Cape York Employment

Cape York Employment The right of Indigenous people to build a real economy is at the centre of our work. They saw it tearing away at the hope of the young people.

Cape York Employment works throughout Cape York to create pathways to meaningful employment by working with local job seekers to identify job opportunities, provide access to training, improve job-readiness and address barriers to employment. Ending Passivity

When the old people of Cape York gathered in the early 1990s, inspiring the Cape York Agenda, they declared passive welfare as a scourge ri

pping apart their communities. They could not stand by and watch their people retreat to the evils of addiction in response to the despair of passivity. With that thinking, they knew that a job was the best way to provide hope and turn round the dysfunction spreading across their communities. Our challenge is to move people from welfare dependence to an economically viable future. We do this by identifying job opportunities, building work capabilities and social norms that support a strong work ethic, and engaging potential employers. As the region is underdeveloped, the number of job seekers in Aurukun and Coen far outstrips the number of jobs available locally. Wherever possible, job seekers in Aurukun and Coen are assisted to plan to get one of the limited number of the local jobs available, get on a realistic training pathway to a local or regional job, or consider taking up work opportunities elsewhere.

๐—•๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ปโ€™๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ. โค๏ธFor Shakarnie and Shahara, new jobs in Coen mean building skills,...
02/09/2026

๐—•๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฎ ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐—ปโ€™๐˜ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ป ๐—น๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ. โค๏ธ

For Shakarnie and Shahara, new jobs in Coen mean building skills, growing their careers and giving back to their community, while staying connected to family, culture and Country.

Their roles have been created through the Remote Jobs and Economic Development (RJED) programme, supported by Cape York Employment and funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA).

Read how local jobs are creating opportunities close to home in our Newsroom ๐Ÿ‘‡
https://ow.ly/ljOY50ZHcsj

Weโ€™re excited to introduce Chris Towers to the Cape York Employment team.๐Ÿ‘‹Chris brings extensive experience working alon...
01/09/2026

Weโ€™re excited to introduce Chris Towers to the Cape York Employment team.๐Ÿ‘‹

Chris brings extensive experience working alongside remote communities across the Northern Territory and beyond.

Originally from Katherine, Chris is a proud Territorian with a strong connection to regional and remote Australia. Through his work with the National Indigenous Australians Agency's RAES program, he has had the privilege of working across communities including Maningrida, Angurugu, Umbakumba, Milyakburra, Wadeye, Borroloola, Bililuna, Balgo, Warburton, Wurrumiyanga, Kintore, Mt Liebig and Papunya.

These experiences have given Chris a deep appreciation for the strength, resilience, culture and connection within remote communities and the people who call them home.

๐Ÿ’ฌ โ€œIโ€™m passionate about supporting people, building genuine relationships and helping individuals work towards their goals while creating positive opportunities for themselves and their families.โ€

For Chris, it starts with listening, showing respect and taking the time to understand each community, its people and its unique strengths.

Outside of work, youโ€™ll likely find Chris fishing, travelling or exploring somewhere new. ๐ŸŽฃ๐ŸŒ
Welcome to Cape York Employment family, Chris! ๐Ÿ’™

๐Ÿ“ฃ ๐—” ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„.Mutual obligations for the Remote Australia Employment Service (R...
31/08/2026

๐Ÿ“ฃ ๐—” ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ณ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—บ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„.

Mutual obligations for the Remote Australia Employment Service (RAES) start again from 1 September 2026.

For people taking part in RAES, this means attending your monthly appointment with us, agreeing to a job plan and accepting or not leaving suitable paid work. And remember, we are here to support you.

If youโ€™re unsure what the changes mean for you, have questions or just want a yarn, the important thing is to keep talking with your CYE team member.

๐Ÿ‘‰ Scan the QR code for more information, or visit the National Indigenous Australians Agency website: http://www.niaa.gov.au/jobseekers

Changes start tomorrow, 1 September. Please share this update with family and friends who might need to know.

๐—” ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†! ๐Ÿ‘It was fantastic to see community members come together with representatives f...
28/08/2026

๐—” ๐—ด๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ธ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜ ๐—ฅ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐—ฎ๐˜†! ๐Ÿ‘

It was fantastic to see community members come together with representatives from CEQ, Lockhart River Council and CORES Queensland for our BBQ and information session about the new changes to the National Indigenous Australians Agencyโ€™s RAES program taking effect from 1 September 2026.

Our Program Coordinator, Chris, was out at the local store handing out flyers and encouraging people to come along, ask questions and find out what the changes mean.
We also had the opportunity to meet with local stakeholders and talk about vacancies and employment opportunities in the community.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the conversation. Please keep the conversation going by sharing what you learned today with family, friends and others in the community.

