Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Programme |
| Category: | Policy/Strategy | |
| Sub Category: | Policy/Strategy |
| Place: | |
| State/Country: | Australia |
| The CDEP Organisation locations are displayed on the 'Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Organisation' map published by Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Commonwealth Government (2006). |
| Alternative Names: | CDEP
|
| Summary Information: | |
| The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Programme ('the Programme') provides Indigenous people with employment and training. The aim of the Programme is to 'provide work for unemployed Indigenous people in community-managed activities which assist the individual in acquiring skills which benefit the community, develop business enterprises and/or lead to unsubsidised employment' (ATSIC, 2004). CDEPs also act as a stepping stone for Indigenous Australians moving into the mainstream labour force.
Under the scheme, participants forego their income-benefit entitlements, and are instead paid wages to work on CDEPs. There over 36,000 participants in the scheme.
The CDEP Programme was previously managed by ATSIC, but is now under the control of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). |
| Detailed Information: | |
| Changes to CDEP
In February 2007, the DEWR announced that CDEP would be discontinued in urban and regional areas where unemployment is below 7% to encourage the transition rate from CDEP-supported places to unsubsidised employment from 1 July 2007 (DEWR, 2007a). Subject to eligibility criteria, previous CDEP participants would be able to access unemployment benefits.
More recently, on 23 July 2007, DEWR made an announcement that CDEP in the Northern Territory would be removed as a key step in support of the Australian Government's emergency response to protect Indigenous children (DEWR, 2007b). According to a media release by DEWR, CDEP activities 'which have contributed to essential services and the ongoing economic viability of a community will continue [and] those jobs will be transferred to agencies who normally employ such workers.' | |
