Our shared commitment
Building opportunity and economic prosperity for all Aboriginal Victorians.
Fully participating in the economy provides Aboriginal Victorians with the resources they need to self-determine their future. The Victorian Government is committed to supporting Aboriginal Victorian workers, employers and businesses to thrive, including supporting them to recover from the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. As part of government's efforts, fostering inclusive economic growth is key.
This means stimulating work and additional economic development and business opportunities for Aboriginal young people, women, people living with disability and those in regional areas, and ensuring Aboriginal Victorians are represented at all levels, across all sectors and in all pursuits.
Goal 8: Aboriginal workers achieve wealth equality
Overview
The only featured measure for goal 8 has remained stable.
As part of the State-sanctioned dispossession of Aboriginal Victorians from their lands and waters, Aboriginal Victorians were not recognised as having pre-existing rights and were not considered in legislation or policy until very recently.
The Government acknowledges that silence in legislation reinforced the exclusion of Traditional Owners from important decisions, prevented the practice of culture, and led to loss of economic opportunities.
Government can directly contribute to wealth equality for Aboriginal workers by increasing the amount of goods and services it procures from Aboriginal businesses.
Victoria’s steady increase in the proportion of goods and services it procures from Victorian Aboriginal businesses signals progress in this space. However, this falls short of Victoria’s commitment to a 1% Aboriginal business procurement target by 2019–20 under Tharamba Bugheen: Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy 2017–2021, suggesting there is still work to be done.
Data note
The following measures have not been featured in the Report, as 2021 Census data was unavailable at the time of reporting.
- Measure 8.1.1. Median household income and median equivalised household income
- Measure 8.2.1 Proportion of homeowners versus other tenure types (by age bracket)
- Measure 8.3.1 Number of Victorian business owner-managers who are Aboriginal.
Data for these measures is available on the Data Dashboard, which can be accessed via the First Peoples – State Relations website.
Closing the Gap – Relevant Outcomes and Targets for Goal 8
The National Agreement does not contain outcomes and targets that align with this VAAF goal. Victoria is pursuing more ambitious and comprehensive goals under the VAAF, which are reported on in this chapter and the Data Dashboard.
Closing the Gap – How Victoria is tracking nationally
Not applicable.
8.3 Increase Aboriginal business ownership and support Aboriginal entrepreneurs
Measure 8.3.2 Aboriginal businesses that government enters into a purchase agreement with as a proportion of small to medium enterprises.
Victoria has steadily increased the proportion of goods and services it procures from Victorian Aboriginal businesses, totalling 0.7% in 2020–21, from 129 Victorian Aboriginal businesses. This is below Victoria’s target of 1% under Tharamba Bugheen: Victorian Aboriginal Business Strategy 2017–2021.
Partnership with Kinaway Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce
DJPR entered a new 2-year partnership with Kinaway Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce (Kinaway) to enhance Victorian Government engagement with Aboriginal businesses. Kinaway is the lead Victorian organisation dedicated to supporting Victorian Aboriginal and Torres Strait business owners. With a dedicated Government Relationship Manager, Kinaway is providing tailored support to identify opportunities for member businesses to be engaged for goods and services procurement. Kinaway is also providing government buyers access to their database of businesses and building capability within Victorian Government departments to meet the Aboriginal procurement target and objectives of the Social Procurement Framework.
Goal 9: Strong Aboriginal workforce participation, in all sectors and at all levels
Overview
Measures under Goal 9 have continued to improve.
More Aboriginal Victorians were supported into work via Jobs Victoria in 2021 than ever before. However, there is still a gap between placements and sustainable employment outcomes. In 2020, there were more Aboriginal people working in the VPS and in VPS management roles than ever before while the proportion of Aboriginal people participating on Victorian Government boards was at an all-time high.
Data note
The following measures have not been featured in the Report, as 2021 Census data was unavailable at the time of reporting.
