Indigenous small enterprise and the Community Development Employment Projects Scheme

The Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) program is one of largest schemes implemented in Australia to address the economic and social situation of Indigenous Australians. In 1997/98, the federal government spent over $374 million on the scheme and more than 30,000 Indigenous people were involved in CDEP projects - more than one-third of the Indigenous work force. This paper reviews the literature on the performance of the scheme, and includes sections on: Major positions on the utility of CDEP; Statistical versus qualitative studies; Evidence from small regions within the north of Australia; The aggregate employment effect of CDEP; The performance of CDEP in urban centres and remote regions; CDEP and indigenous people not in the labour force; and Gender balance and participation in CDEP.