Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] You can't get much more offensive than the member for Bowman. His behaviour is really something else, and he keeps outdoing himself. I would like to thank the shadow minister, the member for Barton, for her contribution and for setting out in an excellent way our concerns with the CDP. The member for Bowman and the government can be assured that, on taking federal government, we will put in place a program that is much more effective than what is currently being done or even proposed.

I probably just need to just say one other thing. The member for Bowman asked the question, 'Where are the jobs on communities?' He says, 'Where are the jobs in those remote communities?' Someone may want to remind him that he's part of a government that has been governing Australia and responsible for Indigenous affairs and the issues pertaining to this bill, the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Remote Engagement Program) Bill 2021, for eight years. So maybe he should ask his own colleagues where they are and be a bit more constructive if he thinks he has any good ideas. Many people have been to remote Indigenous communities. Some are constructive; some grandstand. I would expect more of a member of parliament, but that's obvious.

The seriously flawed CDP scheme has had a massively negative effect on remote Aboriginal communities, particularly here in the Northern Territory. It has increased poverty and social harm while purporting to be designed to do the opposite: to alleviate poverty. The CDP has stunted remote job creation because it essentially created a pool of thousands of people who have had to work simply to get Centrelink unemployment benefits rather than focus on building local communities and local economies. So much of the work that they did was similar to that already being done by local governments or by NGOs, and in many cases it wasn't useful work; it was just a box-ticking, time-killing sort of scheme. What it was really doing was killing the time of First Nations Australians. It didn't enrich the communities, it wasn't sustainable and, unlike the CDEP program that it replaced, it did not do those things. But I will get to the CDEP in a little while.

We know that over the last decade, the employment gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in remote Australia has grown and that the CDP has helped it to grow. The coalition government has known for a long time about the CDP's major failures; after all, it has been five years since the Senate inquiry into the effectiveness and appropriateness of the CDP. Again, you have to ask those opposite speaking on this bill about what they've been saying for the last five years when we all knew how ineffective and inappropriate this program was. Those opposite, members of the government, only ended the program this year.

So now to the new Regional Engagement Program, the REP. I honestly don't think it will do much to improve things, so the question is: why does the coalition not care about creating real jobs in remote First Nations communities? The Regional Engagement Program is just another disappointing work-for-the-dole scheme. It repeats one of the major problems of the CDP, which is requiring people to work without proper pay and workplace protections. Those opposite just refuse to admit what we already know, that so many people on the current CDP are already trained and can work in real jobs if they're available. We're wasting their exceptional skills and talents to produce local economic development—something the coalition says they're experts in: developing economies. After eight years, there's nothing much to be seen. The member for Bowman even confirmed that in his contribution earlier.

The REP has a supplementary payment which will benefit a small number of remote Indigenous jobseekers, only about 200 people. However, about 40,000 of the remaining CDP participants in remote communities will continue to struggle in poverty, with no real change until at least 2024—which is three years from now! So this failure of a government, after not creating local economies in remote Australia—not caring to do that for eight years—and having known how inappropriate their program is for five years, has put in place this legislation, which will be another three years of failure if there's not another change of government at the next federal election. There will be more handwringing, if that were to be the case, about closing the gap targets missed. So we really need that change of federal government at this upcoming election.

We need a federal Labor government that understands these issues intimately, that cares for these communities, and that will work with the Aboriginal people and communities to develop their communities and local economies so that the First Nations people living and working there are able to move out of poverty with that support, working in conjunction with all levels of government and the non-government sector. But we must remember that we're talking about a federal government, the coalition, that doesn't support the Uluru Statement from the Heart. They say they are listening. They say Aboriginal people should be listened to and have things done with them, not to them. The reality is very different. The acting NT children's Commissioner, Sally Sievers, and the director of Save the Children for the NT and WA, Noelene Swanson, recently said that every third child in the NT is living in poverty. That's on the current federal government's watch. After eight years of neglect and five years of knowing that CDP wasn't effective or appropriate, they are now putting in place a name change that will essentially lead to three more years of failure if they are not replaced.

What federal Labor wants and will deliver in government is a program that supports First Nations people in ongoing, sustainable work which will cut dependency on welfare and strengthen First Nations communities and businesses. As the shadow minister, the member for Barton, said, it has to have Aboriginal community controlled service providers in remote regions to make it a reality, to make it happen. We've known for decades that this is the best way to achieve long-lasting success in this area. It needs to include Indigenous employers who hire people on a large scale throughout remote Australia. We need to use their experience, their expertise, the hard work they have done and what they've developed in this space.

Recently, the NT government launched its new 10-year education engagement strategy. We know that too many children aren't engaged in school and with their education, for lots of complex reasons. The NT government recognises that a holistic approach supporting kids in remote communities is needed. That includes investing in better housing and health care and in early education. It also recognises that young First Nations people need to be taught within the framework of their own culture and their own language. A good way to do this, and where the new REP could do something useful, is to tap into the skills of our remote communities and families as teachers for our remote kids.

We could also do more on the ranger programs. Last week I met with the Larrakia Rangers in my electorate of Solomon, in Darwin. In a bipartisan way, I commend the government for the funding they've recently given to the Larrakia Rangers and the Northern Land Council through the Ranger Capability Building Grants Program. We need to see a lot more Indigenous business development. We need to see genuine commitment to self-determination and community based governance and support which will see economic growth in our remote communities.

I want to acknowledge a couple of Indigenous businesses that are doing exceptional things in my electorate. I acknowledge House of Darwin and Shaun Edwards. This is a social enterprise. It is a for-profit clothing company that designs iconic shirts, hats and swimwear and reinvests its profits into social programs in remote NT communities. I know it's doing absolutely great work. There is another example which has come up to us from down south. I want to mention it because I think it is the future, with social enterprises and First Nations people working with each other. With the support of government, they could do so much more. Ngarrimili, founded by Cormach Evans, is an Aboriginal-led non-profit providing support and entrepreneurial opportunities to First Nations businesses and creatives around Australia. They want to create enduring and sustainable economic development. I've met with them, and I'm going to assist them to connect with local people who they can help.

There is a movement here, because First Nations people have seen after eight long years that they can't wait for the government; they have to make things happen themselves. There have been a lot of broken promises from the government, and obviously there is a lot of mistrust. Mistrust of the federal government is undermining confidence in the ability of government to help with these issues. It might suit the current federal government, but a federal Labor government will be active. We will consult, as we have done for so many years, because First Nations people, businesses and organisations know what's needed to get the job done. We have to rebuild that trust, and we will.

I want to see the government show how it intends to work to meet the Closing the Gap employment targets without a genuine remote job creation program. That is the challenge I put to the speakers coming up on the government side to speak on this bill. They have changed the name of the CDP, something that they've known for at least five years was not fit for purpose and was not achieving the outcome. How will the name change really create those economies in local communities?

We know what we're going to do in government—and in the Northern Territory it's really needed. In a place, as I said, where one in three children are living in poverty after eight years of either doing very little or not doing things with First Nations people and communities and not listening to their Statement from the Heart, it is well past time that federal Labor's plan for remote jobs is allowed to happen, and I hope it does.

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