- Measure 9.1.1: Employment to population ratio
- Measure 9.1.2: Proportion employed in full-time versus part-time or casual employment
- Measure 9.2.1: Workforce participation of women
- Measure 9.3.1: workforce participation by age, disability status and regional versus metropolitan.
- Measure 9.4.1: Aboriginal employment by sector, industry and occupation; with analysis by growth industry.
These measures are reported through the Data Dashboard, which can be accessed via the First Peoples – State Relations website.
Goal 9 directly aligns with the following Closing the Gap Outcomes and Targets
Outcome 8 Strong economic participation and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities
- Target 8: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed to 62%.
Closing the Gap – How Victoria is tracking nationally
In 2016, 51.0% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 years were employed across Australia, compared to 57.3% in Victoria.
This target relies on Census data. No new data was available, since the baseline year of 2016, at the time of reporting.
9.1 Increase Aboriginal workforce participation
Measure 9.1.3 Aboriginal jobseekers supported into work
More Aboriginal Victorians were supported into work via Jobs Victoria in 2021 than ever before. The number of placements increased in 2021, reflecting the expansion of the Jobs Victoria mentor service in the second half of the year. However, the percentage of placements that converted into sustainable employment outcomes (six months of employment) in 2021 reduced for both men and women. This reflects the time lag between when the work placement commenced (in the second half of 2021) and six months of employment being realised (in 2022). It is expected that further sustainable employment outcomes will be reflected in 2022 data.
Algabonyah Business Development Unit
DJPR is partnering with Aboriginal organisations to reduce structural and systemic barriers experienced by Aboriginal jobseekers in the Victorian labour market. For example, working with the Kaiela Institute to drive improved employment outcomes for local Aboriginal young people in the Goulburn Murray region. This involves communities, their local leaders, and government working together to increase economic participation for people experiencing complex and multiple barriers to employment.
Community Revitalisation funding has enabled Kaiela Institute to facilitate culturally safe environments in partnership with key local employers. Kaiela Institute’s Algabonyah Business Development Unit (ABDU) worked with Greater Shepparton City Council and Goulburn Valley Water to support increasing their Aboriginal staff by 2%, and subsequently increase their Aboriginal employment targets to 5%.
The ABDU successfully negotiated with Lend Lease to engage Aboriginal apprentices at entry level for the Goulburn Valley Health Hospital site build, and labouring positions with LS Precast concrete batching plant for the West Gate Tunnel Project.
In partnership with Rumbalara Football Netball Club, jobseekers were linked to opportunities via Jobs Victoria services and supported to sustain employment after placements.
9.4 Increase Aboriginal leadership and representation across all sectors and levels
Measure 9.4.2 Aboriginal employees within the Victorian Public Service (VPS)
The number and proportion of Aboriginal employees in the VPS has continued to grow, reaching 620 employees, or 1.2% of VPS staff in 2020. This is a considerable increase from just three years prior in 2017, where 478 employees or 1.1% of the VPS identified as Aboriginal.
Measure 9.4.3 Number of Aboriginal people at VPS 6 level and above in the VPS
As with the total number of Aboriginal employees in the VPS, there are also more Aboriginal staff at VPS level 6 and above (leadership roles) than before – 62 employees in 2020. Although a substantial increase on previous years, the greater number of Aboriginal staff in the VPS more generally has led to a reduction in the proportion of all Aboriginal staff in leadership roles from a high of 10.7% in 2018 to 10% in 2020.
Measure 9.4.4 Number of Aboriginal people participating on Victorian Government boards
Barring Djinang Aboriginal Employment Strategy
The Strategy is designed to enhance attraction, recruitment and retention of Aboriginal staff. Barring Djinang initiatives help public sector agencies support and improve career experiences for Aboriginal employees, placing a strong focus on career development. The Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC) drives the roll out of initiatives across the public sector and partners with ACCOs to remain responsive. For example, a Cultural Capability Toolkit developed in partnership with VACCA is available through the VPSC website.
