About the Murdi Paaki Green Skills Research Project
The Murdi Paaki Green Skills Research Project Report identifies pathways for the 16 Indigenous communities in the Murdi Paaki region of NSW to engage with and benefit from Australia’s transition to a sustainable, low-carbon economy.
The Murdi Paaki region covers an area of approximately 297 000 square kilometres in far Western NSW, extending from the Queensland border in the north through to the South Australian and Victorian borders in the south west following the general direction of the Darling River. It also represents approximately 40 per cent of the landmass of NSW.
The 16 communities with a significant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in this region cover the traditional lands of 15 Indigenous nations and language groups. These communities are: Bourke, Brewarrina, Broken Hill, Cobar, Coonamble, Collarenebri, Dareton/Wentworth, Enngonia, Goodooga, Gulargambone, Ivanhoe, Lightning Ridge, Menindee, Walgett, Weilmoringle, and Wilcannia.
The consultants working on the Murdi Paaki Green Skills Research Project considered:
- pathways for Indigenous Australians to transition successfully from upper school to further education, training or employment and active participation in the community
- pathways for jobseekers of all ages to sustainable, meaningful employment, including jobseekers with limited formal education or training
- key enablers and barriers for Indigenous participation in the green economy
- policy recommendations for linking Indigenous Australians to job opportunities in the green economy.
The research project was funded through the Australian Government’s Skills for the Carbon Challenge initiative and was a project of the Green Futures initiative.
Key findings from the research project
The key findings of the Murdi Paaki Green Skills Research Project Report are:
- There will be an increase in demand for green skills in the Murdi Paaki region in the next five to ten years.
- Providers of training and employment services need to ensure that these services are accessible to Indigenous Australians and aligned with employment opportunities and regional priorities.
- Indigenous communities are interested in engaging in the green economy but require targeted support to overcome potential barriers to economic participation.
- Green skills training and employment pathways are required to support Murdi Paaki communities to engage with the green economy.
- There are a number of existing and potential green employment opportunities in the region flowing from investments in sustainable infrastructure and technology.
Training and employment opportunities in the Murdi Paaki region
The opportunities in the Murdi Paaki region identified in the report fall into four broad sectors:
- Agriculture, Horticulture, Conservation and Land Management
- Construction and Transport Infrastructure
- Water Resource Management
- Renewable Energy Infrastructure.
Policy recommendations for linking Indigenous Australians to job opportunities in the green economy
The report provided the following recommendations:
- Stakeholders across the region need to collaborate and form partnerships when undertaking initiatives.
- The Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly (MPRA) should strengthen its role as the first point of contact for public and private sector and community stakeholders to identify and promote green employment and enterprise opportunities in the region.
- The MPRA should work with key stakeholders (particularly TAFE Western, Job Services Australia (JSA) and Community Development Employment Providers (CDEP), Community Working Parties and all levels of government) to further develop a targeted regional approach to green skills and sustainable development for the Murdi Paaki region. These stakeholders should also support business support networks for Indigenous businesses and communities to access when engaged in commercial and community development activities.
- JSA and CDEP providers should work collaboratively with key stakeholders to map the workforce development needs of sustainable development initiatives in the Murdi Paaki region.
- Further research needs to be undertaken on the general decline in TAFE enrolments by Indigenous Australians in the Murdi Paaki region between 2007 and 2009, given that individuals may need to undertake VET to take up green job opportunities.
Download the Murdi Paaki Green Skills Research Project Report
Download the Murdi Paaki Green Skills Research Project Information Sheet
About the Green Futures initiative
Since 2009 the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) has been working with Indigenous Environmental Services and the Murdi Paaki Regional Assembly to develop a 10-year project framework for the Green Futures initiative.
Green Futures aims to:
- improve access to information and education about climate change issues for Indigenous communities
- scope risks and potential economic opportunities for Indigenous communities from climate change and carbon pollution reduction strategies.
About the Skills for the Carbon Challenge initiative
The Skills for the Carbon Challenge initiative provides national leadership in building the capacity of the tertiary education sector to supply the skills needed for workers and businesses to prosper in a low-carbon economy. Particularly:
- investing in research to develop a better understanding of the underlying skills issues associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy and appropriate responses
- presenting the Skills for Sustainability – Educational Institution Award to encourage excellence in the delivery of education and training for sustainability.