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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY

The Australian Government acknowledges the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past and present.

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Australian Government working to meet public service Indigenous jobs target

Jobs, Land and Economy
Woman dressed in black cardigan and blue shirt in an office and sitting at a desk covered with papers.

The Australian Government is committed to increasing the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in the Commonwealth public sector.

As part of its initiative to create more jobs for Indigenous Australians, the Australian Government recently announced a target of having three per cent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff in the Commonwealth public sector by 2018.

To reach this target, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) has prepared a report on the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff by agency at 30 June 2015, setting a baseline for reporting against the target in future years. The APSC has also developed the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Employment Strategy, setting out actions agencies can take to increase the number of Indigenous staff.  

The Strategy is supported by an implementation guide, which sets out good practice initiatives supporting Indigenous employment that can be shared across the Commonwealth and will be updated regularly.

A key part of the Strategy is the requirement that from June 2016 agencies publically report the level of Indigenous staff in their annual reports and also on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.