Outlined in a November 6 discussion paper titled ‘Indigenous
Potential Meets Economic Opportunity,’ the proposed changes would see Redfern’s
CDEP funding ceased. Federal Labor Member for Sydney Tanya Plibersek, and
Sydney City Councillor Tony Pooley headed up the meeting.
Under the proposed changes, Indigenous Australians now using
the services would be forced into mainstream employment services under the
Government’s Structured Training and Employment Projects program.
Ms Plibersek told the SSH that, if implemented, the STEP
system will force people onto New-Start, fostering a cycle of unemployment, with
less money going into the community.
Since 1977, the CDEP
system has allowed a community-created fund from combined unemployment
benefits. This then creates Indigenous-run businesses that employ the jobless
and provide low-cost services to the community. The proposed changes encompass Australia
on a national basis but the Government has stipulated that city areas will no
longer be subsidized for CDEP because they are areas that are not troubled by
high unemployment.
Those that have participated with Redfern CDEP businesses
say it is vital for the community’s well-being. “The changes are a potential
disaster … this (CDEP) program has enabled people to build up a reliable wage
who would otherwise not have access to a job,” said Tony Pooley, Sydney City
Councillor and former Mayor of South Sydney.
Don Isles, Resources Officer for the Redfern Aboriginal
Corporation – a CDEP creation – told the SSH
that there is concern that the RAC will be unsustainable without subsidization.
The RAC provides a range of services through its businesses, which include
catering, lawn mowing, rubbish and furniture removal, and landscape gardening.
“The CDEP worked, in that it gave the most disadvantaged in
our community dignity, self worth, a sense of belonging, and helped with their
personal problems. The new program will find it difficult to service these
people. The social benefit will be gone and ultimately the community will bear
the social cost,” said Mr Isles. “We won’t be able to help people as much
because under the new program it will depend on how commercially viable we
are,” he said.
The release of the discussion paper surprised many as it
conflicts with a position announced by Kevin Andrews’ office only one month
earlier. In October 2006, Mr Andrews stated in a press release that he was
delighted with CDEP results and looked forward to better results in the future.
The Federal Government however now says that the STEP system
is more effective in getting Indigenous Australians into work. “STEP is more
employment focused. It takes less than 12 months, which goes against what some
CDEPs claim, that it takes up to three years to get people into employment,”
said Brendan Darcy, Advisor to Kevin Andrews, previously Federal Minister for
Employment and Workplace Relations. The report states that only 5 per cent of
people moving through the CDEP program in 2005-06 were recorded as achieving
employment after CDEP.
Mr Isles said recently that “the new guidelines may be good
for some people who are job ready and may be suited to mainstream employment,
but for people who have issues of dependency and may need to take occasional
time off to go and pick up their methadone it’s not much good.”
Federal Liberal Senator Marise Payne, and an officer of the
Department for Employment and Workplace Relations, visited Redfern Aboriginal Corporation
early this month for further discussions. The SSH will have a full
report next month.
Source: South Sydney Herald February 2007