CONNECTING ABORIGINAL PEOPLE TO MINING PROGRAM

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (15:00): My question is to the Minister Assisting the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education. Can the minister advise the house of training assistance given to Aboriginal job seekers who want to enter the mining industry?

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister Assisting the Premier with South Australia's Strategic Plan, Minister Assisting the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education) (15:00): Up to 150 Aboriginal job seekers will soon have the opportunity to undertake training leading to job opportunities in the booming South Australian mining sector at sites across the state through a $1 million joint state and federal program.

The second round of the Connecting Aboriginal People to Mining program has now opened for South Australian businesses to partner with registered training organisations in this important training and employment initiative. The state government provided $500,000 for the inaugural round of the program in 2010-11, when Aboriginal job seekers undertook training in vocations related to the mining sectors, leading to job opportunities.

The inaugural program, which ran earlier this year, received a strong response from industry, with training undertaken in Mount Willoughby, Port Augusta, Prominent Hill and some Iluka mines as well. Mining companies involved included BHP Billiton, OZ Minerals and Iluka, and they have worked with registered training organisations, such as Access Working Careers, Trainway, Career Employment Group, Port Augusta TAFE and Xceptional Recruitment, to make this happen. As a result of training in Certificate II in Surface Extraction Operations, participants gained skills to enable them to work in geology, laboratory work and administration positions.

In response to the success of the inaugural round of the program, the commonwealth has now partnered with the state government in the 2011-12 financial year to deliver this program and, as a result, the commonwealth government has matched South Australia's funding of $500,000 to deliver this second round. In 2011-12, it is anticipated that this program will assist 150 Aboriginal job seekers in training, with around 100 people expected to gain employment in the mining and supporting industry sectors.

Businesses are invited to work with registered training organisations to apply for these funds, and projects need to provide Aboriginal job seekers with industry training (accredited and/or non-accredited) relevant to employment opportunities in the mining or supporting industries. They also need to support Aboriginal job seekers overcome barriers to employment and to provide employment commitment to participants upon successful completion of the project. The Connecting Aboriginal People to Mining initiative is important for a number of reasons:

it provides further training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal communities;

it provides Aboriginal South Australians with the skills to work in the mining sector; and

the jobs this program will help create will go towards this government's commitment to 100,000 jobs and 100,000 training places over six years.

Applications for the second Connecting Aboriginal People to Mining program close on Friday 30 September this year (that is, this Friday), and I encourage mining businesses and registered training organisations to work together to be part of this program and to help provide training and employment opportunities in the mining sector for Aboriginal communities across South Australia.