The design and delivery of the Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) program is being informed by consultation with remote community members, job seekers, peak bodies, First Nations people, Community Development Program (CDP) providers and participants and other key stakeholders.
Consultation schedule:
- April-July 2024:
- Launch of the discussion paper, online survey and supporting resources
- Remote community and other stakeholder consultation
- Launch of the draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines for public feedback.
- Second half 2024:
- Publish phase two consultation final report.
We heard from you
To help design and implement the new RJED program, the Australian Government is working in partnership with First Nations peoples and has sought feedback about how the program should work from individuals, communities and organisations with an interest in remote employment.
The NIAA held its second phase of consultation between April to July 2024. We asked people to have their say on how the RJED program should work in practice via a discussion paper and online survey, and through attending virtual or face-to-face consultation sessions.
The discussion paper and survey closed for feedback on 30 June 2024 and we received more than 80 responses. As part of our community consultations, we engaged with around 200 remote communities across CDP regions and heard from more than 3,100 people. To supplement remote community consultation, a series of roundtables took place in capital cities and regional centres throughout June and early July.
This consultation was supported by a communication strategy, using a variety of resources, tools and channels to raise awareness and provide opportunity for people to feed back.
We heard from both potential employees and employers that the RJED program should provide:
- Skills and support to complete paperwork for employment
- Continuous on-the job training
- Ongoing tailored mentoring and coaching
- Long-term sustainability of jobs
- Employment that supports local cultural needs
You can read more in the full Replacing the Community Development Program – second phase of community consultations report, the consultation summary on a page or watch the short video that follows.
There’s a new jobs program coming to remote communities in the second half of 2024.
It’s called the Remote Jobs and Economic Development program.
Consultations to test how the new program would work were held earlier this year.
We listened to over 3,100 people from around 200 remote communities.
You told us that employees and employers want a new jobs program that includes:
- Support and skills to complete paperwork for employment
- Continuous on-the job training
- Ongoing tailored mentoring and coaching
- Employment that supports local cultural needs
- Long-term sustainability of jobs
This information will be used to design a remote jobs program that works for employees and employers.
Consultations were held at national, jurisdictional, regional, local and individual levels.
The NIAA consulted with:
- remote community members and leaders
- organisations
- jobseekers
- community controlled organisations
- employment and business peak bodies
- employment service providers
- First Nation peak bodies
- Unions and alliances
- land councils
- youth representatives
- research organisations
- Australian Government departments and agencies
- Local Government, and State and Territory Governments.
We also sought feedback on the draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines (GOGs) for the RJED program until 31 July 2024.
Grant Opportunity Guidelines
The draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines (GOGs) for the RJED program were released for public consultation in July 2024 as the next step in working in partnership to design the program.
GOGs are the documents which provide potential grantees with all information required to understand the purpose of a grant opportunity and how to make an application.
The draft GOGs for the RJED program set out proposed elements of the new program like eligibility criteria, assessment and the overall grant selection process, and build on information already shared in the discussion paper.
They were developed considering the views of the First Nations Reference Group, consultation input provided to date and learnings from job trials.
You can read a summary of the options and issues FNRG considered in the program design to inform the draft GOGs.
The feedback we received is informing the final GOGs for the first grant round of the RJED program, expected to open in the second half of 2024.
NOTE: The final GOGs will be made available on GrantConnect when the first grant round opens.
How to provide feedback
While the NIAA welcomes further feedback at any time, any submitted after the listed closing deadlines may only receive limited consideration. This may be provided through peak bodies or First Nations Representative Organisations. Feedback or questions can also be provided directly to remote.jobs@niaa.gov.au.
Previous consultation
The NIAA held its first phase of community consultations between February and June 2023. We listened and learned from more than 2,250 people and visited over 100 communities. Key messages from communities were that a new program should:
- be planned and led by communities
- recognise roles carried out in the communities
- take a new approach for young people
- support local jobs for local people
- include a form of reciprocity
- be flexible to invest in local priorities
- assist people unable to work right now.
You can read more in the full Replacing the Community Development Program consultation report, the consultation summary on a page or watch the video.
On 31 August 2022 former Minister Burney hosted the Remote Employment Roundtable (ahead of the Jobs and Skills Summit on 1–2 September 2022), as a first step towards a new program.
You can read former Minister Burney's media release regarding the roundtable.