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Remote Jobs and Communities Program.
Jobs and stronger communities in remote Australia.
Information for Indigenous people and communities.
The Australian Government is making important changes
to the way job services are run in your local area.
From the 1st of July, 2013 there is a new program
in place - the Remote Jobs and Communities Program.
The new program takes over from the services
and programs that have been here - Job Services Australia,
Disability Employment Services, the Indigenous
Employment Program and Community Development Employment
Projects or CDEP. The program builds on the
good things in CDEP and the other services.
Why is the Government making these changes?
Starting in 2011, the Australian Government talked
to people in remote Australia about better ways to help
people get jobs and participate in their communities.
People told the Government there were too many
organisations providing job services and that some of
these services don't come to your communities very often.
People said they were worried about young people and how
they would get jobs, and they said that local people should
get local jobs. The government has listened to what was said.
The Remote Jobs and Communities Program makes
services simpler and more flexible so they can
better meet the needs of you and your community.
The new program will help people get jobs and,
just as important, help to build stronger communities.
Strong communities are places where you can work
and earn a living, where there are businesses
serving the community, and where kids can look
forward to a job after finishing school.
What's different about the
Remote Jobs and Communities Program?
Remote areas of Australia are divided up into 59 regions.
There's one service provider for each region,
helping both indigenous and non-indigenous people.
The providers have an office and people in your
region all the time working with you. If you are
looking for a job, you will get a lot of support
from the provider to help you get skills and find work.
You will be trained to do local jobs not just
training for training's sake. If you are
between 15 and 24 years old you could join a
special program to put you on the path to a job.
If you are not in a job or doing training,
you will participate in your community in
return for your Centrelink payments or CDEP wages.
CDEP wages will go on being paid to eligible people
until 30 June, 2017. The organisations running
the new program in your region will look after CDEP wages.
Community Action Plans are your way to have a say.
Communities have a lot of say in how
the new provider works in your region.
People in communities need to talk to the Remote Jobs
and Communities Program provider to help develop
Community Action Plans. These plans set out your ideas
on how to get more jobs and businesses in the region
and how to make sure everyone participates in the community.
There will be one plan for each region with your community
details in it. The new plans can build on plans
you already have, for example CDEP plans or local
implementation plans, or regional partnership agreements.
So start thinking about your community's priorities
for jobs and development, so these can go into the
Community Action Plan. The Community Development Fund
will help build stronger communities. The Australian
Government is also providing $237.5 million over five years
as a Community Development Fund. This fund can support projects
that help communities to build a better future.
You have to apply for this funding and your
Remote Jobs and Communities Program provider can
help with this. All projects put up for funding
need to show they are supported by the community.
The Minister for Indigenous Affairs decides on the
best projects for funding from around Australia.
So you should be thinking about projects for your
community that could be supported by the Community
Development Fund, now and into the future.
What about people on CDEP, or those being helped by
other services? If you're on CDEP or being helped
by another job services organisation, you'll be
transferred to the new RJCP provider from 1 July, 2013.
That organisation will meet with you to plan the help
you need to get a job or participate in your community.
You will go on receiving income support from
Centrelink or CDEP wages if you are eligible.
The provider will let you know what you need to do
in return for receiving income support from the government.
Your provider will develop activities so
everyone in the community can participate.
Want to know more?
To get more information you can do a number of things.
Talk to your current service provider,
for example the CDEP or JSA organisation, or contact
your nearest Indigenous Coordination Centre.
To find out more or ask questions about the new
Remote Jobs and Communities Program go to
www.deewr.gov.au/rjcp - email remoteservices@deewr.gov.au
or ring 1800 805 260.
To find out more about Community Action Plans or the
Community Development Fund, go to www.fahcsia.gov.au -
email rjcpsubmissions@fahcsia.gov.au
If you want to know more about grants from the
Community Development Fund, email
RJCPCommunityDevelopmentFund@fah csia.gov.au
The Remote Jobs and Communities Program is part
of the Australian Government's plan for Closing the Gap
between indigenous and other Australians.