At Cape York Employment, weโ€™re looking forward to whatโ€™s ahead and continuing to work alongside Lockhart River jobseekers, employers and community organisations to create pathways towards meaningful, sustained employment.

A big thank you again, Lockhart River!

๐Ÿ“ข ๐—ง๐—ข๐——๐—”๐—ฌโ€™๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐——๐—”๐—ฌ, ๐—–๐—ข๐—˜๐—ก ๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—–๐—ž๐—›๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ!Have questions about the changes coming from 1 September? Come in and have a ...
27/08/2026

๐Ÿ“ข ๐—ง๐—ข๐——๐—”๐—ฌโ€™๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐——๐—”๐—ฌ, ๐—–๐—ข๐—˜๐—ก ๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—Ÿ๐—ข๐—–๐—ž๐—›๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ!

Have questions about the changes coming from 1 September?

Come in and have a yarn with our Cape York Employment team today.

๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒโ€™๐˜€ ๐—ป๐—ผ ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ธ ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฎ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ. Simply drop into your local CYE office any time during working hours and speak with one of our team members.

Weโ€™re here to answer your questions, explain the upcoming changes and make sure you have the information you need.

Come see us today. Weโ€™re here to help.

National Indigenous Australians Agency

๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ: ๐——๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐—œ๐—ป ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฌ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐Ÿ“ขHave questions about the upcoming RAES changes? Our Cape York Emp...
27/08/2026

๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ: ๐——๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฝ ๐—œ๐—ป ๐—ง๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฌ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ป ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐Ÿ“ข

Have questions about the upcoming RAES changes? Our Cape York Employment team will be available this Friday, 28 August, to explain whatโ€™s changing and what it means from 1 September.

You don't need to arrive at a specific time, simply drop in at your local CYE office during working hours to yarn with one of our team members.

Weโ€™re here to answer your questions, guide you through the upcoming changes, and make sure you have all the information you need.

๐Ÿ“… Friday 28 August
๐Ÿ“ Cape York Employment offices in Coen and Lockhart River
๐Ÿ•˜ Drop in any time during working hours

Come in and have a yarn with our team. Weโ€™re here to help.
National Indigenous Australians Agency

๐——๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€?๐Ÿ“ขCoen and Lockhart River, have questions about the changes coming on 1 Sept...
26/08/2026

๐——๐—ผ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—พ๐˜‚๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐˜ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€?๐Ÿ“ข

Coen and Lockhart River, have questions about the changes coming on 1 September?

Come down to your local Cape York Employment office this Friday, 28 August, and have a yarn with our team.

Weโ€™ll be available to answer your questions, talk you through the upcoming changes and make sure you have the information and support you need.

๐Ÿ“… Friday 28 August
๐Ÿ“ Cape York Employment offices in Coen and Lockhart River

Pop in and have a yarn with the CYE team. Weโ€™re here to help.

๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐Ÿ“ฃThere are changes coming to RAES. Cape York Employment wants to ensure our communities feel informed and...
24/08/2026

๐—–๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐Ÿ“ฃ

There are changes coming to RAES. Cape York Employment wants to ensure our communities feel informed and supported throughout this transition.

Cape York Employment is here to help you understand what these changes mean and how they may affect you.

Stay tuned for more information. Weโ€™ll keep you updated and ensure you have the information and support you need as the changes take effect.

06/08/2026

We're pleased to welcome Karl Adams as our new O-Hub Team Leader in Coen. ๐Ÿ‘‹

Karl is a proud First Nations man with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage and is originally from Weipa. His understanding of remote communities and the challenges people can face accessing services makes him a valuable addition to our team.

From the Coen O-Hub, Karl will help connect people with employment support through Cape York Employment while also working alongside our Cape Operations and Mayi Market teams to provide practical, coordinated support.

Karl is passionate about helping people achieve their goals and is looking forward to working with the Coen community to create meaningful opportunities and positive outcomes.

Welcome to the team, Karl. We look forward to the journey ahead. ๐Ÿค

Please join us in welcoming Shakarnie to the Cape York Employment team as our new Administration Team Leader at the Coen...
27/07/2026

Please join us in welcoming Shakarnie to the Cape York Employment team as our new Administration Team Leader at the Coen O-Hub! ๐ŸŽ‰ ๐ŸŒŸ

Shakarnie is a proud Coen woman who completed her schooling at Stuartholme School on a Cape York Leaders Program scholarship. She is currently studying a Bachelor in Business part-time while living in her community.

"This job will help set me up for an easier transition to full-time employment after completing my studies," Shakarnie shared.

We're proud to support local employment opportunities and create pathways for people to build meaningful careers in their own communities. We look forward to seeing Shakarnie grow and thrive in her new role.

Welcome to the team, Shakarnie! ๐ŸŒŸ

Address

302-310 Sheridan Street
Cairns, QLD
4870

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

(07) 4046 0600

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