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Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs

CDEP and Work for the Dole

The former Australian Government had a policy of phasing out the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program as part of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER).

This process was placed on hold in December 2007, after the election of the new Australian Government. In April 2008 the Government announced that CDEP could be restored from 1 July 2008 in those Northern Territory communities where it had ceased.

The Government is committed to a reformed CDEP program with a focus on training, employment and business development.

Public consultation about the future of CDEP and the Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) was undertaken this year to inform a broader Indigenous Economic Development Strategy, to be announced in 2009. The reforms to CDEP and the IEP will complement the Government’s new employment-services system. 

The restoration of CDEP in Territory communities is an interim arrangement to ensure a consistent base for all CDEP providers and participants to implement the anticipated reforms to the program. These are expected to be in place by 1 July 2009.

In the Northern Territory, all Remote Area Exemptions in the welfare system were removed by the end of 2007. This means that people no longer receive their income-support payments unconditionally.

Most job seekers living in remote areas of the Northern Territory now have to look for work or participate in work-related activities in order to receive income-support payments. (Carers of children under school age and people on age or disability pensions do not have to meet these conditions.)

Activities include participation in Work for the Dole, a work-experience program involving community-based projects across Australia.

New Work for the Dole activities have been developed to support the NTER. The initial focus was to support community clean up and repair. Activities currently being developed focus on providing quality work experience and enhancing local communities.

Community Employment Brokers work in many NTER communities to help people understand their participation requirements and connect them to employment-service providers. At November 2008 there are 31 Community Employment Brokers servicing 60 communities and associated outstations and two town camp regions.