Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

The remote jobs program will initially create 3,000 jobs with proper wages and decent conditions. It is the first stage in the transition to replace the CDP. The program is about self-determination through economic and community development, jobs that local communities want and need to grow remote economies. The new remote jobs program will build up local skills for the local care economy, services and maintenance.

We know that the old CDP program was a failure, and it simply didn't deliver for remote Australia. We've been trialling and testing new approaches to job creation in remote communities to help inform how we best replace CDP. We're working with Indigenous communities to design and implement the programs communities want. The Productivity Commission highlighted the importance of listening, and that's what we're doing. But we're also putting communities in the driver seat to create local jobs and businesses.