Comments on: Aboriginal job training scheme in the bush: Governments, bureaucrats, contractors, public money – who gains what? A case study.

By: Russell Guy

Russell Guy — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 12:23:16 +0000

Norman and Ralph, many thanks for your well-chosen comments. I am really interested in this area for all the reasons you articulated. I think that in the space of a few sentences, you’ve both covered a lot of ground with cultural sensitivity.
My interest has, for decades, been in the area of remote community employment and all the benefits that go with it, but for the reasons you’ve given, not a lot of progress has been made outside of the arts and tourism.
For some reason, I was thinking about electronics today and how that would be an amazing area for community employment opportunities. Freight is minimal on the chip or circuitry and even though it’s a giant leap in knowledge base, it doesn’t hurt to think that way.

By: Ralph Folds

Ralph Folds — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 09:16:51 +0000

Russell, as Norman says a return on investment is needed. The concept of “work” is not at all a universal that exists outside of its cultural context. Work on remote communities incorporates many flexibilities to accommodate family, sporting, ceremonial and sorry business obligations etc which are routinely prioritised ahead of work. “Work” on communities is generally only able to fit into training schemes or government supported positions, where considerations of productivity are less important. Jobs in the art industry are viable because artists work at their own pace and are paid for the final product. There are few other jobs like this although tourism offers possibilities, where there is a pool of tour guides, any one of whom may work on a given day.

By: Norman Atkinson

Norman Atkinson — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 07:27:51 +0000

Russell, for an employer to set up a business, he requires a return on his investment. To get this, he needs to be competitive. Setting up in a community carries the additional costs of transporting parts and materials in and freighting finished goods out. These costs, poor roads, and lack of all weather access make most businesses in communities uncompetitive. Yes I am aware that “one off” ventures such as art centers can and have been successful. Regretfully these are the exception, not the rule.

By: Russell Guy

Russell Guy — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:22:07 +0000

Norman, could you please explain why you think employers have no incentive to create employment in communities? Why does that necessarily follow?

By: Norman Atkinson

Norman Atkinson — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 05:58:00 +0000

Robinoz is correct. There is really no connection between training and actual employment. When people are signed up to a training program, they are then counted as “employed”, which enables government to show a reduction in unemployment levels. In a community of, say 1,000 people, there exists as little as 20 real jobs, most being done by outsiders. Community training, except for creating some temporary extra income, usually serves no useful purpose. Community people have no interest in moving away to where jobs are, and employers have no incentive to create jobs in communities.

By: Robinoz

Robinoz — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:46:03 +0000

This is not exactly a new theme. Training providers have been providing training in communities for 50 years that I know of. Some community people are the most trained people in the country and have done the same fencing, welding, landscaping courses numerous times. It’s not just training that is at issue, it’s also the availability of jobs and the willingness to move where the jobs are. It’s no good being a rocket scientist if everyone is hiring proctologists. Similarly, it’s no good being a gardner in the desert or a welder where there is no demand for welding.

By: Ian Cuthbert

Ian Cuthbert — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 03:48:24 +0000

When a training company get a grant of 8.1 million dollars to operate they should be able to go anywhere with this equipment purchased by government money and provide training in these areas. Too bad its not closer to Darwin or in the Territory.