= August 2015 VOLUME 5. NUMBER 2. PG. ## BURNING PAPINYA, FINDING KURLPURLUNU PG. 6, 14, 15 OUTSTATIONS RAISING BARS CLC YOUTH DETENTION CHEERS FUTURE CRISIS ADAM GOODES PG. 3, 12, 13, 17 PG. 4 PG. 26 ISSN 1839-5279ISSN NEWS EDITORIAL Land Rights News Central Back to the future? Australia is published by the Central Land Council three times a year. From CDEP to RJCP to CDP The Central Land Council THE unpopular and unsuccessful remote jobs 27 Stuart Hwy and community program (RJCP) is getting a new name and some tweaking. Alice Springs The government is ‘rebranding’ the failed RJCP as the community development pro- NT 0870 gram, or CDP. tel: 89516211 Under the plan up to 30,000 job seekers in remote Australia have to work 25 hours a www.clc.org.au week in return for the dole. The new name is confusing for Central Aus- email [email protected] tralians because it’s the same as the CLC’s Contributions are welcome successful community development program. The big difference is that with the CLC’s brand of community development it’s Aboriginal people who make the decisions (see stories on SUBSCRIPTIONS pages 10, 11, 12 and 17). Indigenous Affairs Minister Scullion first Land Rights News Central announced the plans at the CLC April council meeting at Yulara Pulka. Australia subscriptions are Mr Scullion told delegates the new CDP he $20 per year. was workig on with Labor’s Warren Snowdon would be a ‘non-gammon’ CDEP (community LRNCA is distributed free development employment program). to Aboriginal organisations He said people will get top up if they work and communities in Central more than 25 hours a week and employers would have to pay it back to the government Australia if they did not offer job seekers a “real job” at To subscribe email: the end of their placement. He also announced he had dropped plans [email protected] to make participants work 52 weeks straight without holidays. Indigenous Affairs Minister NigelScullion with his CLP colleague Bess Price Under the new plan they would get six People can also use the scheme to work on and it should also be available to Aboriginal ADVERTISING weeks’ annual leave over Christmas, 10 days’ their outstations, the minister promised CLC and Islander people.” cultural leave and sick leave. delegates in April. The changes are based on mining billionaire In June the minister announced the new Carers, people cleaning homes, working in Andrew Forrest’s recommendations for wel- Advertise in the only scheme would be more flexible and transpar- fare reform. They aim to end ‘sit down money’, ent and “better engage” communities. according to Mr Scullion. newspaper to reach Mr Scullion said when the RJCP replaced “Employment rates have been decreasing the CDEP, more than half of participants left “It’s about no in Australia’s remote communities. The gap is Aboriginal people the employment program and ended up “on widening rather than closing,” he said. passive welfare”. The new approach was about Aboriginal organisations and job providers in remote Central re-engaging that group. work, no pay, are confused about the latest changes but re- Australia. “It’s about no work, no pay, and that’s what luctant to speak out publicly. the communities have asked for.” and that’s what “The program simply isn’t ready to roll out,” “If they turn up or work, they’ll be paid. said Green Party indigenous affairs spokes- Publication dates: If they don’t turn up for work they won’t be the communities person Rachel Siewert. She also asked where the new jobs will suddenly come from. November 2015 paid,” Scullion told media, adding that this was a successful aspect of the old CDEP and have asked for.” The unions warned businesses will be able Rates are available online at would get people used to normal mainstream to “exploit” job seekers by paying them less working conditions. than the minimum wage. www.clc.org.au/land-rights-news Under the plan up job seekers would be able gardens or carpentry workshops could receive Earlier this year the Minister caused an to work in a wider range of jobs. training to allow them to access the scheme. outcry when he said it was “not a bad thing” COVER IMAGE by Ben Kaethner: Service providers would be able to find local Counselling and rehabilitation treatment if people worked for the dole for decades. He solutions for eligible activities “based on the may also be considered as “work-like activity” pleaded with his critics: “What’s the alterna- Traditional owner Joe Bird with needs of their communities,” he said. because it may lead to employment. tive?” grandson Jeffrey Matthews Centrelink would be able to pay people to The minister told The Guardian he wanted “Part-time work for