Indigenous Employment – Hiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Staff

Proving you’re an employer of choice is difficult with skills shortages, an ageing workforce, and competition for good employees. One way to make your business stand out to job seekers is to encourage diversity in your workplace through Indigenous employment.

Your business could benefit from having a diverse workplace that welcomes employees of all backgrounds, including Indigenous Australians.

ETC can help you learn about the benefits and support for employers when hiring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff!

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Benefits of hiring Indigenous employees

Employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can provide your business with benefits such as;

• access to employment incentives; wage subsidies
• coaching, mentoring, support and advice
• training
• access to job-ready candidates

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees can enhance your business by providing different perspectives, experience and knowledge. They can contribute to cross-cultural awareness in your workplace, which is important when communicating with people from diverse backgrounds and engaging with the local community.

Support for employers

There are programs and incentives available for businesses to help you employ Aboriginal people, ETC provides several;

• Indigenous wage subsidies of up to $10,000 (inc. GST) – provided directly to businesses over a period of six months. 
• New Careers for Aboriginal People Program (NCAP) – which helps businesses and job seekers with Free coaching, mentoring, support and advice.

Aboriginal participation strategy

The government has various strategies in place to decrease Aboriginal unemployment and improve indigenous staff retention. These programs encourage employers to focus on building Aboriginal participation in their workforce.

Larger companies may also have Aboriginal Participation Plans which require them to hire a certain percentage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. An example is the Aboriginal Participation in Construction (APIC) policy which supports greater participation by Aboriginal people in government construction projects across NSW.

ETC works in partnership with employers to meet their Aboriginal employment target through NCAP. Our Aboriginal Employment Advisors are part of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and have strong links with candidates and employers.

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ETC’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy

ETC has two important documents that help us to contribute to ending the economic disparity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and other Australians.

Through our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) we undertake practical actions to:

• Achieve stronger engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
• Support and recognise their strengths, skills and contribution to ETC and our wider communities
• Help create strong, inclusive and sustainable communities.

In our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy, we define approaches for recruitment, retention and career development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in a culturally aware workplace.

Both documents play an important part in achieving ETC’s Vision and Mission and living by our organisational values.

Develop your Reconciliation Action Plan

ETC encourages other employers to develop a RAP through Reconciliation Australia’s RAP Framework.

A RAP is a strategic document that supports your organisation’s business plan.  

As well as providing a structured approach to advance reconciliation, a RAP can help you to improve your working relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, enhance delivery of your products or services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and play your part in promoting community harmony and inclusive communities.

To develop a RAP, you will work with Reconciliation Australia through their feedback, quality assurance and endorsement process. RAP endorsement provides your organisation permission to use the nationally recognised RAP name and logo, which demonstrate compliance with the RAP framework and standards.

More information on RAPs and how to develop them is on the Reconciliation Australia website.

ETC also encourages employers to develop an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy, an internal organisational document to help you increase diversity in your workforce and create a culturally aware workplace. There are numerous online examples and templates to help guide you in developing one.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Outcomes 2018/19