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The NT Government values the unique skills and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and is committed to providing equal access to Public Sector employment.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people represent more than 30% of the population but comprise only 7.3% of the Northern Territory Public Sector workforce.

The public sector plays an important role in the employment of Indigenous people in the NT. We must ensure that any future planning addresses the issue of low representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the workforce, through the collaborative development of culturally appropriate education, training and employment systems.

The Northern Territory Government is committed to achieving meaningful and sustainable improvements in Indigenous employment by focusing on the recruitment, career development and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

To achieve this, the Government emphasises the importance of pursuing realistic and measurable outcomes in increasing the number of Indigenous people in the Northern Territory Public Sector and that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must have access to the necessary support in order to develop their true career potential. The challenge for agencies is finding what works for them and which strategies are the most cost effective in providing sustainable outcomes in Indigenous employment.

Strategy

In 2002, OCPE implemented the Indigenous Employment and Career Development Strategy 2002 - 2006. The Strategy outlines the Indigenous Employment Policy for the NTPS.

The progress report for December 2006 is now available here.

Policy

The Northern Territory Government is committed to addressing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander social and economic needs through self-determination. It is also committed to the promotion of understanding of these needs and ensuring that the process is based on the co-operative efforts of all levels of government involving active consultation with Indigenous people and their organisations. The Strategy will complement these commitments.

Principles

The Government has identified a set of principles on which progressive policies for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs should be based. The particular principles that underpin the Strategy are that:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people play the major role in developing policies and decisions affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;
  
• the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are an integral component of the development of government policies and programs affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and
  
• Government programs and services should, wherever possible, be delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and reflect the needs and aspirations of the Indigenous community.

The Strategy is built on these principles and on the recognition that skilled and knowledgeable Indigenous people will be required in appropriate numbers at all levels of the NTPS in order to realise the Government's policy.

Legislative basis

The Public Sector Employment and Management Act requires the development of Equal Opportunity Management Plans (EOMP) which set out an agency's strategies, objectives and measures to ensure equality of employment opportunity for all employees. Indigenous employment and development strategies are an integral component of an agency's general equal opportunity management initiatives and as such are bound by the following legislative provisions:
Section 28 of the PSEMA requires Chief Executives to report annually on equal opportunity management programs and other initiatives designed to ensure that employees in an agency have equal employment opportunities.

Section 57 of the Anti-Discrimination Act makes provision for special measures designed to promote equality of opportunity for groups of people who are disadvantaged or who have special needs. Chief Executives are encouraged to access the special measures provision through consultation with the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner.