Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to talk about Indigenous employment. The Community Development Employment Program, which has been in existence for around 28 years now, has played an important part in many communities over that period. Without the CDEP, many communities would not have developed as much as they have. For example, perhaps more so at homelands or outstations—this government would want to refer to them in a degrading way as cultural museums—many projects are carried out that without the CDEP would never have happened. These have included building, setting up small stores, maintaining the water supplies, creating gardens, doing art work and much more.

Back in the initial stages, in those early years, the emphasis was more on development than getting participants job ready for proper work. The initial request to create the CDEP came from Indigenous people themselves. Long ago they had an idea that they did not actually want to get Centrelink or welfare payments for nothing. They wanted to do some sort of volunteer work to receive those payments. Let us not forget that, as major changes are about to be made to this program. Training was still done back then in areas such as small engine maintenance to look after outboard motors, windmill or airstrip maintenance, home management skills and so on. All were practically based to teach skills needed to live in these small, very remote places.

Back in those days, though, the CDEP coordinators were often hands-on people who could do a bit of administration and a lot of practical work. Now they are administrators with little or no time for this sort of commitment. Much of this, of course, was in the days of ATSIC, when Indigenous people had a fair chance of a say in the policy and practice of programs. They had their elected voice. They had quite a large degree of control over the CDEP, which did not undergo any radical changes for many years. The result was that the CDEP became seen as a job in itself; not well paid, with no real prospects and without proper pay or conditions. This began to be highlighted when participants started asking when they could take long service leave. Suddenly, some of them looked around and realised they had been on the CDEP for 10 years, but they would not enjoy the same benefits that other people in the working nation would enjoy. In some cases they asked what payment they would get when they retired.

Over the initial years CDEP participant numbers rose only slowly. But, despite these pitfalls for participants, from 1980, when there were around 1,300 participants, to 2002, when there were over 35,000 participants, it grew fast. Now, according to estimates information from DEWR, there are more than 37,000 Indigenous Australians in this country receiving CDEP payments.

In 1997 the first review was carried out—it is now known as the Spicer report—in which there was more of a push towards employment outcomes. Still under ATSIC, the Indigenous voice was able to block any such moves and defend the social, cultural and community development side of the program. The program under ATSIC remained flexible across a very wide range of communities and activities. However, with the abolition of ATSIC in 2004 the mainstreaming of the CDEP began, with DEWR getting its fingers in the pie and things starting to change dramatically. Dr Will Sanders, from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, wrote in an October 2004 paper titled ‘Indigenous centres in the policy margins: the CDEP scheme over 30 years’:

I will boldly predict that CDEP will not sit as comfortably and centrally in the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) as it did in ATSIC ... because DEWR has a strong employment and labour market focus and could lose patience and interest in the community development and income support aspects of CDEP.

How right he was only two years ago. This certainly remains a concern for CDEP organisations. There would be the temptation for any government department—and there has been, given DEWR’s record in the last 12 months—when given a new program, especially one so varied as CDEP, to try to mould it into something more easily fitted into established department practices. Certainly DEWR was showing a very rigorous employment approach.

Nobody would deny that the ideal situation would see more Indigenous people in proper jobs and better able to manage financially. The reality is that over 70 per cent of CDEP participants are in remote and very remote regions. They live in areas where the job market is very limited or in fact non-existent. Despite this, figures from CDEP 2005: a new home and new objectives for a very old program, a seminar paper presented by Altman and Gray from the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, show that in these areas, firstly, CDEP provides higher income than being unemployed; and, secondly, a significant number of participants work more than the regulation hours. Indeed, CDEP generated nearly 3,800 full-time jobs in very remote regions as compared to only 1,500 placed by IECs—Indigenous Employment Centres—over two years. So in very remote areas the CDEP outperforms IECs in getting people into full-time jobs.

Altman and Gray also found what those who have lived in very remote areas already know well. CDEP enables participants to have greater access to traditional activities and to attend cultural events—in other words, to keep their culture strong. Unfortunately, some of the more recent statements from the government side can only open the way for more concern—homelands being referred to as cultural museums and the idea of Indigenous culture being removed from school curricula. It looks almost as though, by hook or by crook, this government is going to go back to the old days of the assimilation policy. With no one elected voice to defend themselves against such lines of thought, Indigenous people are certainly feeling very uneasy, as we all should, under the present government.

Changes were made to CDEP in 2005, and the DEWR discussion paper at the time, released in February last year, recognised that change would need to be slow. However, we are just over a year down the track in 2006 and still more changes have been made, to be implemented at the start of July—in a little over a week. It seems that these changes are being made with insufficient consultation or time. I recognise that DEWR have held meetings around the country, but two-hour meetings do not achieve much with Indigenous people in remote areas. They have received a limited number of submissions, but these have not been overly helpful or detailed. Furthermore, there is little mention in DEWR papers of evidence based research being done or used in framing any of these changes, certainly not when it comes to remote areas.

The ATSI Social Justice Commissioner put out a fact sheet dealing with the CDEP reforms. In it he says that his office will be monitoring the moving of Indigenous people into non-CDEP jobs. Let us be very clear about this. Labor supports Indigenous people being able to move off CDEP into real jobs. But I remain yet to be convinced that the government fully understands the real conditions existing for many CDEP participants. They live in remote or very remote areas where alternative employment options are few. Of course, there are some, but if surveys count jobs such as council CEOs or accountants then filling these with Indigenous people is a long way off. Levels of literacy, numeracy and health, for example, all impinge on employment.

I am concerned that the latest changes are more about administration and governance than working on the real problems and getting Indigenous people into real work. The move to strongly encourage young people into education and training could be positive, but if it takes into account the abovementioned factors, among others, it should be resourced accordingly. Forcing CDEP participants to sign on with Job Network ignores the reality of job markets. And then, when there are real jobs in land management, marine management and so on, other government departments will not fund them and rules prevent Indigenous people from doing them. I am concerned that, while DEWR may be pursuing a rigorous employment approach, there is no overall planning or strategy, and in fact real jobs are being ignored. (Time expired)