Fostering economic development for Aboriginal people in NSW - A Special Report to Parliament May 2016

In a special report tabled in Parliament on 31 May 2016, the Acting NSW Ombudsman has recommended measures to ensure that Government’s efforts to foster economic development for Aboriginal people in NSW are successful.

Increasing the economic prosperity of Aboriginal people is critical to improving social outcomes in many areas, such as health, education, child protection and community safety. Economic development is also fundamental to sustaining and renewing Aboriginal culture and language into the future.

“My intention in making this report is to ensure that my office’s insights from working with Aboriginal communities in NSW will inform the important work of the Department of Education (Aboriginal Affairs) this year, as it develops the Aboriginal Economic Prosperity Framework for NSW,” said the Ombudsman. The Framework will provide an important platform for addressing disadvantage in Aboriginal communities and for promoting economic independence.

The recommendations in the Ombudsman’s report are informed by over 10 years of working closely with Aboriginal people to resolve problems with government service delivery, in some of the most disadvantaged communities in NSW. That experience is supplemented by our research and consultations with Aboriginal leaders and business leaders over the past 18 months, as part of our oversight of the OCHRE program in NSW.