PRIME MINISTER:
Andrew and Chris, congratulations.
Andrew’s GenerationOne initiative has resulted in thousands of new jobs for Indigenous Australians. How many Andrew?
ANDREW FORREST:
I would say we are up around 28,000 but the biggest push is the VTEC program which is supported by your Government.
And I think the second biggest push in history will be collective work with Chris’ company Programmed which has signed up for 5,000 on their own.
PRIME MINISTER:
So Chris’ company Programmed, a managed services business, across the country. 23,000 employees. Currently 606 of them are Indigenous Australians - so 2.6 per cent.
CHRIS SUTHERLAND:
That is right.
PRIME MINISTER:
And you are committing here to grow that to 5,000?
CHRIS SUTHERLAND:
Yes, and to grow the business as well.
PRIME MINISTER:
And grow the business as well! That’s good. Well that is a great commitment.
You know everything we are doing in our policy, Nigel Scullion and I and the whole government is designed to economically empower First Australians.
The Indigenous procurement program, Nigel, just describe how that has gone. That has been a huge success that has far exceeded expectations.
MINISTER FOR INDIGENOUS AFFAIRS:
We started at about $6.2 million. It is a small business initiative because we know there are a much high levels right across the entire nation, 42 per cent Indigenous employment. So we’ve now gone from a handful to 493 businesses across over 1,500 contracts, but it has actually gone from $6.2 million to $285 million and it just shows that these are settings that we can put on it.
But it is really about the leadership, Prime Minister.
You have said we can’t ask others to do what we won’t do ourselves. So we are now asking the other jurisdictions.
And it is fantastic to see in this company that we’re not having to ask business in the corporate world to do it, they’re already doing it and it is a great partnership because these are the sort of outcomes that we can deliver.
PRIME MINISTER:
Andrew, congratulations on everything you do. And Chris, well done. Fantastic. Are we going to sign him up now?
ANDREW FORREST:
We are! On the dotted line. And this is a contract, it is not a goal, it is a contract to employ.
PRIME MINISTER:
It is all done. And Senators Hinch and Xenophon looking on – admiring!
SENATOR HINCH:
Yes – official witnesses.
PRIME MINISTER:
Very good. That’s right. Excellent, alright, well done.
[ENDS]