Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion has today congratulated Roper Gulf Regional Council on its latest Community Development Programme (CDP) success.
The Council has worked with a Northern Territory-based earthmoving company to provide opportunities for CDP participants in Ngukurr to play an important role in delivering a much-needed water infrastructure upgrade for their community.
“Getting job seekers into real employment is a key component of the CDP,” Minister Scullion said.
“Jobs such as these are a great outcome to meet the needs of remote Australia so people can move from welfare to work, and make a contribution back to their community.”
With a multitude of construction projects in progress and scheduled in the vicinity of the remote Indigenous community, located approximately 640 kilometres south-east of Darwin, over the next few years, the Council has sourced training that will equip participants with the accreditation and confidence needed to secure employment opportunities as they arise.
Roper Gulf Regional Council has been working with participants to develop activities and training that produce job-ready participants, the most recent of which has allowed Gene Daniels and John Herbert to gain employment driving water trucks the day after completing a heavy rigid vehicle course in the Northern Territory capital.
The pair is now carting water for NV Barrett Earthmoving as the Power and Water Corporation contractor lays a 6.2-kilometre pipeline that will connect Ngukurr to its new water supply. In a bonus for Ngukurr’s CDP ranks, participants Hilroy Manggurra and Tristen Charlie have also been employed as labourers on the vital project to improve water accessibility.
Mr Daniels said he had learnt a lot from the training and was looking forward to securing additional work driving trucks on a more permanent basis.
“Getting this job is good for me and good for Ngukurr, because we are helping put the new bore in,” the 32-year-old explained.
“I’ll be able to drive a water cart on other jobs after this, so I’m very proud.”
NV Barrett Earthmoving Project Manager Neil Boyd congratulated the men on their work ethic in testing conditions and said they had slotted into the team seamlessly.
“Considering the temperature out here, they are doing a wonderful job,” he said.
He added that the Council’s approach was helping to develop a network of skilled workers in communities across its 186,000-square kilometre Local Government Area.
“We come and go from community being Power and Water contractors, so it’s important for us to know these guys are here, that they can do the job and that they are able to come straight out onto site skilled up for future work.”
Mayor Judy MacFarlane praised Ngukurr CDP Senior Employment Consultant Victoria Haig for facilitating the partnership between the participants and their new employer.
“This is just a fantastic outcome for these four men and Ngukurr in general,” she said.
“Our CDP staff across the Roper Gulf region are committed to providing training that allows for real upskilling and employment opportunities, and seeing the pride the men have in themselves and their community proves Council is leading the way in CDP delivery in some of the remotest parts of the NT.”
The Council runs CDP projects in its Local Government Area on behalf of the Commonwealth Government.
The Commonwealth Government initiative assists jobseekers in remote communities to find employment as they contribute to their communities and gain new skills in the process.
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For comment from Roper Gulf Regional Council, contact Lyndon Keane on 0427 674 212.
For comment from Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion, contact Russel Guse on 0419 432 418.