YESTERDAY will go down as the last day that indigenous
Australians had to worry about finding a job, the West Australian mining
magnate Andrew Forrest vowed yesterday.
Business leaders joined Mr Forrest and their political and
indigenous counterparts at Kirribilli House to sign the most ambitious
indigenous job creation agreement in Australia’s history.
The Australian Employment Covenant aims to find 50,000
private sector jobs for indigenous workers and 50,000 mentors to help them
integrate into workplaces.
Already, 15 companies have defied the looming recession and
promised 6000 indigenous jobs, including Consolidated Media Holdings, Westrac,
Crown Ltd, Santos
– and Leighton Holdings, which came to the party yesterday with 1000 places.
Gone is an initial deadline of two years but the scheme has
set internal targets, said Mr Forrest. He praised business leaders for their
heart and leadership despite tough economic times and said the signing marked
the birth of a “learn-to-earn” society rewarding effort and
endeavour.
As part of its goal to halve the gap between indigenous and
non-indigenous employment within a decade, the Federal Government will for the
first time fund intensive, job-specific two-month training courses for workers,
who will be guaranteed a job afterwards.
School students can become Covenant “P-Platers” in
the meantime, and gain work experience, casual work and traineeships, “to
learn that welfare is not an option”.
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, said it would be difficult
but signalled the death of ideology in indigenous employment programs. “We
are all here together as Australians. Indigenous, non-indigenous, all sides of
politics, about one objective. That’s how to fix this thing.”
Rupert Murdoch, who was accompanied by his son Lachlan, said
it was “past time” Australia
addressed the issue and that the Covenant would improve educational achievement
among indigenous people.
The Covenant was an act of faith, said indigenous leader
Noel Pearson, that would pay dividends. “For every one job, 10 flowers
will bloom in the futures of indigenous children. And for every 10 jobs, 100 flowers
will bloom.”
Later, in Redfern, Mr Forrest asked Clive Cavanagh and
Tremain Mundine, both 16, what their dream jobs were.
Clive wanted to be a forklift driver while Tremain opted for
zoologist. Mr Forrest said he could get them jobs like that.
“The thing is, I need you fellas to spread the word
amongst your mates,” he told them. “You’re not prime examples because
you’re good kids and you want to work. You’ve got to tell those kids that are
on welfare and whose parents are on welfare, that it’s bullshit.”
Clive said about half of his year 10 classmates would look
for work after school.
“There’s a lot of jobs but some of the boys don’t take
them. I’ll tell you straight out, if it’s going to be easy for them, they’ll do
it,” he said.
Source:
www.smh.com.au/news/national/indigenous-jobs-plan-launched/2008/10/30/1224956238456.html