INFO FOR EMPLOYEES

BBRCDEP provides employment for more than 100 local Indigenous people. Employees either work in BBRCDEP work places or are employed in the community in a range of workplaces. Additionally some BBRCDEP employees are involved in training and apprenticeship schemes.

Who is eligible to become a BBRCDEP employee?
How do I apply to be employed by BBRCDEP?
Is there a waiting list?
Who Pays CDEP wages?
What are the BBRCDEP conditions of employment?
What do I do if I have a problem or complaint?
Can I create my own job?

Who is eligible to become a BBRCDEP employee?
The BBRCDEP program is specifically for Indigenous people within Bundaberg and Burnett region. Applicants must be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander and recognised as such by the community.

How do I apply to be employed by BBRCDEP?
If you are interested in working with BBRCDEP contact Stirling Eggmolesse or Kym Hawkins from the Employment Team and have a chat about what is involved and what work is available. Sterling and Kym can be contacted at the Barolin Street office, on (07) 4151 5402.

Stirling Eggmolesse, Employment Services Manager

Kym Hawkins, Employment Officer

Kelli O'Grady, Employment Officer

When you register with BBRCDEP an eligibility check is done with Centrelink therefore you must be in receipt of some form of Centrelink payments.

When registering with BBRCDEP please ensure you have the following documents (this will ensure there is no delay in your registration process):

• Photo ID
• Confirmation of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander with a common seal stamp
• Bank details [BSB and account number]
• Tax File Number

Is there a waiting list?
There is a high demand for employment with BBRCDEP and some types of work have a waiting list. The Employment Team can tell you more about this.

Who Pays CDEP wages?
Thirty years ago Indigenous communities decided that they wanted to provide an alternative to welfare benefits for their people and after discussion with Government established the CDEP program. CDEP money comes from what would normally be CentreLink benefits. This money is paid to BBRCDEP to pay their employees instead of the employees receiving CentreLink benefits.

As an employee you will be paid weekly by CQID. In some circumstances you will also be eligible for extra benefits from CentreLink which the Employment Team or a CentreLink representative can explain to you.

Most BBRCDEP employees work 14 hours per week and earn the equivalent of a CentreLink benefit. Some positions attract a 'top-up' payment. Top-ups are extra wages paid to the employee for extra hours of work. How much 'top-up' you receive is determined by the requirements of the job. The employment team can explain this in more detail.

What are the BBRCDEP conditions of employment?
Employment conditions for BBRCDEP are in accordance with State and Federal Government regulations. Information about Holidays, Sick Leave, Hours of work etc are all explained in the attached document.

>>> download the 'Employment Conditions' document.

What do I do if I have a problem or complaint?
If you are employed by BBRCDEP, or on our waiting list, and have a problem with the service we are providing please let us know. You can speak with a member of the Employment Team or your Supervisor. If you are still not satisfied please speak confidentially with Ara Harathunian the CEO. Alternately you can write to Ara or directly to the Board of Management. If you write to us about a complaint please mark your letter 'Private and Confidential' and address it to the CEO or the Chairperson of the Board.

If you are still not satisfied with some aspect of our service you are entitled to contact the Government funding body and ask for their assistance in resolving the matter. The appropriate contact for BBRCDEP funding is the Manager of the Central Queensland Indigenous Coordination Centre:
PO Box 550, Rockhampton Qld 4700
Free call: 1800 079 098

If you are a BBRCDEP participant but are not working at a BBRCDEP service and are having a problem with your employer please speak with the Employment Team as soon as possible. BBRCDEP will assist you and the employer to resolve the problem. Our experience is that the sooner a problem is talked about the easier it is to fix so please talk to us before the situation becomes very difficult.

Can I create my own job?
One of the important activities of BBRCDEP is to help build a strong, productive and harmonious community. If you have an idea of a job that would help build and strengthen the local Indigenous community please talk to us.

Many of the best CDEP programs have come about because one person had a really good idea. You might have an idea for a small business or need help in running a community organisation. Whatever your idea we would be interested in discussing it with you. Obviously we have a limited supply of funds and there are regulations about what and how we work but we may be able to assist you so it is definitely worth talking to us. You could either speak with the Employment Team or the CEO.
Employment Services Team