Indigenous jobs development funding for local government councils

You can access Indigenous jobs development funding if you are a Northern Territory council and:

• have a current recruitment and workforce development plan
• have acquitted all previous funding relevant to this department
• have adequately demonstrated that the funding will not duplicate funding already provided under this or any other funding source.

You can use Indigenous jobs development funding for expenses like:

• direct salaries
• taxes
• allowances - excluding travel allowances
• employee leave entitlements for permanent staff
• 15% on-costs.

You can't use Indigenous jobs development funding for:

• gifts, bonuses or termination payments
• travel allowance
• staff on workers compensation
• holiday pay on termination
• position funded under any other agreement or arrangement
• redundancy payments
• contractors engaged for procurement.

The program funding pool will provide up to $8.5 million per annum.

A notional annual allocation to each council will be determined by this department and paid retrospectively on reported council expenditure.

These payments will be made on a quarterly basis pending the receipt of council reports.

Indigenous jobs development funding is subject to quarterly funding from 2017-18.

Quarterly payments will be made retrospectively on provision of employment and expenditure details by councils.

Following receipt of the quarterly reports grant payments will be made in:

• quarter 1 - reporting period April to June (of the previous financial year)
• quarter 2 - reporting period July to September (of the current financial year)
• quarter 3 - reporting period October to December (of the current financial year)
• quarter 4 - reporting period January to March (of the current financial year).

Following receipt of the quarterly reports grant payments will be made as follows:

• quarter 1 - September
• quarter 2 - October
• quarter 3 - January
• quarter 4 - April.

Councils will be reimbursed 50% of their quarterly expenditure up to the notional annual amount calculated.

If there is over expenditure in any quarter the department may allow this to be off-set against any future council under expenditure to maximise employment outcomes for Indigenous people in remote communities.

Once the notional grant funding offer is advised to council by the department councils will need to forward the following correspondence:

• return the signed acceptance form to the department with appropriate authorisations from the chief executive officer
• provide quarterly reports within ten working days after each quarter - these reports will trigger the release of retrospective payments up to the notional maximum entitlement.

Councils are required to submit a quarterly report on the Indigenous jobs development fund activities and expenditure to the department.

The data required in these quarterly reports include:

• actual salary expenditure per quarter on Indigenous employment
• program on-costs per quarter on Indigenous employment
• calculated claim for salary and 15% on-cost support on a 50-50 basis for the quarter
• total number of Indigenous employees employed by council at end of each quarter
• total number of Indigenous employees employed by this program for the quarter
• total number of Indigenous employees categorised as full-time, part-time and casual
• total number of council staff employed by council
• total number of Indigenous employees categorised on gender base (male-female)
• broad position categories, as detailed on the department’s quarterly report together with the number of employees in each category
• other adhoc requests for information as may be requested by the department from time-to-time.

Templates for your council’s quarterly report can be located and submitted via GrantsNT

Phone: 08 8999 8820 or 08 8999 8576
lg.grants@nt.gov.au