Continued support for Indigenous communities in Northern New South Wales

Aboriginal people in northern New South Wales will benefit from more job opportunities following the extension of the Northern Region Regional Partnership Agreement.

The Federal Labor Government will provide $250,000 over the next three years to support the extended agreement which focuses on achieving business development, economic participation and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

The Agreement between the 14 land councils of the New South Wales Aboriginal Land Council’s Northern Region and the Australian and New South Wales Governments was first signed in March 2011 and was supported by more than $600,000 funding from the Australian Government.

The Agreement has already supported leadership and governance training for more than 40 local Aboriginal people, a regional Aboriginal women’s gathering attended by 40 Aboriginal women and a capacity building course attended by around 100 Aboriginal Elders which provided participants with an opportunity to meet and share knowledge, experiences and ideas.

Importantly, the Agreement has developed of a number of key relationships which aim to increase Aboriginal employment in industries such as mining and supported the creation of a business arm for the fourteen local Aboriginal land councils.

Regional Partnership Agreements provide Aboriginal community representatives, the Australian, State and Territory governments, and other stakeholders a way to work together to close the gap in Indigenous disadvantage.

They are a practical way to identify priority needs and set out a plan to deliver coordinated services, eliminating duplication and gaps.