The Indigenous Employment Policy (20% Policy)
The Indigenous Employment Policy for Queensland Government Building and Civil Construction Projects (20% Policy) (PDF, 2.16 MB) is part of the State Government’s commitment to reconciliation and to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.
The challenge for all stakeholders – Government, employers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities – is to develop partnerships underpinned by mutual respect and mutual responsibility to maximise employment and training opportunities crseated by implementing the policy.
View stakeholder fact sheets outlining changes to the IEP 20%.
- Community fact sheet (PDF, 422B)
- Government agencies fact sheet (PDF, 397B)
- Contractor/grant recipient fact sheet (PDF, 418B)
Policy Information
- What is the Indigenous employment policy?
- What are the aims of the policy?
- What are the requirements?
- Guilding principles
- Who is responsible?
- Implementation framework
- What help is available to implement the policy?
Supporting documents
State
Government Agency
Guidelines (PDF,
26 KB)
Community
Guidelines (PDF,
24 KB)
Contractor/Grant
Recipient Guidelines (PDF,
18 KB)
Form
1 – Compliance
Plan (Excel, 138
KB)
Form
2 – Privacy
Statement (PDF,
47 KB)
Form
3 – Practical
Completion Report (Excel,
137 KB)
Form
4 – Participant
Employment and Training
Details (Excel,
147 KB)
Appendix
A – Aboriginal
and Torres Strait
Islander Communities (PDF,
12 KB)
Supporting Links
Capital
works Management
Framework
State
Procurement Policy
2008
Local
Industry Policy policy
Indigenous Employment Policy Adviser Hotline – 1300 369 925
What is the Indigenous employment Policy?
The Indigenous Employment Policy for Queensland Government Building and Civil Construction Projects (20% Policy) is part of the Queensland Government’s commitment to improving the quality of life, equality of opportunity and fulfilment of the diverse aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.
The IEP 20% Policy is relevant to the specified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the township of Weipa shown in Appendix A.
What are the aims of the policy?
The IEP 20% Policy promotes, encourages and creates skills development, employment, and business opportunities for Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders in relation to Queensland Government building and civil construction projects in specified Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities.
Outcomes will assist in addressing community and regional skills shortages as well as building the individual and collective capacity of the community to enjoy a better quality of life, and contributing to regional economic development.
The IEP 20% Policy is supported by guidelines and reporting formats.
What are the requirements?
The IEP 20% Policy applies to all civil construction contracts with no minimum threshold and building construction projects exceeding $250,000 (GST inclusive) in value. However, projects of lesser value can be clustered together in a contract to reach the threshold value.
This Policy requires a 20% minimum benchmark of total labour hours with half of the deemed labour hours required to involve accredited training.
The Indigenous workforce is to be recruited from the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community/ies.
Negotiation and flexibility with respect to the above benchmarks are possible in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in order to identify how the project/s will contribute to achieving the community’s development plan and longer-term goals.
Clusters of projects may be negotiated either within a community, or neighbouring communities, and communities may cluster work teams to undertake these projects in order to offer sustainable employment, develop skills, and address labour and skills shortages in the region/s.
Non-Queensland Government funded building and civil construction projects in Indigenous communities are encouraged to adopt the IEP 20% Policy and consult with communities to optimise employment and training opportunities for local Indigenous people.
The State Government Building and Construction Contracts Structured Training Policy (10% Training Policy) applies to all other areas within Queensland. However, government agencies and industry are encouraged to apply the principles of the IEP 20% Policy in all areas where there are large Indigenous populations.
Guiding Principles
The following principles are a guide to maximise employment, skills development and business opportunities within the communities specified in Appendix A.
Principle 1: Government Environment and Commitment
Alignment with relevant government priorities, policies, strategies, protocols and guidelines.
Principle 2: Community Engagement
Acknowledge that the community should be involved in the identification and consideration of maximising employment and skills development opportunities from initial concept to project completion.
Principle 3: Cultural Awareness
Awareness of the importance and relevance of both traditional (clan, culture, community etc) and commercial principles in the development of employment and training participation plans.
Principle 4: Diversity in Communities
Recognition that all communities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups will have different priorities and may progress at a different pace.
Principle 5: Negotiated Participation
Negotiation based on a 20% participation benchmark, dependent on the capacity of the community and the size, scope, nature and time constraints of the project.
Principle 6: Flexibility and Innovation
Flexibility and innovation is encouraged in maximising community involvement and participation, including the possible clustering, scheduling or staggering of projects in communities or with other communities, to enable sustainable employment and appropriately planned accredited training.
