Employment support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians

The Australian Government has announced the 13 organisations chosen to deliver a new employment service to help Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

The Time to Work Employment Service is an important program that will help prepare Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to find work and reintegrate into the community after they complete their sentence.

Thirteen providers have been chosen to deliver this service nationally in Australia’s 70 non-remote prisons.

Minister for Jobs and Innovation, Michaelia Cash said that this new service will provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander prisoners with an individual pathway to employment and give them confidence.

“We know people leaving prison often need assistance and encouragement to find a job – they might need some training or need help finding out what jobs are available and this program will give them that tailored guidance,” said Minister Cash.

“The Turnbull Government is creating opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to get into work and help close the gap.”

The employment rate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is at 46.6 per cent—25.2 per cent below non-Indigenous Australians—and programs like Time to Work aim to turn this trend around.

The Time to Work Employment Service will be implemented in prisons around Australia, through close collaboration between the Australian Government and state and territory governments.

The Australian Government recently signed Memoranda of Understanding with Corrective Services New South Wales and ACT Correctives Services and ACT Health to deliver the service. The service will start soon in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and will be introduced in all other states and territories throughout 2018.

The service is part of the Government’s Closing the Gap – Employment Services package, announced in the 2017–18 Budget.

The successful providers are listed below and more information about the service is available at www.employment.gov.au/time-work-employment-service.