Public sector staff are being encouraged to apply for a short-term secondment to support the work of Aboriginal corporations in the Kimberley and South West.
The Jawun Secondment Program provides an opportunity for a unique cultural and professional experience while, at the same time, delivering crucial community projects for remote and regional communities.
In a statement, the Public Sector Commission (PSC) said applications were now open for placements beginning in May, July/August and October, in the East and West Kimberley and the South West Land and Sea Council in East Perth.
It said the six-week secondment was open to public sector staff Level 7 (and Government sector equivalent) and aimed to advance cultural awareness and understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.
“Prospective secondees need to be leaders with an interest in working with Aboriginal communities and have skills they are willing to share,” the PSC said.
“Secondees’ salaries and costs of the program are to be met by their Agencies. This is approximately $10,000 for an East or West Kimberley placement, and $1,600 for East Perth.”
The Commission gave as an example the 2019 secondment of Marcia Czerniak from the Department of Education and how the program, in which she worked with the Nyamba Buru Yawuru not-for-profit company in Broome on the development of a wellbeing centre, enhanced her career.
It said it followed Ms Czerniak’s journey and learnt how the program made a practical difference to the lives of the community she served from week-to-week.
The Commission’s reports on Ms Czerniak’s secondment can be found on the PSC website at this PS News link.
