Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Senator Scullion. Minister, at Garma in August you made a statement that the Community Development Program would shift to a community wage based scheme, which would include the ability for participants to earn top-up money. Since then there has been no further information on what this scheme would look like. When will the program be shifting to community wages? Why hasn't the government announced the next steps of this scheme?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Siewert for the question and acknowledge that she has been working very closely and positively with the government on this matter. We haven't announced something because we haven't got agreement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which I think is fundamental in these matters. We have been informally keeping the opposition and the Greens informed of where we're up to on this. We have formalised a consultation process. We've been working with the communities to come to this position. The next step is to ensure that the final stage of this goes out. The principles have been agreed to. Significant principles have been agreed to.

Jenny McAllister (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With whom?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are mutterings from the other side. I'll be making a submission to the Senate inquiry. A Senate committee has been inquiring into the previous iteration of this. I say to those interjecting that 60 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people deserted the system under those opposite. Our repairing of that and getting people back and engaged has ensured that more than 65 per cent of people now attend those activities. We will be going to a round of consultation. On the basis of that round of consultation, we won't be just rolling it out immediately. We've selected between six and eight sites to ensure that the change in the IT systems and the buy-in from those communities enable us to learn the lessons, so we don't do exactly what we did with the RJCP—introduce it in three months and have 60 per cent of people desert it.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Siewert, a supplementary question.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for his answer. Could the minister outline what the principles are that have been agreed to and by whom?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have consulted with a number of organisations. I have obviously the Indigenous Advisory Council, but also under congress we have an element of the Redfern statement group, who we consult with around employment. We also have all of the providers, who we consult with. As you would be aware, there was a recent conference in Cairns where this was discussed. We have also been discussing these things with communities.

Opposition Senators:

Opposition senators interjecting—

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

For the titterers on the other side, I have actually been to around 200 communities on over 300 occasions. This is one of the most significant issues we talk about. We have discussed considerably these issues and there doesn't appear to be any significant moving away from the suite of options we have put forward.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Siewert, a final supplementary question.

Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given people who are part of the new CDP community wages scheme will be working for community wages, will they be exempt from the cashless welfare card and, if not, why not?

Nigel Scullion (NT, Country Liberal Party, Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a matter that is under consideration. The question whether this is work or not is a fundamental part of this. That is the biggest issue that has been talked about in communities. The great thing about the cashless debit card, as opposed to other cards that have been trialled in the past, is it has the capacity to shift the percentage of the funds that are to be quarantined, so we certainly have a much more flexible system. But this is a matter that is being consulted on and thus far most considerations of this matter have been around the groups of people who are not going to be engaged with the wages system for a whole suite of reasons. We need to deal with them separately to those who are engaged in the new wages system. I'm more than happy to give you a brief as these consultations come to bear, Senator.