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PERTH (miningweekly.com) – An indigenous employment programme in Queensland was set to continue after the state government announced on Tuesday that it would invest A$100 000 to renew an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander jobs partnership with the Queensland Resources Council (QRC).
Treasurer and Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Curtis Pitt said a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) would be concluded this month.
He said the QRC would match the state government’s funding, with the partnership worth A$200 000 in 2015/16.
The programme aimed to increase indigenous employment in the resources sector both directly and through engagement of indigenous businesses.
“The resources sector is a major source of employment in this state, but Indigenous Queenslanders are under-represented in the sector. We want to give more Indigenous Queenslanders the opportunity to carve out rewarding resources careers,” he said.
“That’s what this new MoU will focus on, and we’ll work with QRC to ensure more Indigenous Queenslanders can access opportunities with resources companies.”
The MoU between the state government and the QRC started in 2007 and it has a proven track record of generating employment for Indigenous Queenslanders. At the end of 2014, there were nearly 1 000 full-time Indigenous employees in the Queensland resources sector.