Linking Indigenous Australians to local support

Knowing where to look for the right services or advice can be a challenge, but with the help of Indigenous Community Links, more Indigenous Australians in urban and regional areas are being connected with the support they need.

Indigenous Community Links is an Australian Government program that links Indigenous people and their families to local community support services, such as legal advice, health and welfare services, jobs and training.

Ralph Nabalaura, a young Aboriginal man living in Taree, wanted to apply for a traineeship in the construction field. There were both Indigenous and mainstream traineeships available and he wasn’t sure which to apply for.

He visited his local Indigenous Community Links provider, who helped him put together a resume and recommended he apply for both. The provider also helped arrange some extra training for Ralph while he was waiting to hear back about his application.

“Just before Christmas he came in to tell me he’d been offered both traineeships and a very well paid opportunity in the WA mining industry,” Ralph’s Indigenous Community Links provider said.

“He wanted our advice on which one to take. The mining money was very tempting but he realised the traineeship would give him a qualification with a future.

“His grandmother has just been in to thank us again and advised that my client is doing extremely well and loving his work.”