The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) is committed to helping improve the lives of Indigenous Australians through education, science and training. This Reconciliation Action Plan is a major plank of that commitment.
The educational disadvantage currently experienced by Indigenous Australians is well recognised. For governments in Australia, closing the gap in educational outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is a major aim. Many of the actions in this Reconciliation Action Plan focus on closing the gap in educational outcomes.
DEST is well recognised for developing and delivering policies and programmes for Indigenous Australians. The department also has a strong cohort of Indigenous employees, who make up almost 10 per cent of total DEST staff, including 45 per cent of the staff in our state and regional network. This network is crucial to the department’s success in working with our Indigenous clients. The department and its leaders and staff are committed to building on this record and doing more.
This Reconciliation Action Plan brings together some key initiatives for the department in coming years. The initiatives reflect the department’s Strategic Plan. This illustrates one of the Action Plan’s central themes: ‘mainstreaming’. In DEST, Indigenous business is everyone’s business. That is why we are working to:
- make mainstream programmes work better and harder for Indigenous Australians
- expand and improve programmes specifically for Indigenous Australians
- build the capacity of our workforce to respond to the needs of our Indigenous clients
- ensure that DEST remains an employer of choice for Indigenous Australians.
In pursuing the initiatives outlined in this Plan – and the ongoing work of improving educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians – DEST is committed to transparency. Future DEST Annual Reports to Parliament will therefore include a statement of progress in delivering these initiatives, and in the department’s overall contribution to the education and skills of Indigenous Australians.
Finally, I want to pay tribute to all our staff. DEST’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous staff do many things each day, professionally and privately, that are important steps toward reconciliation. Not all of these can be recorded here, but they are essential to the department’s efforts to deliver better outcomes for Indigenous Australians and their communities.
Lisa Paul
Secretary
14 May 2007