The federal government has announced new access to vital On-Country skills training for First Nations communities in Central Australia.
On Tuesday, Skills and Training Minister Andrew Giles and Lingiari MP Marion Scrymgour announced another five locations for Remote Training Hubs, along with a $3 million grant to allow the Desert Peoples Centre to deliver Central Australia Remote Mobile Training Units.
As part of the government's $250 million A Better, Safer Future for Central Australia plan, $30.2 million over five years—first announced last year—had been earmarked for the creation a network of up to seven Remote Training Hubs.
New hubs in Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa), Papunya, Ti Tree, Atitjere (Harts Range) and Mutitjulu, to be established by the middle of 2028, will work alongside the hubs in Yuendumu and Ntaria (Hermannsburg), which are in the early stages of development.
"We have been consulting with the Central Australia Plan Aboriginal Leadership Group to understand how training will work best for our remote Aboriginal communities. I'd like to thank them for their advice and instilling the importance of On-Country training," Mr Giles said.
"The partnerships we created to deliver the Remote Training Hubs Network and Mobile Training Units will ensure the needs of local communities are met first and provide the skills that match the job opportunities available."
The Desert Peoples Centre will help complement the work of the hubs, extending the reach of On-Country training to remote communities.
"In an area as vast as Lingiari, it is so important for these critical services to meet people where they're at," Ms Scrymgour said.
"Carpentry, our environment, hospitality, and infrastructure are huge workforce growth areas, and we will train the workforce that's needed to bridge these gaps.
"I am proud to stand with the Albanese Labor Government, which is investing in these Mobile Training Units, so our community members can get the skills they want in the areas we so desperately need."
The Mobile Training Units are designed to deliver training for several industries in Central Australia, including carpentry, hospitality, conservation and ecosystem management, and resources and infrastructure, with the location and creation made in response to consultation with the Central Australia Plan Aboriginal Leadership Group.
"Vocational education and training touches every corner of this country, from our cities right through to our communities in Central Australia," Mr Giles said.
"Education and training transforms lives and unlocks opportunities to participate in local industries."