Participants in the Our Jobs, Climate and Community forum
In February, Jesuit Social Services co-hosted the third event in the Northern Territory Climate Justice series. Our Jobs, Climate and Community forum brought together over 50 delegates from environment groups, Aboriginal organisations, unions and community sector organisations. The forum shared ideas around rebuilding the economy on foundations of care for people, country and climate, instead of on the continued over-dependence on extractive forms of economic development.
Facilitated by Dr. Amanda Cahill, CEO of The Next Economy, the two-day forum included presentations on key reform ideas including: work by Aboriginal Peak Organisations NT on a new approach to remote economic development and job creation, to replace the failed remote employment and community development service; a presentation by Thomas Mayor, National Indigenous Officer for the Maritime Union of Australia, highlighting the importance of structural reform for self-determination through the creation of an Indigenous voice to parliament (a key pillar of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, alongside treaty and truth-telling); and discussion of sector-based case studies that create meaningful jobs where they are needed most – for example, through remote housing maintenance, ranger programs and Indigenous-led health and social care services.
Expressing our commitment to ecological justice, Jesuit Social Services continues to take this work forward with our partners across the Territory, where together, we are leading the country in building partnerships across sectors to take a transformative approach to addressing the climate crisis – working towards building a more just society in the process.
