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Call for indigenous jobs boom

by: Nicolas Perpitch
From: The Australian
March 22, 2012 12:00AM

INDIGENOUS leader Wayne Bergmann has called for a new direction in the way Aboriginal people take part in the economy, with different thinking on how land is used to create lasting economic independence.

The former head of the Kimberley Land Council told a land management conference in Perth yesterday that communities had continued to corrode despite the "once-in-a-lifetime boom".

"To sit back and watch another resources boom unfold while Aboriginal communities unravel is not an option," Mr Bergmann said. He argued that to ensure strong, healthy communities, Aboriginal people should take advantage of the wealth of their land to create real partnerships that generate sustainable jobs and economic opportunities.

"If we rely solely on the drip-feed of government handouts and pseudo jobs, Aboriginal communities will always remain behind the rest of Australia, with no economy in our communities," he said.

"To reach independence, Aboriginal Australians must have the same control over economic circumstances as the broader community has over theirs."

Most mining companies only paid lip-service to Aboriginal participation and were focused on the economic bottom line, he added, while green groups focused solely on the environmental bottom line.

Mr Bergmann now heads KRED Enterprises, a KLC offshoot that seeks to build Aboriginal businesses and jobs in the Kimberley. He wants the third part of the triple bottom line -- a social legacy for Aboriginal communities -- to be enforced. "If you are a mining company that does not have a plan for Aboriginal jobs and participation, then you are part of the problem," he said.

Mr Bergmann cited a deal between Pluton Resources and the Mayala people -- the traditional owners of Irvine Island in the Kimberley -- as a "new benchmark" in Aboriginal engagement. The Mayala have part-ownership of the project, and there are employment and training targets and benefits for the wider region.

"We should not feel shame for using our natural wealth, our country, and our expertise in land management to create opportunities," Mr Bergmann said.

"We should not feel shamed to use our land to generate jobs."