Don’t care should care - Anti-Poverty Week

A positive story comes from Moree, NSW. The Aboriginal Employment Strategy grew out of the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in the late 1980s. AES was established in May 1998 with the help of the federal employment department (DEETYA) giving $112,000 and the cotton industry contributing $10,000, plus set up costs and management. Moree had a history of racial tension and by the mid 1990s, the town had a high incidence of crime and a national negative image.

The idea behind the AES was to try to sort out Moree’s problems by finding jobs for Aboriginal people and to bring the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities closer together. By the beginning of 1999 the AES had found jobs for 44 Aboriginal people in full-time employment. By June 1999 the AES, which had from the start been staffed and operated by Aboriginal people, had four employees.

AES reports that the success of AES has very much been due to the use of well trained Aboriginal employment mentors, which are now being trialled elsewhere. Currently AES has placed 500 people in work: 300 in full-time, 200 in seasonal work. It has offices in Moree, Tamworth and Dubbo and is shortly to open offices at Blacktown, Sydney and Maitland. AES control has now been handed to an Aboriginal interagency, which has a board of 11 members. A minimum of six board members must be Aboriginal. Not only has the AES been successful in placing Aboriginal people in jobs, it believes it has been instrumental in building good, solid and sustainable leadership in the Aboriginal community by Aboriginal people successfully managing programs.

Chief Executive Officer of AES, Cathy Duncan, is heading off to India shortly to see how programs in India work. Cotton farmer Dick Estens, who has backed AES from the start, will also visit.

Dick Estens, “I can sum up the success of our program in six words: “Partnerships, partnerships, partnerships, mentors, mentors, mentors”. It has been a tremendously rewarding program, to help change a community and save families. It gives one immense pride. To help change Australia is an even bigger challenge.”