An evidence-informed case for making First Nations job advertising part of everyday recruitment, with practical links to RAP commitments, social procurement, ESG and board employment targets.
If SEEK is already part of your recruitment process, there is a straightforward next step: advertise your vacancies through Indigenous Job Match as well.
For employers committed to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment, the choice of advertising channels is a practical decision about access. Which opportunities are being promoted to First Nations candidates? Do those opportunities extend across the organisation? Who checks whether the recruitment process leads to sustained employment?
Our recommendation is to include every externally advertised vacancy in your Indigenous Job Match advertising plan, from entry-level positions and trades to professional, management and executive roles.
This recommendation applies government recruitment guidance to the services Indigenous Job Match offers. Business Queensland (n.d.) advises employers to consider First Nations-focused platforms alongside their usual attraction strategies. That guidance supports using additional channels; it does not endorse Indigenous Job Match.
Advertising creates an opportunity to connect. Its contribution becomes more meaningful when employers pair it with accessible selection, cultural safety, career development and clear accountability.
Why Indigenous job advertising belongs in everyday recruitment
The national employment context makes sustained attention necessary. Closing the Gap Target 8 aims to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 25–64 who are employed to 62% by 2031. The Productivity Commission dashboard reports 55.7% for 2021, compared with 51.0% in 2016 (Productivity Commission, n.d.). These are dated population measures, not a current-year employment rate or a quota for individual employers.
Employers can act within their own organisations by making more of their opportunities visible through First Nations recruitment channels.
Consider the difference between advertising only a designated Aboriginal engagement position and also promoting vacancies in finance, engineering, administration, health, information technology, operations and leadership. The second approach offers candidates a wider choice of careers with that employer.
That is the reasoning behind an all-roles advertising policy. It recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates as potential colleagues throughout the business, with individual qualifications, ambitions and experience.
General vacancies can be part of a First Nations recruitment strategy
A general vacancy can remain open to all eligible applicants while being promoted through a First Nations-focused channel. The advertising channel and the eligibility requirements are separate decisions.
For example, an employer can advertise an accountant, project manager or customer service position and explicitly welcome Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants. Business Queensland (n.d.) includes this type of encouragement in its recruitment guidance.
Recruitment restricted to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander applicants involves different considerations. The Australian Human Rights Commission (2015) explains how special measures can provide a lawful basis for targeted recruitment. Employers should establish the applicable legal basis and current jurisdictional requirements before restricting eligibility; placing a role on a specialist job board does not establish that basis.
For an all-roles campaign, keep each advertisement clear about the work, essential requirements, location, employment conditions and who can apply.
How advertising can support RAP employment commitments
The Reconciliation Action Plan framework is built around relationships, respect and opportunities. Its four RAP types support organisations at different stages of their reconciliation work (Reconciliation Australia, n.d.).
There is a direct precedent for connecting recruitment advertising with RAP delivery. The Department of Industry, Science and Resources' April 2023–April 2026 Stretch RAP included advertising vacancies through channels intended to reach Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, including online job boards and print media (Department of Industry, Science and Resources, 2023). This is a published example from a concluded RAP, not a universal requirement to use a particular platform.
An employer can apply that approach by linking Indigenous Job Match advertising to the relevant action in its own endorsed RAP. Assign responsibility, allocate a budget and keep records of the roles promoted and the resulting recruitment activity.
The precise claim matters. A completed advertisement can evidence an advertising action. A recruitment target needs evidence of appointments. A retention commitment needs evidence of employees staying and progressing. Match the evidence to the commitment being reported.
Social procurement: distinguish supplier spend from employment outcomes
Social procurement can involve both purchasing from Indigenous businesses and creating employment opportunities through suppliers. Victoria's Social Procurement Framework illustrates this distinction: its Victorian Aboriginal people objective includes purchasing from Victorian Aboriginal businesses and employment of Aboriginal people by government suppliers (Victorian Government, 2026).
At Commonwealth level, the Indigenous Procurement Policy includes Indigenous business purchasing targets and, for specified contracts, mandatory minimum Indigenous participation requirements. The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA, n.d.-a) identifies these requirements for contracts wholly delivered in Australia, valued at $7.5 million or more, in 19 industries. The applicable contract determines what must be delivered and measured.
This creates two distinct questions for employers:
Supplier expenditure: Does the advertising purchase qualify as Indigenous supplier spend under the organisation's policy or contract?
