Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy 2020-2024 Overview

The Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy 2020-2024 (the Strategy) builds on the achievements of the former Strategy (2015-2018).

The Strategy represents the Commonwealth’s continued contribution as an employer to the ‘Closing the Gap’ agenda. It will underpin work to improve representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Commonwealth Public Sector and is supported by high-level implementation deliverables.

The Strategy applies across the entire Commonwealth public sector, including the Australian Defence Force, the Australian Federal Police and Australia Post.

The implementation deliverables include a co-design of a Commonwealth public sector employee value proposition, a refresh of the Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Capability Framework and the development of a career development framework.

The strategic focus areas of the Strategy are:

• Cultural Integrity – improving and embedding the understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in the workplace to support the development of culturally-safe work spaces and services, and creating a more inclusive Commonwealth Public Sector.
• Career Pathways – diversify and strengthen the pathways into and across the Commonwealth Public Sector.
• Career Development and Advancement – individual career development and advancement plans supported by targeted development initiatives and advancement opportunities.

All Commonwealth agencies should continue to invest for the future by building a talent pipeline through direct recruitment, professional development and decreasing the relative separation rates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees.

All Commonwealth agencies will be collectively accountable, with some taking the lead on solutions and sharing successes more broadly. Accountability and collaboration is key to the success of the future. Measuring and monitoring impact throughout the period of the Strategy is vital.

The Strategy will continue to be administered by the Australian Public Service Commission and implemented in partnership with the National Indigenous Australians Agency and portfolio Commonwealth agencies.

For further information on the Strategy please contact the APSC’s Inclusion Group at diversity@apsc.gov.au.