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Successive Australian governments over the last 20 years have focused on providing employment programs which support Indigenous people into their jobs. This report critically reviews evaluations of the major post-1985 labour market assistance measures for Indigenous Australians, with a view to helping shape future policy in addressing Indigenous disadvantage. Its scope is not limited to programs targeted to Indigenous Australians, but includes 'mainstream' programs and activities, such as vocational education and training (VET), in which Indigenous people participate along with non-Indigenous Australians. The focus is not so much upon processes and outcomes, but on the evaluation framework and approach. The report finds that the effectiveness of such programs has rarely been rigorously evaluated against their diverse objectives. It highlights a recent shift in policy toward strict employment outcomes, making programs easier to evaluate, but also cautions against applying the same 'mainstream' objectives to all Indigenous communities. It is vital that any evaluation distinguishes between the objectives relating to Indigenous self-determination and community capacity-building and those which relate to employment and earnings outcomes in the non-traditional (or 'mainstream') labour market. Conventional measures of success in the labour market, such as employment rates and market wages, may apply to the latter, but have limited relevance to remote communities and traditional Indigenous lifestyles. The accumulated evidence from major programs suggests that Indigenous-specific programs and wage subsidy programs in particular are among the more effective forms of assistance in promoting mainstream employment outcomes. As well, evidence from a number of quarters points to greater effectiveness when Indigenous personnel are involved in program or service delivery, reflecting their ability to provide such services in culturally appropriate ways. Instances are noted of non-Indigenous teachers also performing very well with Indigenous students, which has meant that this conclusion has been disputed within the education literature. Given the almost imperceptible pace at which the socioeconomic disadvantage of Indigenous Australians is narrowing, a new framework for formulating policy on Indigenous social and economic development is needed urgently. It is imperative that such a framework incorporates explicit mechanisms to reconcile the important goals of self-determination and cultural preservation with the forces of economic integration. An important challenge will be to accommodate the diverse range of aspirations among Indigenous people in the process.