Aboriginal employment development policy statement: [five policy papers]

In October 1984, the Australian Commonwealth Government established the Committee of Review of Aboriginal Employment and Training Programs to examine Aboriginal employment problems and to make recommendations about the policies and measures needed to address these problems [see 'Miller report' indexed at TD/LMR 85.681]. The Government endorsed the broad findings of the 'Miller report' and announced the establishment of the Aboriginal Employment Development Policy in August 1986. In establishing the policy the Government also took account of the findings of recent reports received from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs, the House of Representatives Select Committee on Aboriginal Education (see report indexed at TD/ERD 87.85) and the National Aboriginal Education Commitee. The Aboriginal Employment Development Policy has a primary focus on employment and development, and contains a range of Aboriginal employment, training, education and economic resource programs. The purpose of the policy is to promote Aboriginal economic independence from Government and to reduce Aboriginal dependency on welfare in accordance with growing Aboriginal demands for employment and the capacity to control their own destiny. The broad objectives of this policy are to achieve: (1) employment equity with other Australians, that is to increase the proportion of Aboriginal people aged 15 and above who are employed from 37% to around 60%; (2) income equity with other Australians, that is a doubling ofthe median income of Aboriginals; (3) equitable participation in primary, secondary and tertiary education; and (4) a reduction of Aboriginal welfare dependency to a level commensurate with that of other Australians, that is a reduction in Aboriginal dependency on the unemployment benefit from the current level of around 30% of the working age population to only 5%. The Government is committed to the achievement of employment equity for Aboriginal people by the year 2000. The policy statement consists of five policy papers as follows: Policy paper no.1; Policy paper no.2: private and public employment strategies; Policy paper no.3: community-based employment, enterprise and development strategies; Policy paper no.4: education and formal training strategies; Policy paper no.5: co-ordination and consultation strategies. Show less