Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

Amongst possibly this nation's most contributing Australians at present is Colin Saltmere from Camooweal, on the NT border in one of the most remote parts of North West Qld/Gulf of Carpentaria

Colin's extraordinary successes in the past 13 years through the Myuma Group, which trains and delivers First Australians into 'real jobs', has been acknowledged through the Federal Government's new $1.5 billion Remote Jobs and Communities Program, beginning next month.

The innovative, best-practice Myuma initiatives and new government monies provide real hope for some 100,000 First Australians living in remote communities without hope of a ‘real job’ to participate in this country’s ‘real economy workforce’.

Myuma operations – which began with the $120m major upgrade of the Number 1 (Barkly) Highway from Mt Isa to the NT border from 2001-2008 – include labour and plant hire, via which accredited training and jobs in civil construction are delivered.

Myuma also has a limestone quarry joint venture; and importantly provides the mining industry a much-needed regular supply of trade-responsible mining employees as well as related support services, such as horticulture and hospitality.

We have witnessed first-hand the extraordinary success of the Saltmere initiatives, which boast a 100 per cent success rate in delivering hundreds of First Australian youth into skilled construction and mining jobs.

Please God, in coming years, their success exceeds that of those like Andrew Forrest in WA, who has been able to move hundreds of people from community areas into well-paid, highly-skilled mining jobs.

We remain optimistic that the $1.5b RJCP program better reconciles the difficulties remote-location employers often have in finding skilled workers with the challenges faced by remote area job seekers (many of them First Australians) to gain meaningful local jobs. 

Importantly, First Australian-operated organisations are among those announced last month to deliver the tailor-made, community-driven job-seeker services in designated remote areas such as Cloncurry, Hughenden, Kuranda, Doomadge, Normanton and the Gulf in the Kennedy electorate - including in regions such as West Isa/Alpurrurulam (Rainbow Gateway Ltd with subcontractors Myuma Pty Ltd and Dugalunji Aboriginal Corporation); Cloncurry (subcontractors Rainbow Gateway Ltd and Beyond Billabong Pty Ltd): Doomadgee (joint venture with Doomadgee Aboriginal Shire Council); and Carpentaria (Bynoe Community Advancement Co-operative Society Ltd).

PHOTO: Bob with Colin Saltmere and participants in the Myuma Group’s job training and delivery program at Camooweal, North West Qld.