IMPROVING employment opportunities for local indigenous people was at the heart of the issues raised by south-west Aboriginal leaders with federal politicians yesterday.
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Parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister Alan Tudge said his talks with local Aboriginal leaders had focused on improving employment opportunities for indigenous people because “once you have a job, everything else takes care of itself”.
Indigenous people enjoyed better health and better housing if they were employed, Mr Tudge said.
He and federal member for Wannon Dan Tehan yesterday visited the Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation in Heywood and toured the Budj Bim Aboriginal heritage aquaculture area near Lake Condah.
They also visited the Tower Hill visitor information centre, run by Aboriginal employment service WG Enterprises, and the Gunditjmara Aboriginal Co-operative in Warrnambool.
Among the local Aboriginal leaders they talked to were Winda-Mara chief executive officer Michael Bell, Gunditj Mirring CEO Damein Bell, elder Ken Saunders, WG Enterprises CEO Shannon Collyer and Gunditjmara CEO Marcus Clarke.
Mr Tudge said the local Aboriginal leaders were “an impressive bunch” with each having a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve.
“Employment has been at the heart of each discussion we have had today,” Mr Tudge said.
He said improving school attendance and increasing employment opportunities were the Abbott government’s two “absolute priorities” for Aboriginal affairs.
Mr Tudge said figures showed school truancy was not a big problem in south-west Aboriginal communities but they still faced challenges in gaining employment.
He said his visit to the south-west had taken him to several locations that offered great tourism opportunities and could generate employment for local young Aborigines.
“We had a terrific tour of the Lake Condah area and there are some fantastic heritage sites there that would be of great interest to Australian and international tourists,” Mr Tudge said.
Mr Tehan said Gunditj Mirring CEO Damein Bell recently submitted an application to federal environment minister Greg Hunt seeking federal backing for the Lake Condah heritage eel aquaculture area to be nominated as a world heritage area.