Principle 7: Alliances and Partnerships
Commitment to the formation of alliances and partnerships between the community, all levels of government, and industry in the successful implementation of the Policy.
Principle 8: Shared Responsibility
Recognition that all parties have a shared responsibility to ensure the employment and training obligations under the Policy are achieved.
Who is responsible?
A combined effort is required from all levels of government, individuals and their communities, as well as businesses that tender for Queensland Government infrastructure projects in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
All government agencies will engage with the community throughout the different phases of the infrastructure project, that is, the identification, planning, pre-design, design, tender, contract, commencement and completion of the project
or cluster of projects. This is essential for all stakeholders to ensure successful implementation and shared responsibility for the outcomes of the Policy.
Implementation Framework
The following six stages of the implementation framework outlines this shared responsibility between government, communities and industry/ contractors:
1. Project identification
Projects are identified and agreed to through either consultation between communities and government agencies, negotiation tables, regional integrated planning forums or community cabinet. Consultation with the communities will identify how the project will contribute to achieving the community’s development plan and longer term goals.
2. Project Definition and Design
Once projects have been identified, government agencies commence the project definition and design phase in collaboration with communities and other agencies.
3a. Planning and Co-ordination of Civil Infrastructure Works
The Department of Main Roads and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Recreation will continue to collaborate with communities and with the Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation to identify employment, training, and community capacity building opportunities from civil infrastructure works.
3b. Planning and Co-ordination of Building Works and Building Related Maintenance
Other agencies will advise the Department of Public Works and the Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation of planned projects. The Department of Public Works and the Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation will collaborate with both agencies and the communities to determine the employment and training opportunities, or enterprise development opportunities that may arise through the construction, operation, and maintenance of the project, or the supply of goods and services for the project.
The opportunity to schedule works or cluster projects will also be identified and negotiated with communities and government agencies. These negotiations will be dependent on the scope of projects, community need, budgetary and seasonal factors.
As part of the negotiations, and where practicable, employment and training participation plans will be developed and agreed upon to ensure an available workforce within or amongst communities, and to ensure training is available to meet the skill requirements of the project/s.
4. Contractual and Grant Arrangements
Tender documentation or grant documentation will therefore take cognisance of the above negotiations and inclusion of the employment and training participation plans where practicable, in order to assist contractors and grant recipients to comply with the Policy, and to cost and plan the construction of projects accordingly.
5. Construction Period
The Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation’ policy advisers will assist contractors, where necessary, in their negotiation with communities with respect to the agreed employment and training participation plans and the use of local work teams, enterprises and suppliers of goods.
6. Reporting Compliance
- Agencies will inform the Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation of their forward project plans at the project definition and design stage
- Agencies will also ensure the Prequalification (PQC) database administered by the Department of Public Works is populated as per the requirements of the Capital Works Management Framework.
- Contractors will continue to be responsible for advising the number of jobs created, training outcomes, and other community capacity building activities, such as the use of local suppliers.
- These reports should be counter-signed by a representative of the community committee involved in the initial negotiations as a sign of satisfaction.
- The relevant Government agencies have the responsibility to ensure contractors comply with contractual obligations, including reporting compliance as set out in the IEP 20% Policy.
What help is available to implement the policy?
- Indigenous
Employment Policy
Advise
Employment hotline 1300 369 925
- Indigenous
Employment Policy
Program Manager:
Telephone 322 52682
Contact with the Policy Adviser will be via the Department of Employment Economic Development and Innovation regional employment hotline which will direct the call to the appropriate adviser in the project location.
The IEP 20% Policy Adviser can be either:
- Program Manager – Policy
information and processes.
- Indigenous Employment and Training Managers - coordination and brokerage between communities, government agencies, training providers, and industry to identify and create sustainable employment and training opportunities in all industries.
- Indigenous Employment and Training Support Officers- local, culturally appropriate mentoring and support for Indigenous apprentices, trainees and vocational students, and support the development and implementation of employment and training strategies.
- Indigenous Training Project Managers from Construction Skills Queensland – building and civil construction industry expertise in the identification and creation of training and employment opportunities. Construction Skills Queensland is the building and civil construction industry’s centre of excellence.
The role of the Policy Adviser is to:
- Ensure community ownership is maintained through assistance with identifying the profile of proposed workforce and availability of interested community members to participate.
- Support and facilitate negotiations in the identification of employment and training opportunities.
- Support and facilitate the development of employment and training participation plans.
- Assist with identifying the extent of integration of the training program with the project or projects.
- Assist contractors and grant recipients with pretender, tender and implementation stages of the project.
- Liaise with all stakeholders to support successful outcomes and reporting compliance.
Last updated 06 October 2009