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| Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Community Development Employment Projects |
| Established | 1977 |
| Region | Australia |
| Type | Welfare-to-work scheme |
| Administered by | Department of Employment and Workplace Relations |
Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) Community Development Employment Projects were an Australian Indigenous employment scheme introduced in the late 20th century to provide income support and local work opportunities in remote and urban Indigenous communities. The program operated across diverse jurisdictions including the Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, interacting with institutions such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions, the Howard Government and the Keating Government. CDEP intersected with policy debates involving the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, and organisations like the National Indigenous Australians Agency.
CDEP originated amid policy shifts following the 1970s social movements and inquiries such as the Woodward Royal Commission, the Galarrwuy Yunupingu-led land rights activism, and the rise of organisations including the Australian Council of Social Service, the National Aboriginal Conference and the Aboriginal Legal Service. Influences included international programs such as the New Deal policies of the United Kingdom, the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act debates in the United States, and employment initiatives linked to the International Labour Organization and United Nations Development Programme. Key political actors involved in establishing CDEP included Prime Ministers Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, ministers from the Whitlam era, and Indigenous leaders associated with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation.
CDEP combined income support, local project funding and workforce development to address unemployment in communities with limited access to markets, drawing on models used by the Community Action Program, the CDEP differed from the Newstart Allowance and the Disability Support Pension administered by Centrelink and influenced by policy instruments such as the Social Security Act and the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act. Objectives included supporting community governance through councils and corporations like Aboriginal Medical Service boards, promoting culturally appropriate service delivery aligned with institutions such as the Torres Strait Regional Authority, and enabling participation in local industries including tourism linked to Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park and ranger programs modelled after organisations like Bush Heritage Australia.
Implementation occurred through regional offices tied to federal agencies, Indigenous corporations registered under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act and local councils such as the Shire of Broome. Delivery mechanisms involved partnerships with training bodies like TAFE, employment agencies such as Centrelink contractors, and non-government organisations including the Brotherhood of St Laurence and the Fred Hollows Foundation. Operational practices varied across jurisdictions—Northern Territory remote settlements, Queensland Aboriginal Shire Councils, Western Australian remote communities—drawing on administrative precedents from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, state departments of Indigenous affairs, and local land councils involved in Native Title negotiations and ranger programs.
Evaluations by bodies including the Australian National Audit Office, the Productivity Commission and academic researchers from the Australian National University and the University of Sydney reported complex outcomes. Positive effects cited involvement of local participants in service delivery for health clinics, community housing maintenance, cultural centres and land management compatible with projects run by the Indigenous Land Corporation and ranger groups associated with Parks Australia. Economic and social outcomes were debated in studies referencing metrics used by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and policy reviews conducted during the Rudd government and the Gillard government, with comparisons to programs in Canada involving First Nations, New Zealand involving iwi development, and the United States involving tribal employment policies.
Critiques emerged from unions such as the Australian Council of Trade Unions and advocacy groups including Reconciliation Australia, arguing about wage levels, conditions relative to awards administered by the Fair Work Commission and potential displacement of mainstream jobs in industries represented by the National Farmers' Federation and the Minerals Council of Australia. Legal and political controversies involved litigation and parliamentary scrutiny in contexts influenced by the Northern Territory Intervention, debates around the Howard Government’s welfare reforms, and clashes with Indigenous representative bodies such as the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples. Academic critics from institutions like Monash University and the University of Melbourne highlighted methodological issues in program evaluations cited by the Productivity Commission.
Reform phases involved restructuring under successive administrations, including transitions affected by the abolition of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission and policy shifts under the Howard, Rudd and Abbott governments. Successor arrangements included trial programs integrated into mainstream employment services, initiatives run by the National Indigenous Australians Agency, and localised economic development projects funded through the Indigenous Advancement Strategy and administered in partnership with organisations like Indigenous Business Australia. Comparative references in reform debates included welfare-to-work transitions in the United Kingdom under Tony Blair, Indigenous employment initiatives in Canada’s Department of Indigenous Services, and community development models promoted by the World Bank and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Category:Indigenous Australian history Category:Welfare in Australia Category:Employment programs