An Australian first Indigenous language and culture hub is being launched in Dubbo.

The state government initiative brings together a number of stakeholders including early childhood organisations, universities and TAFE to promote learning of the Wiradjuri language and culture.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Victor Dominello says it aims to improve school attendance rates and employment for Indigenous people.

“If you’re staying at school longer and you’re getting a better eduction regardless of what job you transition into you’ve got a greater prospect after a thorough education of getting a job,” he said.

“In relation to language specific jobs people can become teachers, people can become in the tourism industry where people enjoy seeing, in fact come to see, more of our first peoples culture.”

He says it will also tackle truancy problems in some communities.

“In the short to medium term we should hopefully get some results but in the long term that’s where we’ll see the real benefits.

“If students have a greater sense of their identity through their language and their culture and they are being taught that in school then there’s a greater inventive not only to go to school, but stay in school.”

The program is part of the new OCHRE model for Aboriginal Affairs and will eventually be rolled out to other areas.