Key activity 3

Performance Measure 3.1: Remote Jobs and Economic Development

Employment opportunities aligned with local needs and aspirations are increased and sustained in remote communities, supporting economic participation and long-term community development.

Rationale

This measure assesses the NIAA’s performance in the delivery of policies, programs and services that meet the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through the RJED program.

The RJED program is part of a major Australian Government reform to improve employment outcomes for people living in remote Australia, replacing the CDP.

RJED has been developed in partnership with remote communities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, job seekers, CDP providers, peak bodies and government stakeholders. RJED launched on 11 December 2024 and is overseen by a First Nations Reference Group (FNRG). Over 3 years, RJED is set to create 3,000 jobs that align with the needs and aspirations of remote communities. This measure assesses progress towards creating and filling 3,000 RJED-funded employment opportunities (over 3 years) in remote communities. The measure also assesses the timeliness of application decisions under the program.

These results assess progress toward supporting meaningful economic participation and improved administrative efficiency. This measure directly reflects the NIAA’s goal of addressing the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through impactful policies and services. The measure also demonstrates the NIAA’s role in enabling sustainable local employment aligned with community priorities.

This measure will evolve over time to incorporate additional dimensions of performance as data becomes available through future grant rounds.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) Employment opportunities are available in remote communities through RJED.

Employment opportunities are counted based on positions funded under executed RJED grant agreements, recorded during the relevant financial year. All positions (full-time, part-time, or casual) are counted equally.

b) RJED-funded employment positions occupied in remote communities.

Occupied positions are counted based on quarterly employer reports for RJED-funded roles. All positions (full-time, part-time, or casual) are counted equally, consistent with grant agreement reporting requirements.

c) Proportion of RJED grant applications with a decision made within 90 days of grant round closure.

Timeliness is calculated as the proportion of grant applications that receive an approval or rejection decision within 90 calendar days of the published round closure date.

Data Sources

Quantitative data is collected from the NIAA’s Grant Payment System (GPS) which is hosted by the Department of Social Services for all planned performance results.

Basis of the Measure

Quantitative measure of outputs for planned performance results a) and b) and quantitative measure of efficiency using timeliness as a proxy for planned performance result c).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement PBS

Program 1.1 – Jobs, Land and the Economy

Performance Measure 3.2: Remote Australia Employment Service

Access to tailored, culturally responsive employment services supports sustained employment outcomes contributing to long term economic and social development of remote Australia.

Rationale

This measure assesses the NIAA’s performance in delivering targeted programs under the IAS that contribute to improved economic and social outcomes in remote communities, through the RAES program. RAES replaces the CDP. RAES is a major Australian Government reform and is the second stage of the Australian Government’s commitment to replace the CDP.

RAES directly reflects the NIAA’s role in enabling tailored, culturally responsive employment services that support sustained employment outcomes. RAES also supports the IAS objective of improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

To ensure a transition from CDP to RAES, the program is being phased in through collaboration with existing CDP providers, new service partners, other government agencies, and communities. While CDP services will cease on 31 October 2025, the scope of this measure includes both CDP and RAES participants over the transition period, ensuring consistent and comparable reporting. The NIAA’s role in providing access to tailored, culturally responsive employment services is demonstrated through provider engagement with communities, localised service models, and alignment with regional labour market opportunities.

To evolve performance measurement, the NIAA will investigate the potential to encompass 4, 12, and 52-week employment outcome results.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) A proportion of remote employment participants achieve sustained (26-week) employment outcomes, indicating early progress toward long-term economic and social development in remote communities.

Sustained employment outcomes are calculated as the percentage of remote employment participants who achieve a 26-week outcome within the financial year. This is based on distinct participants from the program caseload, using administrative data from the Employment Services System. Results are rounded to one decimal place.

For 2025–26, ‘remote employment participants’ includes individuals in both CDP and RAES caseloads. To ensure performance comparability and accuracy, results will be disaggregated internally by program during the transition period. The combined reporting presented will enable enterprise measure consistency. In forward years, the methodology will be updated to reflect RAES as the sole program.

Data Sources

Quantitative data is collected through the Employment Services System which is hosted by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Basis of the Measure

Quantitative measure of effectiveness for planned performance result a).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement

PBS Program 1.1 – Jobs, Land and the Economy.

Performance Measure 3.3: Indigenous Rangers Program

Indigenous Rangers Program supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to manage their lands and waters in line with Traditional Owner aspirations.

Rationale

This measure assesses the NIAA’s performance in the contribution of the IRP, which plays a critical role in promoting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' aspirations to manage their lands and waters.

The Australian Government supports the unique and continuing role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the management and protection of Australian lands and waters. From 2021–28, it has committed over $1.3 billion of funding to the IRP. This amount encompasses $636.4 million for a national expansion, supporting grant opportunities to double the number of Indigenous ranger jobs and increasing the number of female rangers in programs across the nation, and extending existing IRP groups. This expansion plan will enable the IRP to better meet the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, contributing to the achievement of additional Closing the Gap outcomes.

This measure will assess growth in ranger employment, which is a direct indicator of progress towards the NIAA’s purpose and Key Activity 3, specifically increasing the number of Indigenous ranger jobs available through grant rounds. The measure will also assess the increase in representation of women in the ranger workforce, demonstrating the NIAA’s performance in promoting gender equity. This aims to support the unique and continuing role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in managing their lands and waters and the government’s commitment to ‘working towards gender equality by the end of the decade’.

