The Australian Government has committed $76.2 million over 5 years to a new voluntary program to improve how First Nations people transition out of the justice system and into employment.
About the program
Reconnection, Employment and Learning (REAL) Program, will be available to First Nations people, aged 15 years and older, who have been incarcerated, with a known release date, or who are on remand. Support will commence up to 6 months before release and continue for up to 12 months post release.
The REAL Program will help First Nations people to transition out of the justice system and support them into employment and education or training. This support may include connecting to Country and culture, and to supports like housing and health. Phase 1 of the program will begin in a cross-section of facilities across states and territories, from second half of 2025, expanding nationwide under Phase 2. Full-scale delivery of the REAL Program will occur in Phase 2 with the aim to cover the remaining locations nationally (youth and adult facilities) from the second half of 2026. Organisations will be selected to deliver the program through competitive grant processes. The department will continue to engage with stakeholders to inform the implementation of the program.
Consultations
The department has held two public rounds of consultation on the design of the program. We will continue to consult as the program is implemented. This will ensure the program meets stakeholder and community expectations, including consultation on the draft Grant Opportunity Guidelines.
The first round of consultations was held in 2023 and informed the high-level design of the REAL Program. The department heard from First Nations people with lived experience of the justice system, First Nations groups, justice reform advocates, community organisations and service providers from across the country on how employment supports can be improved for First Nations people who have been incarcerated.
The second round of consultations closed Friday 8 November 2024. The feedback has fed into the detailed design of the program.
A summary of the feedback received from the consultations can be found here.
First round consultation discussion paper:
Second round consultation discussion paper:
Information on how to apply for the grants to deliver the program will be provided on this page when available.