Page 2325 - Week 08 - Tuesday, 12 August 2014
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
I move:
That the Assembly takes note of the paper.
MS GALLAGHER: Today I table the government’s response to the Standing Committee on Health, Ageing, Community and Social Services report on the inquiry into ACT public service Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment. I thank the committee for the report and for the opportunity which it provides to consider the avenues of ongoing engagement with members of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community and our own processes within the ACT government to support their employment.
The ACT government remains firmly committed to our vision for the ACT public service and the wider public sector to be seen as an attractive workplace for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people seeking employment. In the government’s response to this committee report, it is clear we are making important progress under this commitment and continue to focus on further gains. The majority of the recommendations made by the committee are consistent with initiatives and strategies established in the ACT PS and those already identified for development as part of our commitment to continuous improvement.
As the one service model settles across the ACT public service and wider public sector, more innovative initiatives and continuous improvement in the area of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment will occur, particularly in the areas of recruitment, retention, cross-cultural training and reporting. With this in mind, the ACT government will continue to build closer links with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body and relevant stakeholders in the community in order to communicate more effectively with potential Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees. Strengthening these links will allow further effective communication with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to make sure pathways to employment in the ACT PS are clear and well supported.
Significantly, it is through listening to our community partners that we can understand what further opportunities we as a government can create to both attract and retain talented Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees in the ACT public sector and the broader public sector. In this vein, the ACT PS will continue to build closer internal links with current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees to continue to improve how we retain those employees and offer clear opportunities for progression and development whilst working as an ACT public servant.
I look forward to the ongoing work in this critical area of employment. I thank the committee for their report and commend the government’s response to the Assembly today.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video