WHAT IS BBRCDEP?

The Bundaberg and Burnett Region Community Development Employment Program is a community organization managed by representatives of the local indigenous communities. The BBRCDEP works to strengthen indigenous communities by providing a range of community and economic development activities including employment opportunities.

The BBRCDEP was established in 2003 and since that time has placed 130 people in ongoing employment within the mainstream community as well as indigenous agencies. As well as individual job development BBRCDEP has initiated several business ventures including a gardening service and a furniture manufacturing program.

Although a young organisation the BBRCDEP has commenced work on important community infrastructure initiatives as well as business activities. These include a furniture construction business, a lawn-mowing enterprise, and MurriCare.

WHAT IS CDEP?
The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme is run by the Commonwealth Government to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to take control of their own community, enhance economic and social development and to provide employment for people in their communities.

CDEP offers indigenous Australians the opportunity to work in a wide range of community development projects and enterprises. To partake in the scheme, unemployed members of a community or group choose to give up their current entitlements with Centrelink. The Government offers a grant to the CDEP community organisation to enable it to undertake community-managed activities and pay wages to participants.

Community organisations responsible for the management of projects also receive funding to cover the costs of administration and capital items required to conduct work projects.

CDEP began in 1977 in response to direct requests from indigenous communities who recognised the need to combat the debilitating effects of entrenched unemployment. Today more than 34,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in over 270 communities participate in the scheme.

CDEP offers indigenous Australians the opportunity to work in a wide range of community-development projects and enterprises. In place of DFaCS benefits foregone by community members DEWR provides a grant to a community or organisation to pay wages to participants to undertake community managed activities. *

For futher information on the Australian Community Development Employment Program call 1802 102 or visit http://www.workplace.gov.au

* Text taken from: Community Development Employment Projects - What It’s All About. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission 2002. www.atsic.gov.au/programs/Economic/CDEP/.