The proportion of Aboriginal people participating on Victorian Government boards is at an all-time high, reaching 1.3% in 2020. While this slightly exceeds the proportion of the Aboriginal population in Victoria, some individual departments still have a way to go in increasing the participation of Aboriginal people on boards.
Metropolitan Partnerships Program – Aboriginal Partnership Members
The Metropolitan Partnerships bring together experts and leaders from all levels of government, business and the community to identify and progress issues that matter in their region of Melbourne. Their collective advice provides government with rich insights that inform the delivery of projects, programs and services to better met the specific needs of their communities.
Each of the six Metropolitan Partnership regions includes representatives from the Victorian Aboriginal community, encouraging leadership and shared decision-making across this work. In particular, representatives have identified priorities areas of Cultural connection and inclusion; Economic inclusion, health and wellbeing; and Learning and the early years.
In 2021, the Office for Suburban Development supported bringing the Aboriginal members of the six partnership regions together as a collective voice to discuss issue relating to their communities on a metro wide level. This group will now provide advice to the Victorian Government in addition to the broader regional advice of their respective partnerships.
The Aboriginal Partnership members also led the Elders Health and Wellbeing project that engages Aboriginal Elders across metropolitan Melbourne through phone interviews and yarning circles, to better understand the needs of Aboriginal communities and help address social isolation, loneliness and cultural wellbeing.
Goal 10: Aboriginal income potential is realised
Overview
Data note
All measures under this goal rely on 2021 Census data which was not available at the time of reporting.
- Measure 10.1.1: Victoria’s Aboriginal income as sum of all income earned by Aboriginal workers
- Measure 10.1.2: Opportunity cost: Aboriginal gross income at parity minus actual.
Data for these measures is available at the Data Dashboard, which can be accessed via the First Peoples – State Relations website.
Closing the Gap – Relevant Outcomes and Targets for Goal 10
The National Agreement does not contain outcomes and targets that align with this VAAF goal. Victoria is pursuing more ambitious and comprehensive goals under the VAAF, which are reported on in this chapter and the Data Dashboard.
Closing the Gap – How Victoria is tracking nationally
Not applicable.
Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Council (Council)
The Council was established in partnership with the Aboriginal community in October 2020. The Council is co-chaired by the DJPR Secretary and the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce Chairperson and comprises of Aboriginal members together with DJPR Executive Board members . The Council provides a platform where the Aboriginal community and DJPR can work together as equal partners to deliver on our commitment to self-determination and the creation of opportunity and prosperity for all Aboriginal Victorians.
Ngali: First Peoples Fashion and Textile Program & Trade Routes
Global Victoria and DJPR’s Aboriginal Economic Development Group have jointly funded the RMIT Trade Routes program to deliver tailored Aboriginal co-designed business mentoring and support. (Global Victoria contributed $100,000 and DJPR contributed a further $250,000).
Ngali was in the first tranche of 15 Aboriginal businesses supported through the Trade Routes program. Ngali was subsequently supported through the First Peoples Fashion and Textiles Program and was able to feature their designs at the Milan Fashion Week in February of this year.
“Ngali is a sustainable fashion label that works with First Nations’ artists to translate world renowned artworks onto premium-quality clothing and collectibles. Some of Australia’s most talented Indigenous artists live in places you’ve never heard of and maybe you’ll never see. We help bring their unique artwork to the world by taking it beyond wall display and onto garments to walk the streets and show up in a myriad of places around the world”.
Digital inclusion
The National Agreement includes a socioeconomic outcome and target for digital inclusion. This is relevant to Domain 3 of the VAAF but does not align directly to any VAAF goals or measures.
Outcome 17: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have access to information and services enabling participation in informed decision-making regarding their own lives.
Target 17: By 2026, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have equal levels of digital inclusion.
Closing the Gap – How Victoria is tracking nationally
In 2014–15, 73.5% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15 years and over across Australia accessed the internet in their home, compared to 89.5% in Victoria.
