The project

The DPC wanted to develop a better understanding of the economic development opportunities for Aboriginal people in the Latrobe Valley.

The objective

To research and review the existing economic development initiatives in the Latrobe Valley. Our goal was to understand their effectiveness, availability and benefit for Aboriginal people.

The role we played

To understand the opportunities and challenges, we took a place-based approach:

• Understanding of the local environment: This included understanding the boundaries, people, stakeholders, investments, assets and attitude to change within the Latrobe Valley.
• Lifecycle mapping: This helped to identify and describe the unique opportunities and challenges that Aboriginal community members face at different stages in their life. We focused on their ability to fully participate, contribute and thrive as part of the Latrobe Valley community.
• Service system mapping: This built our understanding of the existing service system, and identify gaps and opportunities.

We prioritised working with the local Aboriginal community to better understand their perspectives and stories. We supplemented this with the perspectives of service providers. We analysed and interpreted the data alongside desktop research into other perspectives about the Latrobe Valley region. In total, over 100 local stakeholders were engaged to provide their input into the study.

Project impact

The research project provided the Department with more extensive evidence of the economic realities of life in the Latrobe Valley for Aboriginal people. It outlined what is currently working, what is not, and what needs to change to ensure that opportunities are available, and benefit Aboriginal people. We developed a set of actionable recommendations for how the DPC and other key Departments could improve education, training and employment outcomes for Aboriginal people in the region.