Learn Earn Legend! is the Australian Government’s message to young Indigenous Australians and their role models. Administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR); the Learn Earn Legend! message encourages and supports young Indigenous Australians to stay at school, get that job and be a legend for themselves, their family and their community.
Learn Earn Legend! addresses three key Closing the Gap targets on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander reform:
- to halve the gap in reading, writing and numeracy achievements for Indigenous children within a decade;
- to halve the gap for Indigenous students in year 12 equivalent attainment by 2020; and
- to halve the gap in employment outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade.
Delivered by community leaders, sport stars and everyday ‘local legends’ who young Indigenous Australians respect and aspire to be like, the Learn Earn Legend! message advocates the importance of education, training and employment.
Learn Earn Legend! supports events and programs throughout Australia, including:
NRL Indigenous All Stars
Former Origin Greats (FOGS) Employment and Careers Expos
All Stars Indigenous Youth Summit 2011
Dreamtime at the ‘G and associated matches
Partnership with AFL NSW/ACT
Local Legends!
Work Experience in Government Program
NRL Indigenous All Stars
Launched in 2010, the National Rugby League Indigenous All Stars team is supported by Learn Earn Legend! The Indigenous All Stars play a team of NRL All Stars each year on the anniversary of the Prime Minister’s Apology to the Stolen Generations. The match celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in Australia and features the NRL’s current best players.
The Learn Earn Legend! commitment to the Indigenous All Stars does not end with the game. In conjunction with the NRL, the Learn Earn Legend! Ambassador, Gold Coast Titans captain Scott Prince and the NRL Indigenous All Stars visit communities and schools throughout Australia. They encourage young Indigenous Australians to stay at school, get that job and be a legend for themselves, their family and their community.
Former Origin Greats (FOGS) Employment and Careers Expos
Learn Earn Legend! partners with FOGS to run the FOGS Employment and Careers Expos and FOGS employer forums.
The expos are run across Queensland and offer job seekers the opportunity to speak to education and training providers, Job services Australia providers and local and national employers, many of whom have jobs available on the day.
FOGS events allow people to actively engage in activities which will help close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage while being able to meet there favourite Former Origin Greats.
More information about FOGS, including an expo exhibitor pack, is now available.
All Stars Indigenous Youth Summit 2011
As part of the 2011 NRL Indigenous All Stars game, the NRL will partner with Learn Earn Legend! and the Stronger, Smarter Institute to run the inaugural All Stars Indigenous Youth Summit.
The summit will take place on the Gold Coast in the lead up to the 2011 All-Stars game and will bring together 120 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from around Australia to participate in an educational, cultural and motivational experience.
Dreamtime at the ‘G and associated matches
DEEWR has proudly supported Dreamtime at the ‘G match between Essendon and Richmond and matches in the AFL Indigenous Round since 2005.
In 2010, DEEWR sponsored Dreamtime at the ‘G , partnering with the AFL to highlight the Learn Earn Legend! message, There was also an emphasis on corporate Australia taking a leading role in closing the economic and social gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
More information about the Dreamtime at the ‘G match is available at: Learn Earn Legend! and Dreamtime at the ‘G.
Partnership with AFL NSW/ACT
AFL NSW/ACT has partnered with Learn Earn Legend! through Indigenous Employment Program and Parent and Community Engagement program to promote the Learn Earn Legend! message and undertake Indigenous education and employment programs with young Indigenous Australians and their families.
The partnership will promote the Learn Earn Legend! message at various AFL NSW/ACT events, including AFL games and establish five Parent and Community Engagement Centres in the Blacktown, Campbelltown, Wagga Wagga, Illawarra and Coffs Harbour communities. AFL NSW/ACT will also run workshops aimed at increasing parental engagement in their children’s schooling.
Local Legends!
Learn Earn Legend! Local Legends are everyday people who are doing great things in their community. Local Legends embody the Learn Earn Legend!spirit—by staying in school, getting training, developing their skills, supporting themselves and their community through employment or by mentoring young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Learn Earn Legend! Local Legends include:
Martin Ballinger – Wagga Wagga (
PDF 306KB | 
RTF 35KB)
Tom O’Riley and Nick Lauder – Townsville ( PDF 312KB | RTF 39KB)
Jamie Ellis – Sydney ( PDF 297KB | RTF 38KB)
Christopher Whitfield - Brisbane ( PDF 1.5MB | RTF 36KB)
Finnese Toffetti - Mackay ( PDF 302KB | RTF 39KB)
Work Experience in Government Program
Last year The Learn Earn Legend! Work Experience in Government program brought together 100 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Year 11 and 12 students from government and non-government schools from urban, regional and remote areas across Australia.
The Program is on again this year and is being held in September 2011.
The program’s overall objective is to assist the Australian Government’s commitment to increase Indigenous employment within the Commonwealth Public Sector to 2.7% by 2015.
The week-long program, based in Canberra, provides students with hands-on experience about public sector career options after secondary school and expanded their horizons about the job opportunities and pathways.
The students will participate in work exposure in Australian Government departments, observe the workings of government and find out about the diverse career options.
The students will also experience life in a Parliamentary office, spending two days with a parliamentarian and their staff. During this placement the participants see government in action, watch Question Time and tour Parliament House.
Under the Learn Earn Legend! banner, the program partners with the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation, Dare to Lead, The Sporting Chance Program and The Stronger Smarter Learning Communities to organise and facilitate the program. These organisations source the participants from schools they work with.
For more information about DEEWR Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs: