Does Welfare Reform replace the operation of the Child Protection services?
No. Welfare Reform has been designed to complement, not replace, the existing child protection services. Welfare Reform will provide an early intervention for child neglect. The Department of Child Safety will continue to exercise its full legislative jurisdiction. But there aren’t any jobs in the communities. What will people do if they are pushed off welfare? Currently, numerous full-time jobs are unable to be filled in Cape York communities. But prior to the introduction of CDEP, every available full-time job was keenly sought after by locals, and waiting lists for full-time jobs testified to the fact that staying on social security was not attractive. While there are not sufficient numbers of real jobs in communities for all current CDEP recipients, there are dozens of jobs or educational opportunities within close proximity of the Cape York communities, and thousands of jobs outside of Cape York Peninsula. Mobility – where people head out to engage in the real economy, and then re
