Anne Urquhart (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Dodson, McAllister, McCarthy and Siewert, I move:

That the following matter be referred to the Finance and Public Administration References Committee for inquiry and report by 14 September 2017:

The appropriateness and effectiveness of the objectives, design, implementation and evaluation of the Community Development Program (CDP), with specific reference to:

(a) the adequacy of the policy process that led to the design of the CDP;

(b) the nature and underlying causes of joblessness in remote communities;

(c) the ability of the CDP to provide long-term solutions to joblessness, and to achieve social, economic and cultural outcomes that meet the needs and aspirations of remote Indigenous people;

(d) the impact of the CDP on the rights of participants and their communities, including the appropriateness of the payments and penalties systems;

(e) the funding of the CDP, including the use of unspent funds in the program;

(f) the extent of consultation and engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in the design and implementation of the CDP, and the role for local decision making within the program;

(g) alternative approaches to addressing joblessness and community development in remote Indigenous communities; and

(h) any other related matters.

Question agreed to.