Australia’s biggest Catholic not-for-profit health and aged care provider is the latest company to sign up to the Turnbull Government’s Employment Parity Initiative (EPI), promising to employ an additional 500 Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander staff by 2020, up from 70.

Under its agreement, St Vincent’s, which has over 17,000 employees, will increase its Indigenous workforce from 0.29% to 3.24%. At least 70% of the positions will be filled by long-term unemployed jobseekers.

Launched in 2015, the EPI requires companies commit to an Indigenous workforce of at least 3%, reflecting that Indigenous people are 3% of the population.