Vital Commonwealth funding for Aboriginal children to be axed this week
Premier Alan Carpenter has challenged John Howard to reinstate vital funding for at risk Western Australian Aboriginal children by the end of the week. Programs designed to protect Indigenous children, address domestic violence and deal with alcoholism are under threat throughout WA as a result of the Howard Government’s decision to abolish the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) programs in urban areas and regional centres.
(PressZoom) - Premier Alan Carpenter has challenged John Howard to reinstate vital funding for at risk Western Australian Aboriginal children by the end of the week.
Programs designed to protect Indigenous children, address domestic violence and deal with alcoholism are under threat throughout WA as a result of the Howard Government’s decision to abolish the Community Development Employment Projects ( CDEP ) programs in urban areas and regional centres.
The Commonwealth funding ends this Saturday.
Mr Carpenter said John Howard’s changes contradicted the Prime Minister’s recent move to ban alcohol and pornography in Northern Territory Aboriginal communities.
“It also highlights the hypocrisy of Mr Howard’s sudden interest in indigenous affairs so close to a Federal election,” Mr Carpenter said.
“For the last five years, John Howard has ignored the pleas of the Western Australian Government to help protect local indigenous children.
“Now, with an election only months away, he has announced a short term political measure to ban alcohol and pornography in the Northern Territory’s Aboriginal communities.
“While I welcome John Howard’s new found interest in the Northern Territory, in WA his funding cuts will jeopardise a number of programs aimed at protecting Aboriginal children.”
The Premier said programs under immediate threat in both Perth and regional WA include:
patrols in Midland, Fremantle, Broome and Geraldton to move Aboriginal people, adults and children, who may be at risk of abuse or who are drunk from town centres to their home or to Sobering Up Shelters; Broome Youth Support, which provides activities each afternoon for up to 50 Aboriginal children, keeping them out of harmful situations. From July 1, this service will now be available for only one afternoon per week and will have to cease its life and social skills programs for teenagers; and The Geraldton Streetwork Program which targets at risk Aboriginal youth by providing them with activities to keep them off the streets. “All will have diminished resources because of the abolishment of CDEP in urban areas and regional centres and will not be able to provide cover around the clock,” he said.
“Because of Mr Howard’s changes, the Broome Patrol will move from 10 workers to three, reducing the number of shifts the patrol can undertake. The Midland patrol will be cut by three days per week, Fremantle by two days per week and patrol members’ safety compromised as services have to move from eight workers per shift to only two.”
The Premier said the Howard Government changes would also leave many Aboriginal people without jobs, with CDEP programs a major employer of Aboriginal people.
“The impact of the Federal Government’s decision to axe CDEP, without having put proper transitional arrangements in place, will see up to 1,800 people move from work to welfare.
“The majority of these people will not get jobs and are simply not job ready. They are being set up to fail.
“These people and up to 7,000 family members, many of whom are children, will suffer from lower incomes and, with many families close to the poverty line, this could be disastrous.
“If the Prime Minister was serious about helping Aboriginal Western Australians, he wouldn’t be abolishing CDEP, kicking more than 1,800 people from work to welfare and cutting funding to vital community services, many of which deliver services that protect children.”
Premier's office - 9222 9475
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