PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) has welcomed the release of the National Roadmap for Indigenous Skills, Jobs and Wealth Creation, saying it establishes a collaborative pathway to further unlock First Nations' excellence and aspirations in the national economy.

The Roadmap provides a long-term commitment to support economic development and enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to gain the skills and confidence to pursue the careers and businesses they want.

The Roadmap recognises there are still significant challenges that exist for Indigenous Australians who want to enter the job market, progress their careers and start and expand their businesses, and will help to address these barriers by driving government and industry investment to connect Indigenous Australians with training and employment, business support and broader economic opportunities.

MCA CEO Tania Constable on Monday said that importantly, the roadmap reinforces mining’s important and ongoing role in supporting First Nations people, communities and businesses to achieve their economic priorities, especially in regional and remote Australia.

“The minerals industry already employs a higher proportion of Indigenous Australians than other sectors as well as about 18% of Indigenous men in remote areas,” said Constable.

“Tailored approaches to achieve Traditional Owner aspirations for jobs, skills and business opportunities for young people . . . are key.

“About 10% of all mining apprenticeships are Indigenous Australians. Building on this, mining is committed to increasing the number of Indigenous Australians in leadership, professional and engineering roles, strengthening procurement practices and enhancing partnerships that support Traditional Owner social and economic priorities.

“As one of the largest customers of Indigenous businesses nationally, mining has seen firsthand the importance of business ownership and development to First Nations people and communities,” Constable said.

She noted that the roadmap reinforces the need for governments to provide stable, targeted and locally-appropriate assistance as native title holders establish foundations and develop their own economic programmes.

“Under the right settings, there is also opportunity to deploy significant funds held by Traditional Owners from mining for Indigenous-led economic development.

“Australian mining will support roadmap implementation by partnering with governments, communities and the private sector on practical actions that deliver opportunity and outcomes.”