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Media Release
BETTER PATHWAYS FROM SCHOOL TO WORK FOR INDIGENOUS STUDENTS
K5005 25 May 1999
"The Government is today launching an employment policy that has the potential to put thousands of Indigenous Australians in real jobs with real futures," said the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs Dr David Kemp. Dr Kemp today congratulated Employment Minister, Peter Reith, for his launch of the Government’s Indigenous Employment Policy. The $115 million policy outlines a range of initiatives to increase the training and employment opportunities available to Indigenous Australians. "It is vital that there are effective pathways from school to work for young Indigenous Australians," said Dr Kemp. Dr Kemp reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to education initiatives that will achieve the Employment Minister’s goal to get more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians into productive employment. "Many teenage Indigenous Australians are missing out on opportunities that help in the transition from compulsory schooling into jobs. The programmes and strategies we are putting in place will ensure these young people actually do have options that can prepare them for the workforce," said Dr Kemp. Improved educational achievement for Indigenous Australians is a key national priority for the Howard Government and the recent Budget announcements put additional resources in schools and educational institutions over the next five years. "This budget provides more than $1.1 billion over 5 years for education programmes for disadvantaged Indigenous Australians to help achieve improved outcomes," said Dr Kemp. Announced in the Budget, there was an additional $71 million over the next 5 years for special education programmes targeted to Indigenous people, over current expenditure. This is on top of $143 million additional spending on Indigenous education programmes in the Howard Government’s first 1996/97 Budget. At the end of the 2003/04 financial year, the Howard Government will have spent over $475 million more on improving Indigenous education than if funding had remained at Labor’s levels. Two new strategies will also be introduced later this year: the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and the National Indigenous Students School Attendance Strategy. "We have raised the achievement of educational equality for Australia’s Indigenous peoples as an urgent national priority – and have gained the support of the States and Territories," said Dr Kemp. "There can be no doubt that improving the provision of education to Indigenous Australians, and achieving a significant improvement in educational outcomes will empower Indigenous communities and individual Indigenous Australians to participate in our society to their full potential." Media contact: Samantha Herron 0412 639 754 or 02 6277 7460
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