Relatively low rates of employment contribute to the poor economic and social outcomes experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Increasing economic opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people contributes to their improved health, education, and home ownership. This has a flow-on effect of promoting greater independence and improving life outcomes.
In 2007, the Commonwealth, states and territories agreed to a reform program to close the gap in various aspects of Indigenous disadvantage. Two targets in this national agreement are:
- halving the gap for Indigenous people aged 20–24 in Year 12 attainment or equivalent attainment rates by 2020
- halving the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade (by 2018).
This audit assessed whether Queensland is reducing the gap in education and employment outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. During the audit, we assessed the support provided by state school to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in the senior phase of schooling (Years 10, 11 and 12) to attain Year 12 certification. We also assessed how well the Queensland Government supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to transition from schooling into work, training, or further education.
Recommendations
We recommend that the Department of Education and Training (DET):
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improves the Senior Education and Training planning process. (Chapter 2) Improvements should include a process at the end of Year 11 for schools to review all student files to ensure that they have a Senior Education and Training plan. DET should also develop a standard OneSchool report to identify students that do not have a Senior Education and Training plan. |
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develops additional strategies and materials to support continued improvements in retention rates for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to engage with schooling and successfully complete Year 12. (Chapter 2) Strategies to improve retention rates of Indigenous students should be developed in cooperation with DATSIP to better link with employment outcomes. The impact of the strategies to improve retention rates should be reported publicly in DET accountability reports. |
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monitors and reports on the effectiveness of school strategies to engage with their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander parents and community and recognise Indigenous cultures. (Chapter 2) DET should consider culturally appropriate ways to engage with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to determine the level of school engagement. |
We recommend that the Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships (DATSIP):
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commences early engagement on the Youth Employment Program. (Chapter 3) The memorandum of understanding for the Youth Employment Program between DET and DATSIP should be jointly reviewed by both agencies to facilitate ease of access to schools. Engagement should commence before students undertake the Senior Education and Training plan and should be informed by local job opportunities. |
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reviews, in collaboration with DET, how its existing suite of economic development strategies supports disengaged Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, who leave school early, to re-engage with education and training. (Chapter 3) The review should include the scope of programs to support disengaged young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who leave school early in collaboration with DET to identify ways to support students to stay at school. |
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develops a robust methodology to report on the Queensland Government’s Indigenous procurement expenditure to ensure that data on procurement to Indigenous businesses is accurate and complete as possible. (Chapter 3) DATSIP should formalise memorandums of understanding with other agencies it collects data from to report publicly, particularly procurement data. |