On 19 December 2008, the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP and the Minister for Employment Participation, the Hon Brendan O’Connor MP announced reforms to the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program and Indigenous Employment Program (IEP) which will be implemented on 1 July 2009.
These reforms have been developed following consultations in May and October 2008 and are a key element in meeting the target of halving the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians within a decade.
The expanded IEP will build on existing program strengths and include more support for small and medium businesses employers, including pre-employment training and mentoring.
IEP will further target regional areas and specific industries experiencing labour shortages, as well as provide assistance to develop plans to recruit and retain Indigenous employees.
The new Employment Services model beginning on 1 July 2009, will continue to be the largest provider of employment services for Indigenous people, with better local servicing of Indigenous job seekers. Providers of the new Employment Services will be required to have an Indigenous Employment Strategy for employing and retaining Indigenous Australians in their own organisations.
Reforms to the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) have also been announced. For more information about the reforms visit www.indigenous.gov.au