MAKING FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES STRONG THOUGH SMALL BUSINESS

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Making Families and Communities Strong Through Small Business Mara West, Honours Thesis, Murdoch University, 2007which raises some concerns as there was criticism expressed from thegroup in Shepparton, Victoria of the Jobs Network recycling clientsthrough short-term ungainful occupations leaving clients and employersfrustrated and angry. One wonders if the STEP will improve thissituation or that of those people who were part of CDEP considering itstates in the STEP Guidelines for Organisations p4 that the followingassistance can be provided as part of a STEP package:job placement, workplace orientation and on-the-job support andadvice;mentoring;wage subsidy;assistance with developing an Indigenous employment strategy foran organisation;developing cross-cultural awareness training packages and acontribution to the cost of delivering the training;marketing initiatives to identify suitable participants;personal assistance to participants prior to commencing training orwork;pre-employment and formal/accredited training while employed orprior to employment; andsupport for the developing an SRA with local Indigenous people andcommunities which focuses on employment.The Committee of the Review of Aboriginal Employment and TrainingPrograms (The Miller Report) chaired by Mick Miller was a blueprint forAboriginal employment and training in Australia. It recognised that thekey to overcoming racism, cultural differences and geographic isolationwas sound education and training programs. As a result the AboriginalEconomic Employment Development Policy was developed andlaunched. Its aim was to achieve equity in Indigenous employment andincome in line with the wider Australian community by 2000. It seemsthere is still a long way to go as The Indigenous Business Review 2003found the wealth gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoplewas significant with Indigenous people earning less than 60% of themedian weekly income.The Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC)supported the Miller Report and it made 339 recommendations toimprove all areas of Indigenous affairs including increasing economicopportunity. Several programs were set up in response to RCIADICwith most of them only operating through the cycle of funding whichbrings into question the governments’ support and commitment to therecommendations. The Deaths In Custody Watch Committee WA Incset up in response to a recommendation of RCIADIC (thisrecommendation applied nationally) claims that many issues andrecommendations are still outstanding. They further claim that of the212 recommendations relating to the WA Justice system, very fewhave been implemented. The Government of Western Australia 2000Implementation Report, Recommendations Into Aboriginal Deaths inCustody coordinated by the Aboriginal Affairs Department, June 2001,30
Making Families and Communities Strong Through Small Business Mara West, Honours Thesis, Murdoch University, 2007signed off by the then Minister for Indigenous Affairs the Hon IanCarpenter, provides information on the 212 recommendations and itappears that the majority are ongoing.The National Indigenous Education Policy underpins Indigenouseducation and training in Australia. Its aim is to improve education andtraining outcomes for Indigenous people. It is a comprehensive Policywith a framework that informs the planning, financial resourcing andmonitoring and reporting on the progress of Indigenous education. Itcontinues to have a national focus through the Ministerial Council onEmployment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) andthe education and training bodies in each State and Territory such asthe Aboriginal Education and Training Council and the Department ofEducation and Training in Western Australia. The Western AustralianAboriginal Education and training Operational Plan 2005 – 2008 hasfive priorities for the Vocational Education and Training Sector. If theVET sector makes a commitment and invests in all priorities especiallythose of 4 and 5 which states:Priority 4 Culturally appropriate product development, design anddeliveryImproved strategies are needed to more appropriately tomeet local Aboriginal aspirations and their cultural andPriority 5economic circumstanceGrowing VET partnerships that link to further training andemploymentMore effective coordination between TAFEWA, localAboriginal communities and industry will enhance linksbetween training and employment outcomes.then perhaps Aboriginal students studying in the TAFE sector will bebetter prepared for employment whether employed by someone else orin their own businesses.There are a number of agencies set up to support Aboriginal businessincluding State and Territory departments not identified in this researchsuch as the Western Australian Department of Indigenous Affairs andThe Department of Industry and Resources. This plethora ofdepartments and agencies makes it hard for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to negotiate appropriate funding. There seems to bevery little or no coordination between State and Federal departments.The Indigenous Business Report (IBR) were concerned that DEWRsprograms were similar to those of other agencies. One thing they dohave in common however is the amount of ‘red tape’ and the inordinateamount of time that is involved in processing applications. This hasbeen identified by organisations such as Rio Tinto and the two the casestudies of this research. The IBR found that there was little datacollected and very little monitoring of performance of programs. It alsofound that business facilitators provided by the government did notpossess business expertise themselves which raises the questionabout the process of the selection of business consultants employed bygovernment. It seems to be a case of the incompetent weaving a web31
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