Briefing for Stakeholders
Indigenous Advancement
12 August 2014
Strategy
Getting the basics right
The Government is committed to working more closely with Indigenous
Australians on the priority areas of
– getting children to school,
– adults to work and
– making communities safer.
School Attendance
• Regular school attendance is vital to educational achievement.
• One-third of the gap in educational attainment is attributed to poorer
school attendance.
• A child’s education is considered at risk if they frequently miss more
than half a day of school a week (less than 90 per cent attendance).
• Indigenous students are estimated to be behind non-Indigenous
students by the equivalent of approximately two and a half years of
schooling in the tested areas of literacy, science and mathematics.
Indigenous Employment
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The employment gap is widening.
More Indigenous people are dependent on welfare than in work.
Indigenous unemployment is worse in remote areas and very remote areas.
We need to do things differently. No more ‘training for training’s sake’.
The Government is investing $45 million in GenerationOne’s Vocational
Training and Employment Centre (VTEC) model. Up to 5,000 Indigenous
Australians – training with a guaranteed job at the end.
• Forrest Review of Indigenous Training and Employment Programmes: The
Government has received the Report and is holding public consultations
before considering its response.
Community Safety
• Indigenous people are more likely to be victims of violent crime.
• Indigenous people should be able to live without violence and fear.
• The ordinary law of the land should apply in Indigenous communities as it does
in all Australian communities.
• Indigenous people should be able to enjoy levels of physical, emotional and
social wellbeing enjoyed by other Australians.
• Safe and stable communities will help to drive improvements in other areas of
government investment like education and employment.
Principles
Communities must be at the centre of
design and delivery
2014-15 is a transition year to new
engagement and funding arrangements
Investment and effort to be prioritised to
improve Indigenous school attendance,
employment and community safety
outcomes
Greater flexibility to support locally
appropriate implementation and long term
strategies
Focus will be on outcomes not inputs
Minimise bureaucracy and reduce red tape
for communities, organisations and service
providers
Funding will respond to community and
regional need
High level of accountability for Government
and providers
A New Engagement
An opportunity for:
• practical engagement with Indigenous Australians, service providers, business
and government.
• solutions to be tailored to local needs, and targeted to the Government’s
priority areas.
• joint development and implementation of solutions to improve long-term
outcomes.
• Regional and/or place-based solutions.
• Redirecting funding when something doesn’t work.
Indigenous Advancement Strategy Programmes
The five new Indigenous Advancement Strategy programmes are:
• Jobs, Land and Economy;
• Children and Schooling;
• Safety and Wellbeing;
• Culture and Capability; and
• Remote Australia Strategies.
Priorities
Funding will be allocated to projects that focus on:
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Getting Indigenous Australians into work, fostering Indigenous business and ensuring
Indigenous people receive economic and social benefits from the effective management of
their land and native title rights;
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Ensuring Indigenous children regularly go to school, improving literacy and numeracy and
supporting families to give children a good start in life;
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Increasing Indigenous Year 12 attainment and pathways to further education and training;
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Making communities safer so that Indigenous people enjoy similar levels of physical,
emotional and social wellbeing as that enjoyed by other Australians;
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Increasing participation and acceptance of Indigenous Australians in the economic and social
life of the nation; and
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Addressing the disproportionate disadvantage in remote Australia and the need for strategic
grant funding for local solutions.
IAS Funding arrangements
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Most IAS funding will only be available through an annual, open grant funding
round. The first grant funding round opens in September.
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Applications to seize time-limited opportunities, such as the creation of an
Indigenous job, may be received at any time.
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Funded organisations will need to demonstrate that they can work closely with
Indigenous communities to develop successful solutions for those communities.
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Opt-in partnering arrangements to strengthen delivery capability will be
encouraged.
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Organisations will be funded to improve outcomes, and will need to refocus efforts
if projects aren’t delivering the benefits they intended.
Indigenous leadership and responsibility
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Solutions need to be driven by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, in
partnership with Governments, service providers, employers etc.
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Government wants to support positive social norms and functioning communities,
and increased participation and responsibility of individuals.
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Need for strong leadership voices within communities.
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Must be prepared to take risks, and not be afraid of failure.
Transitional funding in 2014-15
Contract extensions
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Most organisations who's contracts were due to finish on 30 June 2014 received
an extension of 6 or 12 months.
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Current contracts will not be affected by the new IAS arrangements.
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New arrangements entered into from 1 July 2014 will fall under the new IAS
arrangements.
National Competitive Funding Round
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Opens 8 September 2014. Will be open for 4 weeks.
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Organisations will be able to apply for IAS funding from:
o 1 January 2015 (for organisations funded on a calendar year basis)
o 1 July 2015 (for organisations funded on a financial year basis)
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Organisations or individuals can apply for funding from one or more of the IAS
programmes through a single application form, and have a single agreement with
the Department.
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All financial year funding proposals will be assessed in a two stage process:
o Stage 1: identify capability and capacity of organisations to deliver outcomes;
o Stage 2: Fine tuning of strategies to ensure they will meet regional need.
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Education offers expected to be made in late November. Others in March 2015.
Strengthening governance arrangements
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All organisations receiving grant funding of $500,000 (GST exclusive) or more in
any single financial year through the Government’s Indigenous Affairs portfolio
now need to be incorporated under Commonwealth legislation.
– Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations will need to incorporate
under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ) Act 2006;
– Other organisations will need to incorporate under the Corporations Act 2001.
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Some exemptions and transition arrangement apply.
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This new requirement has been written into in the IAS Guidelines.
New PM&C Indigenous Affairs Network
• Over the next 12 months, the PM&C Network will move to a regional
model.
• Senior decision makers placed closer to the communities they work with.
• The role of the Network will be to work in partnership with communities
to tailor action and long-term strategies to achieve solutions in the
Government’s priority areas.
More information?
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IAS Programme Guidelines are at
www.dpmc.gov.au/indigenous_affairs.
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Questions relating to the Incorporation Requirements should be
directed to SOG@pmc.gov.au.
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Questions about the Indigenous Advancement Strategy should be
directed to your local PM&C office in the first instance. Alternatively,
you may also send questions to IAS@pmc.gov.au or call PM&C on
1800 088 323.
Thank You and Discussion