About 50 employees at remote schools across Western Australia's north could lose their jobs as a result of federal government funding coming to an end.
A number of Aboriginal schools in the Kimberley region have received grants from the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) to employ local Indigenous people as language teachers, groundsmen and in other roles.
The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), part of the department of prime minister and cabinet, confirmed federal funding will end.
"Consistent with such arrangements in other states, the government is transitioning out of these funding arrangements," it told the ABC in a statement.
Forty nine positions across six schools will be affected.
Ken Wyatt, the minister for Indigenous Australians, said the schools will be offered a further year of funding under the IAS during 2020. It is not clear if or how the jobs might be funded beyond 2020.
Mr Wyatt indicated he would lobby the West Australian government to provide ongoing funding.
“We are keen to work with the state government to ensure transitional arrangements are resolved,” he said in a statement.
“As the first Aboriginal person to hold the position of Minister for Indigenous Australians, one of my highest priorities is to see more children receiving quality education – with literacy and numeracy skills being a vital component.”
