Recommendation 1
7.8 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government immediately replace the
current CDP compliance and penalty regime with obligations that are no more
onerous than those of other income support recipients. CDP participants must
have the same legal rights and other responsibilities as other income support
participants, taking into account special circumstances such as remote
locations and cultural obligations.
Recommendation 2
7.9 The
committee recommends that CDP requirements should be adjusted in order to
ensure that participants are able to meet them for the majority of the time and
are more closely aligned with the requirements of other income support
participants. Those in work or work-like activity should have the general
obligations and benefits of any worker.
7.10 The
committee recommends that eight-week serious non-compliance penalties should
not be applied during this transition period except under exceptional
circumstances.
Recommendation 3
7.12 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
undertake an immediate audit of all existing Community Development Program
providers. The audit should assess service delivery quality, and employment
outcomes in order to inform any extension of contracts until the roll-out of a
new program. In cases where underperformance is identified, the Department of
the Prime Minister and Cabinet should work to ensure appropriate action is
taken to ensure that providers meet expected standards.
Recommendation 4
7.14 The
committee recommends an audit be conducted of interpreter services available to
clients and Department of Human Services officers. The committee recommends
the Department of Human Services invest in identifying, training and employing
local people in remote communities and community controlled organisations who
can provide Centrelink CDP-related liaison services in local Indigenous
languages.
Recommendation 5
7.16 The
committee recommends that Centrelink provides a dedicated telephone service for
CDP participants staffed by officers familiar with the CDP program.
Recommendation 6
7.19 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, led
by the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, engage in genuine and comprehensive
consultation with remote communities, Indigenous organisations, employment
providers and other stakeholders on the reforms required to be made to the
Community Development Program.
Recommendation 7
7.20 The
committee recommends that the reform process for any new program should be
focussed on the goal of community empowerment, and give active consideration to
the proposals as outlined in the Aboriginal Peak Organisations of the Northern
Territory's submission and supported by others. The establishment of an
indigenous-led board and local governance committees as recommended by
Aboriginal Peak Organisations of the Northern Territory should be considered.
7.21 Communities
must be given a greater say in how a community development program is delivered
in their area including the prioritisation of projects and the nature of
approved work activities. Greater community control should harness the skills,
experiences and knowledge of local community and Indigenous organisations.
Recommendation 8
7.24 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
provide practical support to local remote and Indigenous organisations to build
governance and service delivery capacity in areas that enables these
organisations to successfully tender for the new community development program.
Recommendation 9
7.28 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government implement a payment scheme
for remote jobseekers with income based on participation in agreed work-like
activities, and incentives for additional activities in community development
programs. The committee recommends that participation in community development
program work activities should be compensated at an hourly rate commensurate
with the national minimum wage.
Recommendation 10
7.30 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
carefully consider and, where appropriate, minimise the administrative
processes required of providers engaged in the new community development
program.
Recommendation 11
7.33 The
committee recommends that funding agreements between the Australian Government
and providers delivering services in future community development programs
include a requirement that information on the quantum of funding, the
allocation of funding and the investment in training and basic vocational
skills be collected and made publicly available. The publicly available
financial information should include the dollar value of Centrelink payments
that are foregone by participants due to CDP breaches.
Recommendation 12
7.36 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet work
closely with Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) to ensure that remote communities
are aware of the lending products that IBA can provide and assist individuals
to lodge applications.
Recommendation 13
7.40 The
committee recommends that the penalty funds (breaches) currently diverted from
the community as a result of non-compliance and any ancillary payments
allocated for providers should be applied to support local community
development program activities identified by the community, or to top-up
specific wages where appropriate.
7.41 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government provide additional funding
for community development activities, similar to the Community Development
Funding previously available under the Remote Jobs and Communities Programs.
Recommendation 14
7.46 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government work closely with all
relevant state and territory and local governments to develop a five-year
strategic plan for infrastructure and service delivery in remote communities.
The strategic plan should be updated annually.
Recommendation 15
7.50 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
mandate that all service providers delivering the new community development
program, in consultation with the local community and potential employers,
develop a local jobs plan taking into consideration the job-readiness of the
community. The local jobs plan would seek to transition service delivery
staffed by non-local personnel, apart from highly specialised professionals, to
local employment in a staged manner. In addition, the local jobs plan should
ensure that paid work experience and training positions are created to enable
young people to gain employment experience on leaving school.
Recommendation 16
7.51 The
committee recommends that the definition of work activities under the revised
CDP program should be expanded to include cultural transmission activities that
are prioritised by the local community in their local jobs plans.
Recommendation 17
7.55 The
committee recommends that the Australian National Audit Office conduct an audit
of Australian Government contracts that relate to service delivery in remote
locations. This audit should have a specific focus on the use of, and
compliance with, Indigenous Employment Targets.
7.56 As
part of this audit, the committee recommends that the Australian National Audit
Office include state and territory government contracts where the Australian
Government has made a funding contribution for a particular purpose. The audit
should also report on how these contracts impact on Closing the Gap employment
targets.
Recommendation 18
7.57 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government review the guidelines for
Indigenous employment and work closely with the Council of Australian
Governments in order to establish a uniform approach to the application of
Indigenous Employment Targets to state, territory and Commonwealth contracts in
remote locations. Such an approach should include a mandatory target that forms
the basis of a key performance indicator which is then used to assess the
performance of a contractor for a current contract and used to assess
suitability for subsequent tenders.
Recommendation 19
7.59 The
committee recommends that the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
undertake an organisational review of its regional network to ensure that it
has the capabilities necessary to properly administer a program featuring
decentralised and local decision making focussed on the needs of remote
communities.
Recommendation 20
7.62 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government formally cost the
Aboriginal Peak Organisations of the Northern Territory submission. This
costing should include a comparison to the complete costs of the previous
Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) and the current CDP, including
costs such as the portion of the Department of Social Services' budget
(including outsourced funding arrangements) spent on administering the CDP.
Recommendation 21
7.63 The
committee recommends that the Australian Government, in designing the new program,
ensures that a rigorous, transparent and impartial evaluation process be
developed to guide implementation and delivery. This evaluation function may be
considered as part of the role for the planned Indigenous Commissioner in the
Productivity Commission.
Recommendation 22
7.65 The
committee recommends that during consultations on the new program that the
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Centrelink actively explore
the reasons for disengagement and seek to develop strategies to address this
issue.
7.66 The
committee also recommends that Centrelink take immediate proactive steps to
engage with participants who have disengaged from income support and employment
programs and assist them to reconnect.
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