Coulton raises Toomelah plight in Parliament
02-March-2011
Federal Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton has spoken in Parliament about the significant social issues crippling the Indigenous community of Toomelah in Northern NSW, since the closure of the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP).
In 2009 the Rudd Government closed all “non-remote” CDEP and the loss of this service left the community in crisis with no employment and a decaying social structure.
“I am calling for the reintroduction, for a trial period of 12 months, of the CDEP until we can get some help into the village of Toomelah.”
“In Toomelah there was no other employment and they saw CDEP as their employment,” Mr Coulton stated. “The CDEP subsidised the employment of the people who worked in the co-op store. It helped out with aides who worked in the medical centre. It looked after the maintenance of the village, such as the mowing. To my knowledge, the CDEP built the only memorial to Aboriginal service men and women in Australia.”
In making the decision to cut the CDEP service the Federal Government neglected to identify the negative effect the decision would have on this community. Mr Coulton stated, “There are huge problems of alcoholism and lawlessness. There have been attempted suicides.”
Mr Coulton has met with Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jenny Macklin and believes a positive outcome can be achieved by simply reinstating the CDEP into the village.
“Surely, with the resources of the Australian government, we can help the 400 people who live in Toomelah.”
“I have given my solemn promise to the people of Toomelah that their plight is going to be my No.1 priority for this term of government.”