The other day I was talking to an employer, and they were saying how difficult it is to find Aboriginal staff. They had a traineeship available, had advertised, had used employment service providers to help find someone, but they still couldn’t get any applicants. They weren’t about to give up, but they were frustrated. They were spending time and money on trying to find someone and it just wasn’t working. They didn’t think they were doing anything wrong. They were doing what lots of employers do…weren’t they?

I was at another meeting, and another employer told me they have no trouble finding Aboriginal people for jobs, but they just couldn’t keep them in the job. Their Aboriginal staff stayed a few months at best and then they left. They were frustrated and didn’t know what else they could do. They asked if we could expect any Aboriginal people to stay in a job.

Does this sound familiar to you?

The problem is that many employers don’t understand the history or the barriers to Aboriginal employment. They don’t understand our cultures. They don’t understand Aboriginal experience. They don't understand how we experience the workplace. And they don’t understand how this impacts on Aboriginal employment. This then becomes its own barrier to succeeding with Aboriginal employment.

And I get it. I mean, this stuff hasn’t been taught in schools, or elsewhere. Certainly not in a way that makes it relevant to workplaces trying to make Indigenous employment work.

You see, if you want to have success with Aboriginal employment you need to understand the barriers that Aboriginal people face in finding and keeping work. You need to understand the barriers to Aboriginal employment. You need a sound knowledge of the circumstances that led to the disadvantage, effects of discrimination, as well as our cultural differences.

When you understand Aboriginal experience and the barriers to Aboriginal employment, you can begin to make Indigenous employment work. You can take the next step and learn how to effectively address these barriers within your business and recruitment process. You can put in place the policies, systems, structures, and relationships that will help you reach your Aboriginal employment goals. You will be able to find and keep good Aboriginal staff.

When this understanding of Aboriginal experience is embedded in your organisation, you will have a workplace where your Aboriginal staff feel comfortable being an Aboriginal person as well as a contributing staff member. And you'll realise how crucial this is to the long-term success of Aboriginal employment.

This is the Aboriginal employment dream that many managers and business owners are looking to build. And it’s completely achievable.

Think about the difference this could make in the lives of Aboriginal people and their families.

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Racism in the workplace can manifest in subtle ways, and the impact on Aboriginal employees and clients can be profound. One common pitfall is when non-Indigenous people turn to their non-Indigenous peers to validate their response to feedback on racist behaviours. This creates harmful feedback loops, where lived experiences are ignored, and harmful behaviours are reinforced.

To foster a culturally safe workplace, organisations need to prioritise the voices of those directly affected by racism and seek guidance from Aboriginal staff or cultural experts. By listening, learning, and taking action based on the perspectives of those with lived experience, organisations can break the cycle of harm and build a more inclusive and respectful environment.

If your organisation is serious about creating a culturally safe workplace, understanding these feedback dynamics is essential.

Proofreading Your Workplace: How Cultural Capability Prevents Harm

Most people wouldn’t send a report without proofreading it, so why ignore the cultural capability of your workplace? Small mistakes in how we talk about and engage with Aboriginal people may seem harmless, but they can cause real harm and create unsafe environments. Just like with grammar, cultural capability requires continuous learning and a commitment to getting it right. In this article, I explore why every organisation needs a ‘proofreader’ for their cultural capability and how this can build safer, more respectful workplaces for Aboriginal people.

Beliefs that could have led to a Yes vote: Lessons from the 2023 Referendum

Almost a year on, the 2023 referendum on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament is still a topic worth revisiting—not to analyse why people voted one way or another, but to explore what beliefs might have led to a different result. Imagine if the message had truly resonated. What values would have inspired a ‘Yes’ vote, and what can leaders learn from this for their own workplaces? In this article, I break down the beliefs that could have shifted the outcome and show how these same values can help build safer, more respectful workplaces.

Read the full article to find out what those beliefs are and how they can shape change in your organisation.

Mentoring Aboriginal Staff: How to Avoid Gaslighting and Be a Better Ally

When a young Aboriginal woman told her non-Indigenous mentor that her employer was racist, his first reaction was to explain that they weren’t. This response is common—and problematic. It's called racial gaslighting: dismissing or undermining someone’s experience of racism. By listening without defensiveness, recognising lived experience as expertise, and questioning our own biases, we can avoid this pitfall. Becoming a better ally means standing with those facing discrimination, not explaining it away. If you’re serious about building a safer and more respectful workplace, it starts with listening deeply and challenging your own assumptions.

Expanding the Understanding of Aboriginal Employment

When people think of Aboriginal employment, they often focus on recruitment and placement services. While these are important aspects, Aboriginal employment encompasses a much broader range of activities and strategies that go beyond simply filling jobs. People who work in Aboriginal employment could have experience in any or all of these areas. Understanding the full scope of Aboriginal employment can help organisations make a meaningful impact and create lasting change.

I've listed 16 areas that people might mean when they say Aboriginal employment.

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The “It's Not Just Culture" Principle

I've developed a set of principles over more than 20 years working in Aboriginal employment. These principles form an important part of my Aboriginal employment philosophy.

This article series introduces you to two of my three of these principles.

My Three Principles:

It's not me, it's you
It's not just culture
Look good, feel good, do good principle

This article covers the second principle.

I use these principles when working with clients to help guide their best intentions towards things that work. Each of my products has been designed with these principles in mind.

These principles will help you work out if what you're doing or planning to do with Aboriginal employment is going to get you where you want to be with Aboriginal employment.

Reading Recommendation: Radical Candor by Kim Scott

The ideas in this book, Radical Candor, resonated strongly with me. As I read, I realised how relevant the core framework was to my work in Aboriginal employment.

I had a very clear idea in my mind what kind of supervisor was best, but no framework - and barely any language - for what it was.

Here’s a very quick introduction to the framework and how it applies to Aboriginal employment.

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3 ways to get internal support for Aboriginal employment and the 1 way that works

Have you ever tried to get internal support for an Aboriginal employment program or initiative and failed?

Ever struggled to get your board, senior leaders, hiring managers, or staff to get on board with a important initiative?

You either can't find the message that works, or you can't get the message to the right person to make a decision. If you can't get support for an initiative, how can you expect it to succeed?

This article looks at why you need a strong rationale, three kinds of arguments you could use, and the most effective kind to use to bring staff on board.

How do I find someone who can do a Welcome To Country in my area?

Do you need to find someone who can deliver a Welcome to Country?

The below information is meant to be a starting point for you to identify and connect with Traditional Custodians in your area. It is not a comprehensive list, and may be updated from time to time.

It is important that you check whose country your meeting/event is being held.

We talk about Welcomes to 'Country' and Acknowledgements of 'Country', but what do we mean by 'Country'?

Over the last few years, so many workplaces have introduced Acknowledgements of Country. Rising community expectations to acknowledge Traditional Custodians and First Nations people have meant my most popular downloads and blog posts are about this modern take on a traditional custom.

But, what do we mean by ‘Country’?

Here's an explanation from Professor Mick Dodson OA.