Indigenous Employment on the Agenda at Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference 2004

This week saw the first ever Australian Indigenous Tourism Conference held in Perth, in which over 10 Accor General Managers attended as part of the Accor Indigenous Employment Program. During the conference the General Managers from the Mercure Inn hotels discussed new ways to incorporate indigenous tourism into their operations in locations such as Karratha, Kalgoorlie, Broome and Port Headland. Throughout the conference the attendees also expanded their knowledge and understanding of indigenous culture.

Speaking prior to the opening, Tourism Minister, Bob Kucera, said the conference "Better Business, Better Country" is all about driving indigenous tourism in Australia and creating opportunities to showcase and promote authentic indigenous tourism products. The conference will provide a unique opportunity for indigenous tourism operators, potential operators and mainstream businesses to get together to develop partnerships," Mr Kucera said.

Accor embarked upon the its Indigenous Employment Program in January 2001 with a commitment to employ 100 indigenous people. This first target was achieved over an 18-month period and Accor has now embarked upon a second phase, with a target of employing an additional 135 indigenous people over a period of 2 years.

Accor’s Indigenous Employment Program involves employing Indigenous persons on a permanent full-time, part-time or casual basis in the hospitality industry and providing relevant training. As a Registered Training Organisation, Accor also offers the opportunity for eligible employees to complete a Certificate Two in Hospitality Operations.

A long-term equal opportunity employer, Accor aims to redress the under-representation of indigenous Australians in the tourism industry and provide Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders with meaningful employment and the social and economic benefits this brings.

"This program is a firm commitment to creating long-term, sustainable employment for indigenous Australians," said Mr Baffsky, Chairman of Accor Asia Pacific and who is a board member of the Indigenous Land Corporation. "The aim is to provide Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders with greater representation in the industry to ensure their economic independence."

As Australia's largest hotel group, Accor provides unrivalled opportunities to build a career in the hospitality industry and its network offers opportunities where large Aboriginal communities reside including in north-west Western Australia, far north Queensland and the Northern Territory, as well as in urban and regional areas.

“It is our ambition to make indigenous success stories standard practice across all our hotels so we can set an example for other industries to follow,” Mr Baffsky said.