This measure will evolve to incorporate additional dimensions of performance, enabling assessment of outcomes. The NIAA will investigate options following the finalisation of a new monitoring and evaluation framework and data collection.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) Indigenous Rangers employed through the Indigenous Rangers Program, supporting the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to manage their lands and waters.

This assesses the effectiveness of the IRP in creating meaningful employment that aligns with Traditional Owner aspirations, through an increase in the number of employed Indigenous rangers. The 2025–26 target assumes that Round 1 will deliver 1100 jobs (based on funding for 550 FTE). and the 2026 figure reflects that Round 2 will deliver the remaining 800 jobs (based on funding for 500 FTE).

Performance is assessed annually based on the number of Indigenous rangers employed. This includes full-time, part-time, and casual positions, each counted equally and attributed to the financial year in which the positions are reported.

The count of positions is limited to those employed under the NIAA-administered Indigenous Rangers Program and reported through funded providers’ annual performance reports. It does not capture ranger positions funded through separate state, territory, or other Australian Government programs (such as state and territory ranger programs), and results should be interpreted as representing IRP-specific employment. This ensures clarity that reported figures relate to the NIAA’s-delivered outcomes.

b) Increased gender representation in the Indigenous Ranger workforce, supporting the unique and continuing role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in managing their lands and waters.

This assesses the effectiveness of increasing gender representation in the Indigenous Ranger workforce, with the aim of supporting the unique and continuing role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in managing their lands and waters.

Gender representation is assessed annually as the proportion of Indigenous ranger positions held by women. The calculation includes full-time, part-time, casual, coordinator and support roles. Only providers with complete and validated gender data are included in the calculation.

Data Sources

Quantitative data is collected from the NIAA’s Grant Payment System (GPS) which is hosted by the Department of Social Services for all planned performance results.

Basis of the Measure

Quantitative measure of effectiveness for planned performance results a) and b).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement PBS

Program 1.1 – Jobs, Land and the Economy.

Performance Measure 3.4: Indigenous Advancement Strategy Service Requirements

Indigenous Advancement Strategy funded services meet or exceed contracted delivery requirements.

Rationale

This measure assesses the accountability of services funded by the NIAA under the IAS, the Australian Government’s primary funding mechanism for improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It measures the NIAA’s performance by assessing how effectively the NIAA ensures IAS-funded services meet or exceed contracted delivery requirements. This provides a direct line of sight to the NIAA’s performance in ensuring IAS-funded services are delivered to a high standard through agreement management, structured performance monitoring, and active provider engagement.

The IAS enables flexible, place-based investment in a broad range of priority areas — including education, employment, community safety, health and wellbeing, and culture. Many services are delivered in complex operating environments, particularly in remote and culturally diverse communities. Maintaining high service standards is essential to ensure that IAS investments contribute meaningfully to Closing the Gap outcomes and reflect the priorities of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

This measure provides assurance that Australian Government funding is supporting accountable service delivery. This reflects progress towards Key Activity 3 and the NIAA’s purpose of ensuring the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are met through high-quality, culturally responsive services. It reflects how well the NIAA’s oversight systems (including assessment tools, guidance, and capability development) support consistent, evidence-based assessment of delivery by trained Agreement Managers. These assessments are undertaken using the mandatory IAS key performance indicators and incorporate provider reporting, site visits, and program intelligence.

The measure enables the NIAA to identify systemic challenges and performance risks across the IAS portfolio. This informs targeted support, strengthens grant management practice, and contributes to continuous improvement in program delivery. In doing so, the measure supports government investment that is culturally responsive, appropriately governed, and aligned with community priorities and Closing the Gap commitments.

This measure demonstrates the NIAA’s stewardship role in the delivery of quality and impactful services funded through the IAS. It is a critical tool for assessing how well the NIAA is delivering on the intent of Key Activity 3 — enabling targeted, reliable investment that improves outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Planned performance results and targets

Methodology

a) Indigenous Advancement Strategy-funded services meet or exceed contracted delivery requirements.

Performance is calculated using Agreement Manager assessments of IAS grant activities against the key performance indicator. This rating assesses whether services meet agreed requirements based on provider reporting, site visits, and program intelligence. Five ratings are possible, with “meets” and “exceeds” considered compliant with expectations. This ensures a consistent, nationally standardised approach to service performance assessment.

Results reflect the most recent calendar year (1 Jan–31 Dec) for which complete and validated assessments are available, to ensure accuracy and avoid partial data reporting.

Employment-based IAS activities managed through the Employment Services System are excluded due to distinct performance management frameworks.

Five rating levels are available under the key performance indicator:

1. Exceeds requirements
2. Meets requirements
3. Somewhat below requirements
4. Substantially below requirements
5. Non-delivery

For this measure, results rated as “meets” or “exceeds” are considered to reflect compliance with expected requirements. The performance result is calculated as the percentage of services rated at levels 1 or 2, out of the total number of ratings submitted in the reporting period.

Data Sources

Quantitative data is collected from the NIAA’s Grant Payment System (GPS), which is hosted by the Department of Social Services.

Basis of the Measure

This measure includes a quantitative measure of output quality for planned performance result a).

Link to 2025–26 Portfolio Budget Statement

PBS Program 1.1 – Jobs, Land and the Economy

PBS Program 1.2 – Children and Schooling

PBS Program 1.3 – Safety and Wellbeing

PBS Program 1.4 – Culture and Capability

PBS Program 1.5 – Remote Australia Strategies