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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2016-12-06 Daily Xml
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Aboriginal Employment Targets

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:24): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions to the Minister for Correctional Services in relation to Aboriginal employment targets.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: In June 2011, the Department for Correctional Services reaffirmed its commitment to reconciliation with the renewed declaration of reconciliation signed by the then minister for correctional services and the department's chief executive. As part of the declaration, the department promised to facilitate reconciliation in a number of ways, including by:

Increasing opportunities for…career advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across all levels within the Department...

At the time the declaration was signed, the department employed 58 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, almost half of whom were employed in the lowest salary bracket. Four years later, as of June 2015, there was a mere three-person increase in absolute ATSI staff numbers, but the proportion of Aboriginal staff employed in the department's lowest salary bracket had increased to 62 per cent. Last week, the minister tabled the department's annual report for 2015-16. In contrast to earlier reports, this report does not include the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, nor how many of those staff remain focused in the lowest salary bracket. My questions to the minister are:

1. Why was detailed information on the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees and their level of remuneration not included in the department's most recent annual report?

2. How many ATSI employees did the department employ last year?

3. What proportion of those employees were employed in the lowest salary bracket?

4. What new opportunities for career advancement did the department offer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees last year?

5. Given the government's failure to promote career advancement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, what will the minister be doing in the coming financial year to immediately address this problem?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:26): Let me thank the Hon. Mr Wade for his important question. Let me answer it rather succinctly by saying that I don't have any information immediately at hand or that I can recall in respect to the specific number of Aboriginal people employed by the department. However, I am very conscious of the fact that the Department for Correctional Services remains absolutely committed to ensuring that it does employ a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons within the department in a range of roles, particularly through the Aboriginal Services Unit.

There is clearly a public policy benefit and a benefit to the South Australian community and offenders generally, particularly amongst the Aboriginal offending population, if there are people employed by DCS who have a greater degree of cultural awareness with those particular offenders. I'm happy to take on notice the particular questions that the Hon. Mr Wade has asked. In regard to your question regarding the annual report, to the best of my knowledge, that change in the annual report was certainly not a consequence of any actions within my office, and certainly not myself. So, I am not sure why any information, if indeed it has not been included this time round, has not been, but I'm more than happy to seek information regarding the actual numbers that the Hon. Mr Wade is asking about and bring that information back to him as soon as possible.

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