Employment participation: Does the recruitment activity lead to appointments, employment hours or other outcomes recognised by the relevant target?
Indigenous Job Match is a business name of Cultural Nexus Indigenous Corporation, ABN 14 905 985 838, as recorded in ABN Lookup (Australian Business Register, n.d.). Procurement teams can use that legal entity when checking supplier documentation. ABN registration alone does not establish eligibility for an Indigenous procurement target.
Current verification matters. NIAA (n.d.-b) states that strengthened Commonwealth IPP eligibility criteria commenced on 1 July 2026, with transition arrangements applying in 2026–27. Buyers should check the current criteria, accepted verification and applicable transition rules. State, territory and corporate policies may differ.
Where the supplier and purchase meet the relevant rules, advertising expenditure may contribute to an Indigenous procurement target. Record that spend separately from employment outcomes. An invoice demonstrates a purchase; it does not demonstrate a hire.
ESG reporting needs evidence of workforce outcomes
First Nations employment can be relevant to an organisation's social objectives and to the governance of its workforce commitments. The appropriate reporting approach depends on the framework the organisation uses and the issues it has identified as material.
For example, GRI 405 addresses diversity and equal opportunity. Disclosure 405-1 covers diversity within governance bodies and employee categories, including other relevant diversity indicators (Global Reporting Initiative, 2016). Where relevant to the organisation's impacts and reporting, this provides a basis for considering First Nations representation across different levels of the workforce. That application is an interpretation of the standard, not an Indigenous employment quota set by GRI.
Australia's mandatory sustainability reporting requirements also need to be described accurately. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (n.d.) explains that the statutory sustainability report contains climate statements, associated notes and a directors' declaration. Indigenous recruitment advertising does not itself fulfil those climate disclosure requirements.
For a voluntary ESG or workforce report, explain the chain of activity and results: the roles advertised, the applications received, the appointments made, and subsequent retention and progression. State the reporting period, definitions and limitations so readers can assess the results.
What boards should measure against First Nations employment targets
Where a board has adopted Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment targets, management needs a way to explain both progress and obstacles. We recommend a quarterly dashboard that follows the recruitment and employment journey:
Opportunity coverage: the proportion of externally advertised vacancies also promoted through Indigenous Job Match, with role levels and locations.
Recruitment progression: applications, shortlisting, interviews, offers and accepted appointments, using appropriately collected data.
Sustained employment: retention at agreed milestones, such as six and twelve months, alongside employee feedback.
Career opportunity: access to development, promotions and representation in management and executive positions.
Procurement: eligible expenditure, supported by supplier verification and the relevant purchasing records.
This is a proposed management dashboard, not a prescribed legal reporting template. Each employer should define its own baseline, denominator, target date and responsible executive.
Employment targets overseen by a board are also distinct from targets for First Nations representation on the board itself. Track director appointments separately where board representation is an objective.
Handle identity information carefully. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (2026) explains that racial or ethnic origin is sensitive information and that, for entities covered by the Australian Privacy Principles, collection generally requires consent and must be reasonably necessary, subject to exceptions. Design voluntary self-identification and reporting processes with appropriate privacy controls; do not infer identity from names, appearance or application source.
Recruitment must be supported by cultural safety
The experience after appointment deserves as much attention as the advertisement.
The UTS Centre for Indigenous People and Work's Gari Yala 2 research drew on the experiences of 1,158 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander workers. Its published findings report that 53% experienced inappropriate race-based comments and assumptions (Young et al., 2026). This is evidence from the study's respondents, not a measurement of every Australian workplace or an evaluation of Indigenous Job Match.
Our practical recommendation is to connect recruitment with manager capability, clear responses to racism, accessible support and funded career development. Ask employees what helps them participate and progress, and recognise the time and expertise involved in cultural and reconciliation work.
Job advertisements should describe support that actually exists. Specific information about flexibility, cultural leave, supervision and development gives candidates something concrete to assess.
Make Indigenous Job Match part of your recruitment process
An all-roles approach can begin with one clear internal policy:
Every externally advertised vacancy will also be promoted through Indigenous Job Match, with documented exceptions approved by the recruitment lead. Recruitment outcomes will be reviewed alongside our First Nations employment commitments.
This is suggested policy wording for employers to adapt. To put it into practice:
Include Indigenous Job Match in recruitment approvals and advertising budgets.
Brief hiring managers and external recruiters to include general, specialist and leadership vacancies.
