The remote work-for-the-dole scheme is a racist policy, the head of the ACTU has said. But they don’t because it’s remote Australia.”McManus said the compulsory work was in areas with the highest unemployment. “Every time we put something out on the CDP program [Indigenous affairs minister, Nigel Scullion] comes out and condemns us and says: it’s not racist, it’s not racist,” McManus said. McManus said there should be a commitment to remote jobs instead, such as the Ranger programs and work with the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and then the CDP wouldn’t be needed. If he was fair dinkum, then CDP would be reviewed and changed quite a bit.”Mayor said the policy was causing confusion in remote communities and Centrelink “struggles to be able to deliver for the complexities that come with living in remote communities”.

Source: The Guardian August 05, 2017 23:05 UTC