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Indigenous Women

There is a range of Government policies, programmes and services that support indigenous women and their communities.

In indigenous health, the Government has introduced measures such as the National Breast Feeding Strategy and a comprehensive range of measures to reduce the incidence and transmission of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Other initiatives include funding to enable improved access to comprehensive primary health care services and funding to improve water, sewerage, power systems, roads, airstrips and the construction and upgrade of community facilities, and a National Child Nutrition Programme.

The Indigenous Employment Programme ($57.7 million in 2000-01) comprises a range of complementary initiatives which work alongside the special measures to improve outcomes for indigenous job seekers from the Job Network. To date there have been the following achievements:

• More than 5,200 Indigenous Australians have been assisted under Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP) since its commencement, of which 31 per cent are women. The 340 projects approved so far this year will generate more than 7,500 placements.
• 58 per cent of the cadetships under the Indigenous Cadetship Project are for women.
• Under the Wage Assistance component, which is particularly relevant to small business in regional areas, around 3,500 unemployed indigenous people have been placed in the 22 months of operation to date, of which 34 per cent are women.
• The Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment involves 48 major Australian companies in generating more jobs in the private sector for indigenous people. This will be supported by flexible funding under the programme. The funding will be based on outcomes achieved. To date, more than 1,600 job opportunities have been identified and around 26 per cent of the filled jobs have been by women.
• Over 300 Indigenous Australians have been assisted by their CDEP organisation to leave the project and get into mainstream unsubsidised employment. To date, around 40 per cent of those leaving their CDEP have been women.

The Government is working with indigenous communities to prevent violence and, through ATSIC, funds Family Violence Prevention Legal Service Units and indigenous family violence projects under Partnerships Against Domestic Violence.

Reforms to improve the quality, accessibility and accountability of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services are continuing. National minimum service standards and new policy guidelines for test case funding have been implemented, and best practice standards for legal services are being developed on a State and Territory basis. A major focus of the reforms is to improve the services available to indigenous women, particularly in the areas of family violence, family law and other civil matters. In a related initiative, at a cost of around $3 million, twelve Family Violence Legal Prevention Units are being established to provide advice and legal assistance to indigenous women.

The Government's Indigenous Sport programme, introduced in the 1999-2000 Budget, assists female athletes to attend national and international events and provides scholarships to women who compete in the mainstream sport development system and representative teams.

Link-up

The Government continues to address the consequences of past family separation practices through its four year $63 million package of initiatives announced in December 1997. The Link-up network and the counselling and parenting programmes which were the centrepiece of the Government's practical package will continue beyond 30 June 2002 at a further cost of $53.9 million over the four years to 30 June 2006. This will provide some certainty to indigenous people using these services to assist them to cope with the hurt and trauma caused by separation and will ensure the new national network of Link-up family reunion services-which will be completed with the opening of the Western Australian office-can continue to assist in reuniting families.

The Government's $1.7 billion Australians Working Together package contains a number of measures to benefit Indigenous Australians and their communities.

Support for CDEP participants to get a job

A $31 million component of the Australians Working Together package will help to improve job outcomes from the CDEP scheme, by assisting up to 10,000 CDEP participants in areas with good job opportunities, by creating Indigenous Employment Centres which will work closely with local employers and the Job Network.

Community Participation Agreements and capacity building

As part of the Australians Working Together package a further $32.2 million over four years from September 2002 will be provided to develop community participation agreements in 100 remote communities. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission will work with these communities to identify practical ways members of the communities can contribute to their families and community development in return for income support. The Community Participation Agreements will help keep everyone in the community involved in practical solutions to the challenges their communities face.

Training Credits for mature age and indigenous job seekers

Training credits of up to $800 will enable eligible individuals to gain work-related skills. Commencing July 2002, 69,000 Training Credits will be provided over four years at a cost of $59 million. Training Credits will be offered to mature age and indigenous job seekers who participate in Job Search Training and Intensive Assistance. The skills of some mature age and indigenous job seekers make it hard for them to gain existing local jobs or jobs in emerging industries and training credits will assist them overcome these obstacles.

Increased education and training assistance for Indigenous Australians

$10.2 million over four years commencing in July 2002 will provide increased education and training assistance for Indigenous Australians and support local companies to help young indigenous people develop business and leadership skills. 1,600 secondary school students in indigenous communities will be encouraged to complete year 12 and progress to further education and training and a further 2,300 secondary school students will be assisted to take up vocational learning opportunities supported by business. Local companies will be involved to help young Indigenous Australians to develop business and social leadership skills.

More information about the Australians Working Together package can be found online at www.together.gov.au

Upgrading Indigenous Housing

Commencing July 2001, $75 million will be provided over four years to improve indigenous housing and infrastructure in rural and remote areas. Funding will be provided to State and Territory governments and to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission's Housing and Infrastructure Programme and will be used to repair existing houses and maintain them at a safe and healthy standard, to build new houses to reduce overcrowding and to enable communities to better manage their housing and tenancy services.