Australian Minister Launches Australian Chamber of Commerce's Indigenous Employment Strategy

Sydney, June 17, 2005 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Statement by Peter Hendy, Chief Executive The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), Australia's largest and most representative business organisation, has welcomed the release of Employing Indigenous Australians Indigenous Employment Strategy Framework for Industry by the Federal Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Kevin Andrews MP.

ACCI recognises that Indigenous Australians are one of the most disadvantaged groups within our labour market. The high levels of unemployment experienced by Indigenous people needs to be addressed through better partnerships with industry and intervention programmes that support Indigenous jobseekers to develop the skills required to secure and maintain ongoing employment.
This is especially important in light of current labour and skill shortages, which ACCI's economic surveys regularly find is now the most important constraint on business investment. Employing Indigenous Australians has been developed in response to industry's need to be better informed of the opportunities to partner with Governments, the vocational educational and training sector and those agencies responsible for the delivery of services to Indigenous jobseekers.

The key Outcomes of the Framework are:
- to increase opportunities for training and meaningful employment for Indigenous
jobseekers;
- to increase retention rates for Indigenous employees; and
- to better inform industries of the opportunities to partner with Governments, the
vocational education and training sector and Indigenous communities.

ACCI already has a comprehensive Indigenous Employment Policy which recognises that all Australians have a shared responsibility to develop a responsive employment, education and training system that better encourages more Indigenous Australians to participate in the labour market.

This Framework was developed by ACCI in conjunction with the Federal Department of
Employment and Workplace Relations to act as a practical guide for industry and is available on the ACCI website at www.acci.asn.au

For further information:

Steve Balzary
Director
Employment and Training
+61 2 6273 2311 / +61 418 215 732

Brett Hogan
Director of Communications
+61 3 9668 9950 / +61 407 273 884