Closing the Gap: Key Targets for Industry

A national agreement for Closing the Gap has been announced with bipartisan support from all levels of Government. The agreement resets targets that were put forward in 2008. Prime Minister Scott Morrison admitted that not enough has been done to reach targets previously set and plans on investing $1b to ensure a positive outcome is reached this time around.

The key targets for industry:

Of the 16 targets set, the critical targets for the industry are:

• Target 7: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth (15–24 years) who are in employment, education or training to 67 per cent.
• Target 8: By 2031, increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed to 62 per cent.

Outcomes:

For enterprises looking to build strategies in order to assist in responding to these key targets. Understanding how to foster and attract indigenous talent, as well as offering the right opportunities for training and development will be critical.

Key Quotes:

“We told Indigenous Australians what the gap was that we were going to close — and somehow thought they should be thankful for that…That was wrong-headed. That wasn’t the way to do it.”

“This is the task of us all. And for that to be successful, we need a partnership between all of these groups.” – Scott Morrison, Prime Minister.