INDIGENOUS CONSULTING

Hugh Watson Consulting has a strong reputation and considerable experience in Indigenous consulting which has involved
consultations at national level and in remote, regional and urban communities. That experience includes:

    • Qualitative evaluation of the Indigenous Apprenticeship Readiness Program funded under the Empowering YOUth Initiatives (EYI) for the Department of Jobs and Small Business
    • Research project on Indigenous Mentoring Program as part of Supporting Indigenous Job Seekers Review for the Department of Employment
    • Review of operational partnerships in the remote Indigenous broadcasting sector for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
    • Review of the National Indigenous News Service for the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
    • An Assessment of Reconciliation Australia’s delivery of activities under the “improving relationships” Funding Agreement Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs
    • Assessment of the Vocational Training and Employment Centres (VTEC) model proposed by the Australian Employment Covenant and GenerationOne.
    • Review of Jobs Fund projects in five Indigenous communities as part of National Jobs Fund Evaluation for the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
    • Development of a Business Plan for a Kimberley Region ‘At-Risk’ Indigenous Youth Diversion Program for the Kimberley Aboriginal Kimberley Aboriginal Law and Culture Centre (KALACC)
    • Review of the operations and governance of National Indigenous Radio Service(NIRS) for the Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts
    • Review of the operations and governance of Imparja Television for the Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts
    • Review of the operations and governance of National Indigenous Television (NITV) for the Department of Environment, Heritage, Water and the Arts
    • National Evaluation of the National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Program (NIELNS) for the Department of Education, Science and Training, including visits to 24 Indigenous communities
    • Facilitation of the first and second ever meetings of Australia’s 120 Indigenous leaders for ATSIC

In addition, Dr Watson is also a former senior advisor to a Cabinet Minister during which time he visited the Kimberley to assess the needs of Indigenous schools following which he developed a major paper for Government on Indigenous education. He was a Group General Manager with the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games which included executive responsibility for the Indigenous Program for the Olympic Games.