There are no comparable data on home access to the internet for non-Indigenous people.
This outcome relies on data from National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey. No new data is available since the baseline year of 2014–15.
Domain 3: Victorian Government Investment and Action
The Victorian Government is committed to building a strong and competitive economy that provides opportunity, choice and prosperity for Aboriginal Victorians.
The key Aboriginal Governance Forum for realising outcomes in this Domain is the Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Council.
Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Strategy
In November 2021, the Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Council endorsed the Victorian Aboriginal Employment and Economic Strategy (Yuma Yirramboi: Invest in Tomorrow).
The strategy has no end date. It is underpinned by 6 Strategic Pillars:
- Culture – Aboriginal culture as our greatest asset
- People – Nurture a strong and ready talent pool
- Business – Grow in size, scale, diversity and maturity of Aboriginal businesses
- Wealth Creation – Accelerate the growth of the Aboriginal Estate and opportunities for wealth creation
- Jobs – Generate jobs and careers to reach employment parity
- Accountability – Transparent reporting against commitments.
Along with existing investments, the strategy empowers Traditional Owner Corporations to continue to harness their land and water-based assets, their knowledge of land management and their cultural practices to grow and prosper. Treaty will strengthen and amplify these opportunities.
Geelong Aboriginal Employment Taskforce
Co-chaired by Christine Couzens MP and Aboriginal community member, Sharelle Mcguirk, the Taskforce brings together local Aboriginal community members and organisations, employers, government departments and agencies, businesses, service providers and institutions to enhance employment and career outcomes for Aboriginal people living in Geelong.
DJPR has supported the Taskforce to generate strong buy-in across the public, private and community sectors to drive localised Aboriginal employment and procurement efforts.
As part of this work, the Victorian Government is providing $400,000 to support a longer-term culturally safe Aboriginal employment model for Geelong including:
- $100,000 for Secretariat support for the Taskforce
- $150,000 for a Geelong Aboriginal Employment Partnership Program connecting employers and Aboriginal communities
- $150,000 for a Geelong Aboriginal Employment Action Research project delivered by Deakin University to inform the Aboriginal employment model.
The Taskforce also supports a Geelong Aboriginal Public Sector Employment Strategy, to be delivered from July 2022.
Key investments in 2021
- $18.5 million to each the 11 Traditional Owner Corporations in Victoria and 2 ACCOs identified as Jobs Victoria Employment Partners. These funds support economic participation as a key to self-determination by providing Traditional Owners Corporations with the opportunity to implement their economic development agenda and grow their aspiration for prosperity.
- $545,108 provided to Eastern Maar and Wadawurrung Aboriginal Corporations as part of the Visitor Economy Recovery and Reform Plan’s industry strengthening initiatives, to build their workforce and develop a self-determined Visitor Economy Plan.
- Over $2 million across two tranches in the provision of The First People’s Business Support Fund and First People's Business Support Fund Extension. The first tranche (late 2020) provided $10,000 business support grants to 129 Aboriginal businesses. The second tranche (late 2021) provided $6,000 business support grants to over 131 Aboriginal businesses.
- The Aunty Mary Atkinson Scholarship Program – a partnership with DJPR and Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc – commenced in 2021. The program will assist up to eight undergraduate and postgraduate Victorian Aboriginal students, with up to $30,000 annually for up to four years, to undertake full-time study in a broad range of fields to open up employment pathways.
- The Jobs Victoria Aboriginal Employment Service (AES) program. The model will support Aboriginal communities to design and operate their own employment services. It is expected to roll out in 2022.
- Two rounds of funding for the Gippsland Aboriginal Advocacy and Support Services Aboriginal employment pathways project:
- First People Business Support Fund: $10,000 in 2020 and $6,000 in 2020
- Latrobe Valley Economic Growth Zone: $2,659 in 2020 and $5,000 in 2021.
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