Residents speak out against proposed changes to Community Development Employment Program

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