-----Original Message----- From: Webcentral <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Friday, February 04, 2000 9:14 AM Subject: [atsic] media release: ATSIC and community leaders back new Indigenous Employment Program on Palm Island > 03 February >2000 > >ATSIC and community leaders back new Indigenous Employment Program on >Palm Island > >A new employment and training program launched today on Palm Island has been >backed by ATSIC and Palm Island community leaders as the start of new way >forward to delivering sustainable results on indigenous communities. > >A joint initiative by the Palm Island Council and the Coolgarlee CDEP on >Palm Island, 10 young Palm Islanders have been taken on as indentured >apprentices to work and train on the community, with the long term aim of >seeing a local indigenous construction company being formed. > >They will be working and learning their trades on housing and construction >projects funded by the Palm Island Council, for the benefit of the >community. > >This includes helping build 19 new houses and major upgrades to another 17 >for the Palm Island Council. While the state government has agreed that all >construction work it funds over the next four years on Palm Island will >involve the apprentices > >ATSIC Commissioner for North Queensland Queensland Ms Jenny Pryor >says "This new employment and training program on Palm Island is part of new >way to making some real, long term, and lasting progress to the host the >issues and disadvantages confronting our people. > >"Not only on Palm Island, but across Queensland and across Australia." > >"I and many others believe that this sort of program is the start of a new >direction in the way that government and indigenous communities across >Queensland can and should work together. > >"Because it offers the prospect of real, long term results being developed >and sustained on the ground, as perhaps never before." > >More than 25O island residents turned up to the launch of the program which >was also attended by Queensland Government Ministers , Rob Shwarten and Judy >Spence. > >The community driven scheme is being backed by ATSIC, the State government >through Q Build, the Queensland Department of Employment, Training and >Industrial Relations and the Federal Department of Employment , Work Place >Relations and Small Business. > >ATSIC's two Regional Councillors from Palm Island, who are also members of >the Palm Island Council have also strongly backed the scheme and praised the >State government for their support for the program and the community. > >Councillor Sylvia Rueben, says there are important short term benefits from >the scheme. > >"There's the training and employment of local people as apprentices and the >resultant increase of skills on the community. > >"Wages will be earned and paid and remain in our community. The jobs and >work will be done by us, no longer by outside contractors. > >"But more importantly, there is the long term focus and benefit of >generating sustainable community and economic development and the overall >well being of the whole community. > >"The ultimate aim is to 'build in' or 'build up' sustainability within our >people, our communities and in all that we do on our communities and for >ourselves," Cr Rueben said . > >Councillor Alfred Lacey, also a Palm Island representative on the ATSIC >Regional Council, said the community turnout to the launch was a strong vote >of confidence for this scheme and the community development approach. > >"This was a very proud and wonderful day for everyone on Palm Island, we are >all very happy with the support from the State Government, the Ministers , Q >Build and ATSIC, and all the agencies involved. > >"They should now go way from here and look at doing more and more of this, >this way. This is clearly what our people want and support." > >Commissioner Pryor says " community development" or "community capacity >building', is increasingly being seen by communities and by the Queensland >government and ATSIC , particularly here in Queensland, as the genesis of >new, different and better way forward. > >She says this type of approach enables the community to "demonstrate and >actualise its desire for self reliance and to have a meaningful say and >role in what will be done and how its done. > >"Its about the community, our people doing it for themselves. > > "Instead of government and its agencies saying 'we know what is best for >you and we will do this for you', and then going ahead and doing that. > >"This new approach which we are seeing here on Palm Island and in this >program is seeing government responding to community based decisions. > >Assistance is provided by governments in partnership with communities , >organisations and often other sectors. But she says a key feature is that >government funding assistance is applied over the longer term. > >Media Contacts: > >Commissioner Jenny Pryor; mobile number 0419 702 533 > >Crs Alfred Lacey and Sylvia Rueben at the Palm Island Council on 047 701 >1177 > >Craig Sproule >A/g Administration Manager >Office of Public Affairs - ATSIC >Ph: 02 6121 4952 >Fax: 02 6282 2854 >E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 and is archived at http://www.mail-archive.com/ To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." 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