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Labor spells out indigenous plan

By Annabel Stafford

6 October 2007 - A LABOR government would retain the 30-year old Aboriginal work-for-the dole scheme in the Northern Territory, in its first major departure from the Government over its controversial emergency intervention in the NT.

The promise to keep the Community Development and Employment Program is the first instalment of what Labor says will be a "strategy for indigenous economic development".

But it will change the scheme to ensure it focuses on training, developing job strategies with industry and government, and hatching indigenous businesses — rather than being a welfare scheme, something that it has become to many.

"We see CDEP as a way of getting people work-ready, making sure they get on-the-job training … through wage subsidies … and incubating new businesses," Labor's indigenous affairs spokeswoman, Jenny Macklin, said.

One of the problems of abolishing CDEP and replacing it with the mainstream dole was that once recipients started to work, they lost dole payments quickly, creating a large disincentive to work, "whereas under CDEP you can earn a lot more before you start losing your payments", she said

Ms Macklin said CDEP workers who did essential government or community work — such as night patrols or youth work — would be transferred to the payroll of the responsible government agency and paid a proper wage, freeing up CDEP funds to develop job opportunities.

As part of this reform, Labor would also spend $90 million over five years to train and employ up to 300 indigenous environmental rangers around Australia, she said.

There are already an estimated 700 indigenous rangers carrying out activities such as environmental protection, eradication of feral pests and fire management, but many were paid low CDEP wages.

Labor would also increase spending on indigenous protected areas from $6 million to $50 million over five years.

And it would spend $10 million to help develop carbon trading opportunities, including a legal framework to allow indigenous communities that were reducing carbon emissions through fire management to collect carbon credits and trade them.

Joe Morrison, executive officer of the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, who has been pushing for the creation of 2000 indigenous ranger positions said the Labor plan was "a step in the right direction".

"It will be interesting to hear what the Government comes up with, because this is a growth area that has a lot of potential to outstrip the supply (of rangers)."

But Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough said Labor was backing away from the NT emergency response and would "lead Aboriginal people back down the road of passive welfare, just when they are beginning to embrace the Howard Government's reforms".

While the Government has kept CDEP operating in remote areas in other states, it has scrapped CDEP in the NT because it says the payments cannot be quarantined like welfare. The Government is taking the action in remote towns to reduce cash available for alcohol.

Source: The Age

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