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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 13 Hansard (2 December) . . Page.. 4312 ..

MRS CARNELL (continuing):

A number of courses have been conducted specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students during 1997, including orientation; certificate course in adult basic education; Aboriginal fashion and art; sport and recreation sales and marketing; food and beverage service; and an accredited course developed as part of the new Aboriginal interview friends scheme.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I would now like to speak about employment. In the public sector, all ACT government agencies employ indigenous staff. In 1996-97 there were eight newly created Aboriginal identified positions - two at the ASO6 level, four at the ASO4 level, one police liaison position and a trainee ranger. Significantly, this employment is in specific service delivery areas in regular contact with indigenous peoples. In addition, there was an ATSIC-funded policy officer in the Chief Minister's Department to assist the consultative council in its monitoring of the Government's implementation of the deaths in custody recommendations. The ACT Public Service Indigenous Network met regularly throughout the year. A representative from the network was one of the six indigenous representatives who addressed the Assembly in August 1997. The strategic plan for training and employment being developed will incorporate public sector employment as well as private sector employment.

The annual employment grants program has a number of programs specifically designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These programs are the Caloola Farm Company basic office skills course; the Retail and Office Training Centre certificate I in retail operations; and the Capital Careers introduction to information technology course. In 1997-98, $31,000 was allocated to the security training program. The program focuses on providing indigenous people with the opportunity to enter the security industry in the ACT and builds on successful courses conducted by the CES in 1996-97. The program has been developed in consultation with indigenous groups and the ACT and Region Chamber of Commerce and Industry. An amount of $40,000 is allocated for indigenous employment initiatives from the $290,000 annual employment grants program. Grants provide one-off annual funding for projects where organisations have identified training needs and developed appropriate programs.

The ACT has commenced negotiations with the Commonwealth on principles which will form the basis of a bilateral agreement on indigenous housing in the ACT. The aim of the bilateral agreement is to examine strategies for greater coordination of housing and related services for indigenous people in the ACT. This agreement is expected to comprise agreed principles only, as the Commonwealth has said it will not allocate any Aboriginal rental housing program housing money to the ACT. This reflects Commonwealth policy of allocating funds on a needs basis and remote communities being a priority for the current distribution of housing funds.

Madam Deputy Speaker, I am delighted to be able to tell the Assembly of the significant progress made this year in establishing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre. The centre is to be opened by January 2001 and will be co-located on Acton Peninsula with the National Museum of Australia and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. On 29 October 1997 it was announced

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