Twice As Many CDEP Participants Get Jobs - 20 October 2006

The Australian Government’s Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) programme is performing strongly, with the latest performance figures showing double the number of people moving from CDEP into paid work over the past three months compared with the same period last year.

The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, hailed the latest figures as a major achievement in getting Indigenous Australians into real jobs.

Between July and September 2006, 1482 people moved from CDEP into paid work, compared with 731 people in the same period in 2005. This improvement in performance is being seen more strongly in remote areas than in urban areas.

"This result is proof that the significant reforms to CDEP that the Government started in 2005-06 and has continued this financial year are hitting the mark," Mr Andrews said.

"I’m particularly pleased to see the impact these reforms are having in regional and remote Australia with employment outcomes for CDEP increasing by 113% on the previous year to date. We’ve also seen strong performance in urban areas however with a 97% increase over the same period"

"Indigenous Australians, many of whom have languished for too long in make-work situations, are now beginning to reap the rewards of the Government’s CDEP reforms and getting the opportunities they deserve to share in the real economy.

"It’s good for the individuals, it’s good for their families, and it’s good for employers and for the Australian taxpayer.

"For their part, Indigenous Australians have welcomed and embraced the opportunities to move into real jobs. As a result, twice as many Indigenous people are getting jobs.

"I’m delighted with this result and look forward to even better results in the future." Mr Andrews said