The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme has been subject to major criticism in recent years for being part of, or little better than, Aboriginal welfare dependence. In the first half of this seminar I will defend CDEP from its critics, by both recounting its origins and elaborating on some of its strengths; most notably its flexibility and support for Indigenous community-based organisations, particularly in remote areas. I will argue that CDEP is a remote Australian policy treasure, but that despite this labeling CDEP does have some weaknesses. I will note the Spicer Review Committee's identification of some of these weaknesses over a decade ago and argue for the continued relevance of some of its ideas for improvement.

In the second half of this seminar I will seek to answer the question: why, if the CDEP scheme is a remote Australian policy treasure, has it been threatened with closure in recent years? I will offer a number different explanations ranging from macro-economic circumstances and normative discourses about what governments do, to bureaucratic politics, remote/urban dynamics and generational cycles in Australian Indigenous affairs. I will argue that these various perspectives should be seen as complementary, rather than competing explanations and that, if we combine them all, it becomes understandable how even a policy treasure can be thrown away. But perhaps through such understanding, it might be just possible to save and strengthen CDEP rather than destroy it.

Please note: This seminar is available in both Streaming Audio and MP3 formats.