aboriginal Economy

An economic pathway which starts with education, leading to jobs and being able to participate in business and commerce is my idea of a real future for Indigenous Australians and importantly the means to participate in the mainstream economy.—Ron Morony, General Manager Indigenous Business Australia [1]

Successful Aboriginal economic projects

"With employment, Aboriginal [businesses] recruit, retain and train more Aboriginal people than any other business group or sector in the country," observes Tony Wiltshire, general manager of the Pilbara Aboriginal Contractors Association (PACA) [3].

"So Aboriginal businesses are the best recruiter and trainers of Aboriginal people because they understand the cultural requirements and obligations and conditions and circumstances of Aboriginal people in the Pilbara far better than any of these [non-Indigenous] resources companies operating in the Pilbara."

If Aboriginal businesses were able to get a fair share of resource contracts in the Pilbara region of Western Australia in the next 20 years, it would dramatically improve the social and economic fabric of every Aboriginal person in the region [3].

Many Aboriginal businesses have only formed in the early 2000s. Positive stories about Aboriginal economic success rarely make it into mainstream media. Here are some of them.

Store remake saves 600km round-trip

People from the Jilkminggan community in the Northern Territory who wanted to buy good food for their families had to travel 300km to Katherine and back because their store's stock was mostly unusable and very expensive [2].

The local Dungalan Aboriginal Association decided to improve the situation. Together with Outback Stores and the Federal Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) the community store was overhauled and re-opened, meeting all safety and health requirements.

The new store now has a good chance of making a strong return for the community and delivering better health outcomes for the people.

Jilkminggan is just one of those success stories where you see absolute co-operation with the community, the government and Outback Stores.—John Kop, CEO Outback Stores [2]

Rare Aboriginal business advertisement

Advertisements for Aboriginal businesses which fly the Aboriginal flag are still a rarity. More and more Aboriginal people are able to get a better education, despite a huge lack of government support in that area.

Adverts like this debunk the myth of the 'lazy Aboriginal' and are testimony to a new class of business people of Indigenous descent.

Indigenous Community Volunteers

Getting Down to Business is a film shown to raise funds for the Indigenous Communities Volunteers Foundation (ICV). The ICV works in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to design and implement community development projects.

If a person fits well into a community and the community accepts them, then whatever the task is will be effective. —Ron Day, Chairman, Murray Island Council (Torres Strait) [8]

Why are so many Aboriginal people unemployed?

A common stereotype about Aboriginal people is that they are 'lazy'. People see them getting paid for doing nothing, receiving 'sit-down money'.

But why is the Aboriginal unemployment rate three times the national average? The answer becomes clear when you ask yourself what you need to be able to go to work.

If you hadn't an adequate house for shelter you wouldn't be able to sit down and learn. And without education you wouldn't be able to get a high-paying job.

Aboriginal communities suffer from massive overcrowding in houses, creating an environment where it is hard to learn.

Poor government education and welfare policies have made many Aboriginal people unemployable, says Prof Helen Hughes from the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) [9]. The lack of education in remote areas contributes most to unemployment there, while welfare dependence does the same in capital cities. With welfare payments often higher than entry-level wages, would you go to work?

Aboriginal people want careers, not jobs. We want to be paid right for what we're doing. —Simon Fewings, co-ordinator Dare To Lead Project, Mildura [10]

Australia's first national Indigenous employment website

On August 31, 2009, the Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce launched Australia's first national Indigenous employment website.

The chamber's chairman, Warren Mundine, said that the site provided a platform for government, businesses and Indigenous job seekers to work together to minimise Aboriginal unemployment.

"Indigenous people are not as competitive as non-Indigenous people. In interviews they're not promoting themselves. They're not selling themselves. It's not to say they can't do these jobs as well as anyone else—it's just the salesmenship." [6]

In South Australia, for example, the 2006 Population Census recorded an unemployment rate of 20.3% for Aboriginal people, compared to 7.5% for the state's non-Aboriginal population [4].

There are dozens of employers, some of the biggest in the country knocking on my door saying they want to hire Indigenous people.—Senator Mark Arbib, federal Minister for Employment Participation [5]

The website is available at www.indigenousjobsaustralia.com.au.

Indigenous Careers & Employment

Indigenous Careers & Employment is another website for Aboriginal jobs. The site is 100% Aboriginal-owned and operated and launched on 19 February 2010.

The company's aim is to provide "a unique, culturally aware service that connects Indigenous candidates with employers looking to attract Indigenous talent", but also non-Indigenous people with Indigenous expertise.

Go to www.indigcareers.com.au for more information.

[1] 'Looking to leadership in trying times', Koori Mail 440 .48 [2] 'Better times in store', Koori Mail 441 p.19 [3] 'Report calls for a fair go', Koori Mail 472 p.34 [4] http://www.workforceinfoservice.sa.gov.au/workforceinfo/participation/profiles/aboriginalprofile/unemploy, visited 5/9/2009 [5] 'Open for business: indigenous jobs site', BrisbaneTimes.com.au, 1/9/2009 [6] 'Hopes for 100,000 jobs on new Indigenous site', SMH 29/8/2009 [7] 'Gains, but the gap is still wide, study finds', Koori Mail 463 p.9 [8] 'Getting Down to Business', documentary, Kim Reddin, 2/2010 [9] 'Inept Govt policy denying Indigenous jobs -- report', Koori Mail 471 p.36 [10] 'Careers, not jobs', Koori Mail 475 p.46 [11] 'Doubt cast on Govt jobs gap promise', Koori Mail 478 p.9