CDEP scrapping worries Kempsey Mayor
Posted
A radical plan by the Federal Government to scrap an Indigenous work-for-the-dole scheme has not been welcomed in Kempsey on the New South Wales mid-north coast.
Under the proposal, Community Development and Employment Projects (CDEPs) would be restricted to remote communities.
New Kempsey Mayor John Bowell says it is a good idea to review Aboriginal employment strategies.
But he says if the CDEPs are scrapped a viable alternative has to be put in place.
"The most important thing is that they don't throw out the baby with the bathwater," he said.
"What I mean by that is that they're talking about closing the gap, they're talking about support for regional infrastructure and regional development.
"Make sure you've got a strategy before you throw out one set of circumstances out, make sure that what it's going to be replaced with is subject to a strategy and it's promoted accordingly."
Councillor Bowell is worried about the implications for the Kempsey Shire.
"It's essential that we know exactly what they're talking about and I make the point in relation to the Government going into the Northern Territory," he said.
"Was that given enough thought before they went in there? There's been a lot of criticism because of what they did up there.
"If they're going to look at this across the country, and we're concerned because of our Aboriginal population, make sure that the Government's got strategies in place before they throw out what's existing."
