Employment services for Indigenous people

A range of services are available to help eligible indigenous people with work-related issues:

• Community Development Employment Projects
• Community Development Employment Projects Placement Incentive
• Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP)
• Wage Assistance
• Indigenous Employment Centres
• Indigenous Employment Service
• Indigenous Specialist Officers
• Indigenous Call Centres
• Indigenous Small Business Fund

Community Development Employment Projects

The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme looks to enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations to take control of their own community, its economic and social development, and to provide employment for people in their communities.

If you work on one of these projects, you forgo your entitlement to social security allowances such as Newstart (unemployment) benefits in return for working on the CDEP for wages.

Age Pensioners, along with people on other pension type payments (such as Parenting Payment single), can continue to work on CDEP, however their pensions will be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis against any CDEP earnings, up to a threshold beyond which CDEP wages will be treated in the same way as other forms of income.

Community Development Employment Projects Placement Incentive

One of the main objectives of this part of the CDEP scheme is to act as a staging post for Indigenous participants to move into the mainstream labour market. If you leave the CDEP and go into on-going employment of at least 15 hours a week your CDEP organisation may be eligible for this incentive payment.

This payment is made when you are either employed by a CDEP organisation or your job is funded by CDEP grant funds. You must be being paid full award rates and not be on the CDEP schedule or receiving CDEP wages.

Your CDEP organisation will receive $700 when you start employment and a further $1,500 when you have been employed for 20 weeks.

Structured Training and Employment Projects (STEP)

STEP provides funding to employers and community organisations to help them provide, or find, long term jobs for Indigenous Australians.
Further information is available from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations.

Wage Assistance

If you are receiving an eligible Centrelink payment, are eligible for Family and Community Disability Employment Services, or participating in CDEP and get an on-going job of at least 15 hours a week, your new employer may be eligible to receive the Wage Assistance subsidy.

If your new job is full time your employer may get $4,400 over a six month period. If your job is part time, and at least 15 hours per week, your employer may get $2,200 over a period of six months.

Further information is available from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

Indigenous Employment Centres

Indigenous Employment Centres help you to get ready for work outside the CDEP and support you while you are working. You must be a CDEP participant to qualify. Participation is voluntary.

You receive tailored assistance which can include:

• job search skills such as writing resumes and job applications and learning interview techniques
• access to training to gain the skills you need
• help to find a job
• ongoing mentoring support, and
• help to access other services such as Job Network and Centrelink.

Indigenous Employment Service

The Indigenous Employment Service provides a free on-line service for Indigenous job seekers by The Department of Employment and Work Relations.
You can look for jobs on the site and you can also lodge your resume on the site for potential employers looking for job seekers.

• Workplace
• Australian Jobsearch- Indigenous Employment Service

Indigenous Specialist Officers

Centrelink has a network of Indigenous Specialist Officers to help Indigenous Australians who live in metropolitan, rural and remote areas who:

• help you access Government programs through Centrelink
• facilitate the delivery of income support payments, and
• ensure you have equitable access to employment services.

Indigenous Call Centres

Centrelink has three Indigenous Call Centres to help Indigenous Australians who live in regional and remote areas.
If you live in a regional or remote area in Northern Territory, Queensland or Western Australia you can talk to somebody in the Indigenous Call Centre.
Phone: 13 63 80

Indigenous Small Business Fund

You can apply for assistance to develop your business ideas. You will get assistance to develop a business plan and to access business capital and support services.

State or Territory	Phone Number
Australian Capital Territory and New South Wales	1800 044 966
Queensland	1800 804 754
Victoria	1800 034 403
Tasmania	1800 005 163
South Australia	1800 064 545
Western Australia	1800 193 352
Northern Territory	1800 019 156