Key Result Area Guideline 2:

Recruiting and employing Aboriginal staff

Victorian health services are large employers - more than 20% of the Victorian workforce is engaged in the health and community services sector. Aboriginal people should have the same opportunities for employment as everyone else in the community, across all areas of health provision. Health services can make a significant contribution to the development of a skilled Aboriginal health workforce.

Good Sources of Information about Recruitment and Employment

There are a number of strategies and employment programs available to organisations to assist in the recruitment, employment and retention of Aboriginal staff.

The Wur-cum burra strategy is designed to increase Aboriginal employment in the Victorian public sector. The wealth of information produced under this scheme is a useful starting point for health services considering a serious approach to recruiting Aboriginal workers. For extensive information on recruitment, including exempt positions, advertising of positions and selection panels

The Commonwealth Government has an Indigenous Employment Policy with the aim of reducing the labour market disadvantage faced by Aboriginal people.

Some Area Consultative Committees in Victoria host Indigenous Employment Development Officers who provide intensive assistance to job seekers in partnership with employers. Contact list of employment development officers (Word File 27KB)

Programs and Strategies

Commonwealth Government Assistance is available to employ Aboriginal people, including traineeships and cadetships. Current programs

The National Indigenous Cadetship Project (NICP) links Indigenous Australian students with employers who can give them work skills and professional employment. Students must be studying full time at an Australian TAFE college, Registered Training Organisation or university in a diploma, advanced diploma or their first undergraduate degree course.

Wage Assistance is an incentive to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander job seekers find long-term jobs. Employers who employ eligible job seekers can receive up to $4400 over 26 weeks for ongoing full-time work and $2200 for ongoing part-time work exceeding 15 hours per week. Information

Long-term change

Some organisations have developed an Aboriginal Employment Plan to employ a targeted number of Aboriginal people in the organisation over a specific time period. The University of Ballarat, for example, aims to provide employment for 15 Aboriginal people at the University over three years. The employment strategy is managed by the Staff Services Section and an Indigenous Employment reference group. For information about the strategy and other useful information about Indigenous employment, go to http://www.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/staff/indig_rec/

Education, Training and Mentoring

Recruiting skilled and qualified Aboriginal people to health services can be a challenge, due to low education retention rates, small numbers of qualified people, fewer educational opportunities and so on. Assisting an Aboriginal person to achieve in education and training is a valuable contribution to strengthening the Aboriginal community.

Think about a learning exchange arrangement with Aboriginal health workers in your area. A placement or training opportunity in a mainstream health service for an Aboriginal health worker, and a similar experience for a mainstream practitioner in an Aboriginal organisation, will benefit both organisations.

Consider offering a scholarship, a bursary or sponsorship to an Aboriginal young person to complete an apprenticeship, a diploma or a degree. This might mean paying the HECS fees for an Aboriginal nurse to complete midwifery, supporting study leave or paid placement leave for an Aboriginal worker to complete a Social Work or Welfare qualification, or offering a permanent position to a trainee.

Barwon Health has recently appointed Aboriginal trainees and a management cadet. For information about this innovative employment strategy, view Dr Alison Maclean's presentation from the Rural Health Conference at Beechworth in May 2005 (PDF File 462KB).

For information about the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc., go to http://www.vaeai.org.au/

Most universities have support centres for Aboriginal students. For example Deakin University's Institute for Koorie Education offers support for Aboriginal students in higher education. For more, go to http://www.deakin.edu.au/ike/

The University of Melbourne has a Centre for Indigenous Education. See http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/cie/index.html

La Trobe University's Ngarn-gi Bagora Indigenous Centre supports Indigenous students there. Go to http://www.latrobe.edu.au/indigenous/

Contact: Koori Human Services Unit, Department of Human Services, 20/50 Lonsdale St, Melbourne 3000
Telephone (03) 9096 7032
Email: koori@dhs.vic.gov.au