Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Working in the NSW Public Sector

The NSW State Plan “State Plan, A New Direction for NSW” has identified priorities for Government Action. Priority F1 commits the NSW Government to improving health, education and social outcomes for Aboriginal People. The NSW public sector has an important role to play in this regard, with a target to employ 2% of staff who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people.

Increasing Aboriginal employment in the public sector is important on a number of levels. It builds agency capacity to deliver programs and services that are effective and appropriate for Aboriginal people and encourages support and respect for Aboriginal cultural values in the workplace and in the delivery of services.

Overcoming employment and retention barriers has many challenges and Making It Our Business provides the policy framework to achieve sustainable employment for Aboriginal people in the public sector. The key initiatives underpinning this policy are: Two Ways Together: NSW Aboriginal Affairs Plan 2003-2012, Bilateral Agreement and CEO Performance Agreements.

Workforce planning indicates that the NSW public sector, like the private sector, will face increasing workforce shortages because of the general ageing population. The Aboriginal population is young and growing, and this increasing pool of young people can support current and future public sector workforce needs.

The unemployment rate experienced by Aboriginal people is roughly 4 times that of the general population. Improving public sector employment is one way of achieving an overall reduction in Aboriginal unemployment.

Increasing Aboriginal participation in the public sector is not just about meeting employment targets. It is about improving social and economic justice and improving the lives of Aboriginal people, their families and communities. It is also about broadening the diversity of the workforce so that public sector staffing reflects the people we serve and provides new ideas and fresh perspectives to the way Government works.