Deliver local jobs

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Remote Areas have comparatively low labour force participation and employment rates,92 which governments have tried to improve through a range of employment and community development programs.

A recent example is the Community Development Program (CDP), the Australian Government's remote employment and community development service. A new Remote Jobs Program will replace the Community Development Program in 2023 and be piloted in some locations in 2021.

The viability of these programs is highly dependent on participants having their basic needs for housing, transport, electricity and water met. This underscores the importance of minimum standards being implemented in parallel and reflects the enabling role infrastructure plays in social and economic participation.

Redesigning the CDP in consultation with

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and enterprises, and tailoring it to local priorities, including the infrastructure maintenance needs in each location, with cost shared between levels of government and asset owners will deliver meaningful and lasting outcomes.

The new Remote Jobs program should also apply findings from established programs that have improved opportunities for economic participation and employment and other social benefits. They include the National Indigenous Australians Agency's Indigenous Ranger Programs and other private-sector and community-led programs that are creating remote employment opportunities.93

There should be a particular focus on providing access to networks and capital so more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can run their own small businesses. In remote locations, entrepreneurial activity may be a more accessible opportunity than other forms of employment.

Digital connectivity is needed to support access to these opportunities. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts organisations have reported that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a strong demand for visual arts, but not always the digital infrastructure to support e-commerce to capitalise on it.