Use clear job information and an accessible application process.
Keep advertising and purchasing records, and track candidate sources where possible.
Review outcomes with the people responsible for HR, the RAP, procurement and board reporting.
Candidates may encounter a vacancy through several channels. Distinguish an applicant's reported source from evidence that one platform caused an appointment. Use the results to improve the recruitment process over time.
When your next role goes on SEEK, include Indigenous Job Match in the campaign. Make the opportunity visible through a First Nations-focused employment platform and give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates the opportunity to consider careers across your organisation.
Explore Indigenous Job Match job advertising options.
Frequently asked questions
Can we advertise general roles through Indigenous Job Match?
General vacancies belong in the all-roles approach proposed here. Keep eligibility clear: promoting a vacancy to First Nations candidates does not automatically make it an Indigenous-only position. Restricted recruitment requires an appropriate legal basis (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2015).
Does advertising automatically meet a RAP or employment target?
An advertisement can evidence a relevant recruitment action. Whether a target is achieved depends on its wording and the required results. Report advertisements, appointments and retention as distinct measures.
Can Indigenous Job Match advertising count toward Indigenous procurement?
It may qualify where the supplier, purchase and evidence meet your policy or contract requirements. Confirm eligibility with your procurement team and current supplier documentation before counting the spend. For Commonwealth IPP eligibility and transition arrangements, consult NIAA (n.d.-b).
About this article: Published by Indigenous Job Match, which offers paid job advertising. This is an evidence-informed employer article drawing on public policy, reporting guidance and workplace research. The all-roles recommendation and proposed dashboard are the publisher's recommendations. The cited sources do not establish comparative performance between Indigenous Job Match and SEEK, or guarantee recruitment outcomes. SEEK is referenced as a separate recruitment platform; no affiliation or endorsement is implied.
References
Australian Business Register. (n.d.). Current details for ABN 14 905 985 838. ABN Lookup. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from https://abr.business.gov.au/ABN/View?id=14905985838
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2015). Targeted recruitment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: A guideline for employers. https://humanrights.gov.au/resource-hub/by-resource-type/publications/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/targeted-recruitment
Australian Securities and Investments Commission. (n.d.). What should your sustainability report contain? https://www.asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/sustainability-reporting/for-preparers-of-sustainability-reports/what-should-your-sustainability-report-contain
Business Queensland. (n.d.). Attracting and recruiting First Nations employees. Queensland Government. https://www.business.qld.gov.au/running-business/employing/culturally-safe-workplaces/recruiting
Department of Industry, Science and Resources. (2023). Stretch reconciliation action plan: April 2023–April 2026. https://www.industry.gov.au/sites/default/files/2023-04/stretch-reconciliation-action-plan.pdf
Global Reporting Initiative. (2016). GRI 405: Diversity and equal opportunity 2016. https://www.globalreporting.org/publications/documents/english/gri-405-diversity-and-equal-opportunity-2016/
National Indigenous Australians Agency. (n.d.-a). Indigenous Procurement Policy (IPP). https://www.niaa.gov.au/our-work/employment-and-economic-development/indigenous-procurement-policy-ipp
National Indigenous Australians Agency. (n.d.-b). The Indigenous Procurement Policy is changing. https://www.niaa.gov.au/our-work/employment-and-economic-development/indigenous-procurement-policy-changing
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. (2026, May 13). Chapter 3: APP 3 collection of solicited personal information. https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/australian-privacy-principles-guidelines/chapter-3-app-3-collection-of-solicited-personal-information
Productivity Commission. (n.d.). Socio-economic outcome area 8: Strong economic participation and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities. Closing the Gap. Retrieved November 12, 2026, from https://www.pc.gov.au/closing-the-gap-data/dashboard/outcome-area/economic-participation/
Reconciliation Australia. (n.d.). About RAPs. https://www.reconciliation.org.au/reconciliation-action-plans/about-raps/
Victorian Government. (2026, July 7). Victorian Aboriginal people: Social procurement guide. Buying for Victoria. https://www.buyingfor.vic.gov.au/victorian-aboriginal-people-social-procurement-guide
Young, N., Gilbert, J., Evans, O., & O’Leary, J. (2026). Gari Yala 2 (Speak the truth) full report: Centreing the work experiences of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians in 2025–2026. Centre for Indigenous People and Work, University of Technology Sydney. https://doi.org/10.71741/4pyxmbnjaq.31611544