part-time pay” seems to Jr., on the prescribed burning work at regional councils, aged care facili- people to gain skills they find useful and enjoy be his latest answer. And he has another new trip to Papinya, where elders ties, child care facilities, ranger programs and their work: “We need to provide that flexibility tune: “Communities don’t like RJCP and nor rediscovered Kurlpurlunu. schools. because everyone else has that flexibility in life should they like work for the dole.” Rangers will stay with CLC minister says - but no promises on funding INDIGENOUS Affairs Minister Nigel “It’s working. Don’t change horses Scullion has backed down on plans to in the middle of the race,” he warned. split the CLC’s successful ranger pro- The minister backed off and re- gram into small independent organisa- assured the delegates that there tions that manage their own adminis- were “no changes on the table” for tration and commercial contracts. the ranger program. He praised the Rangers addressed the minister program and said many kids now and the CLC delegates at the Yulara wanted to be rangers. Pulka Council meeting in April be- Delegates also asked Mr Scullion cause they were worried about to expand the ranger program in changes discussed in a letter from response to growing demand from Mr Scullion’s department. communities, but the minister made Mr Scullion said he wanted ranger no promises. groups to have “more choice”, but he lis- Earlier the rangers drew lots of ap- tened when the rangers explained why plause when they talked about their they wanted to stay part of the CLC. work to Council. “The support for the rangers from The CLC’s ranger program devel- CLC is second to none,” Tjuwanpa opment strategy looks at different ranger co-ordinator Craig LeRossignol ways of growing the program. For told the minister. more information go to www.clc. “Having a direct link to traditional org.au/publications/content/ranger- owners who drive the work of the rang- program-development-report/. ers means it is more than a job, it is a Read what rangers had to say about way of life. their funding and future on page 16. Ranger co-ordinator Craig LeRossignol told Minister Scullion why rangers want to stay with the CLC’s successful ranger program. 2 August 2015 NEWS The government is saying that taxpayers shouldn’t fund outstations where kids don’t go to school and adults don’t go to work. Do Outstations:you agree or disagree your and why is that? views Margaret Lynch, Black Tank: Disagree “We pay taxes too. We contribute to the economy. As traditional owners we sign on to developments that contribute to the nation-building.” Craig LeRossignol, Oak Valley: Disagree “Should we cut their funding and his ‘lifestyle Mildred Inkamala, Ntaria: Disagree choices? There hasn’t been much support for them “It's wrong! He (the Prime Minister) should support to begin with so you can’t take what the people don’t them. Taxpayers should support communities have, it’s unfair. because they are part of Australia too.” Vincent Forrester, Mutitjulu: Disagree “Where are all the minerals coming from? Whose land? The communities are already under-funded and now they want to take more away. Where is the infrastructure when people move anyway?”NEWS Stewart Paroultja, 8 Mile-Imamplte: Disagree “They should fund Aboriginal communities. They Council should support us, for work and to teach our children To find out what’s happening at Council, Ngarla Kunoth-Monks, Urapuntja: Disagree out there. We need that for culture too.” download a copy of the latest Council News at: "If communities won't be funded by taxpayers www.clc.org.au/council-news/ or pick up a printout then Australia needs to back pay rent to at any CLCAlice regional Springs office on 27 Stuartor at the Highway. head office in Aboriginal people." August 2015 Boyd George, Kalkarindji: Disagree “It’s bad, that’s our community, our country. Hunting, Council fishing on country is a part of us. That’s where our family NEWS Q&A with Minister Scullion May 2015 has always been. Why should it be different for us?” “Don’t change horses in the middle of the race.” Tjuwanpa ranger co-ordinator Craig LeRossignol explains to the minister why the rangers want to stay with the CLC. The CLC andRangers ranger groups Future are worried about flagged changes to the ranger program. Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion told the Council meeting Warren Snowdon on bringing back a in April at Yulara Pulka he was looking “non-gammon” CDEP. at splitting ranger groups into small He said CDEP workers would get top-up organisations that manage their own which employers would have to pay back administration and commercial contracts.