❓ Dr. Honey questions the Premier about the closure of Aboriginal workforce development centres in 2017 and asks if he admits it was a mistake and will commit to re-establishing them. The Premier avoids a direct answer, highlighting current Aboriginal training and employment initiatives.
AnsweredQoN 706Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ABORIGINAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTRES
706. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
In 2010, the Training Together–Working
Together task force, chaired by Dr Sue Gordon and Mr Keith Spence, recommended
the establishment of Aboriginal workforce development centres, which saw
centres established in Broome, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury and Perth,
training thousands of Aboriginal adults and youth and giving them meaningful
employment. In 2017, the government closed all these centres as a cost-saving
measure.
(1) Given the
Premier's statement this afternoon that education and training is a birthright,
does he now admit that closing these centres was a mistake?
(2) Will the Premier commit to re-establishing
these centres?
706. Dr D.J. HONEY to the Premier:
In 2010, the Training Together–Working
Together task force, chaired by Dr Sue Gordon and Mr Keith Spence, recommended
the establishment of Aboriginal workforce development centres, which saw
centres established in Broome, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Bunbury and Perth,
training thousands of Aboriginal adults and youth and giving them meaningful
employment. In 2017, the government closed all these centres as a cost-saving
measure.
(1) Given the
Premier's statement this afternoon that education and training is a birthright,
does he now admit that closing these centres was a mistake?
(2) Will the Premier commit to re-establishing
these centres?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Leader of the Liberal
Party for the question.
(1)–(2) I
am unaware of what the member is referring to, but I can tell him this: there
are more Aboriginal people in training and employment than ever before. We have
the three per cent policy for government contracts for Aboriginal-owned
businesses that employ Aboriginal people. We have Aboriginal traineeships
across government. We have the program for rangers across our conservation
estate. I might note that we are expanding our conservation estate by 20 per
cent and, as I have commented, it is the biggest expansion in conservation and
national parks in the history of Western Australia. Literally hundreds of
Aboriginal trainees are being employed to manage these areas across Western Australia.
I meet them when I go out there. It is a wonderful achievement. Across
industry, we work with particularly the mining industry for Aboriginal trainees
and apprenticeships extensively. When I go to the north west—for
instance, Hedland, Karratha and Newman—I meet many people engaged in
employment. I remember back in the early 2000s when the Gallop government was
elected, no Aboriginal people were working in the mining industry. I remember
the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, and the then education and training minister,
Alan Carpenter, having round tables with the
industry and saying, ''Aboriginal people live here; you need to employ
them .'' Clearly, there has been a significant improvement there.
When we came to government, we set
up the jobs and skills centres. It may well be that the role that the member is talking about was incorporated into the
jobs and skills centres. We have 13 or 14 of them across Western Australia—one-stop shops for
everyone to go in and get access to services. If the member had given me
some notice, I might have been able to give him a more direct answer, but it
may well be that the jobs and skills centres, which are incredibly effective,
both in the city and regions, in connecting young people with employers and
training with personalised service, are now undertaking that role.
Party for the question.
(1)–(2) I
am unaware of what the member is referring to, but I can tell him this: there
are more Aboriginal people in training and employment than ever before. We have
the three per cent policy for government contracts for Aboriginal-owned
businesses that employ Aboriginal people. We have Aboriginal traineeships
across government. We have the program for rangers across our conservation
estate. I might note that we are expanding our conservation estate by 20 per
cent and, as I have commented, it is the biggest expansion in conservation and
national parks in the history of Western Australia. Literally hundreds of
Aboriginal trainees are being employed to manage these areas across Western Australia.
I meet them when I go out there. It is a wonderful achievement. Across
industry, we work with particularly the mining industry for Aboriginal trainees
and apprenticeships extensively. When I go to the north west—for
instance, Hedland, Karratha and Newman—I meet many people engaged in
employment. I remember back in the early 2000s when the Gallop government was
elected, no Aboriginal people were working in the mining industry. I remember
the then Premier, Geoff Gallop, and the then education and training minister,
Alan Carpenter, having round tables with the
industry and saying, ''Aboriginal people live here; you need to employ
them .'' Clearly, there has been a significant improvement there.
When we came to government, we set
up the jobs and skills centres. It may well be that the role that the member is talking about was incorporated into the
jobs and skills centres. We have 13 or 14 of them across Western Australia—one-stop shops for
everyone to go in and get access to services. If the member had given me
some notice, I might have been able to give him a more direct answer, but it
may well be that the jobs and skills centres, which are incredibly effective,
both in the city and regions, in connecting young people with employers and
training with personalised service, are now undertaking that role.
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