(1) What programmes and/or grants administered by the department provide assistance to people living in the federal electorate of Eden-Monaro.

(2) What was the level of funding provided through these programmes and/or grants for the 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 financial years.

(3) What level of funding provided through these programmes and/or grants has been appropriated for the 2000-2001 financial year.

(1), (2) and (3) There are eight relevant types of funding administered by the Department of Employment, Workplace Relations and Small Business.

In the case of funds provided for the administration of Area Consultative Committees, funds provided under the Regional Assistance Programme (RAP) and those provided under the Indigenous Employment Programme and its predecessor, the Training for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders Programme (TAP), and the Small Business Enterprise Culture Programme (SBECP), it is questionable how accurate the data on the amount of funds provided under each of the above programmes would be if attributed by electorate. This is because funds are not allocated, approved or accounted for by federal or any other electorates.

The honourable senator sought similar information on funding for the electorate of Eden-Monaro in his question No 1874 of 21 January 2000. In my response I advised that funding under the IEP and its predecessor TAP was not resourced by electorate. Some funding information was provided in relation to funding under RAP for activities that may have had an impact on the electorate of Eden-Monaro, but this information was qualified.

In the case of ACCs and RAP, the programme is based on a structure that involves 56 ACCs which are located in all States and Territories. All potential projects (other than those of national significance) are channelled through these 56 ACCs. ACCs, which consist of local representatives, make recommendations with respect to the potential projects. Ultimately, however, decisions about the funding of projects are made by a delegate within the National Office of DEWRSB.

All administrative funding allocations for ACCs and RAP, together with information collected on the projects supported by the programme, are based on that ACC structure. Many ACCs cover a number of federal electorates in whole or in part. Moreover, many projects that are funded under RAP cut across a number of ACCs. In short, to attempt to move from an ACC basis to an electorate-based approach in order to quantify the allocation of funds is fraught with difficulties. Arbitrary judgements would have to be made about how much of a project or ACC related to a particular electorate. For example, the single ACC in Sydney, GROW, covers wholly or partially 28 electorates.

For the 2000-2001 financial year a notional allocation of around $16 million is available for new RAP proposals endorsed by ACCs.

In the case of IEP (and TAP) the same difficulties arise in taking an electorate-based approach to quantifying funds approved under the various elements of the programme, namely, Wage Assistance, Structured Employment and Training (STEP), the Corporate Leaders for Indigenous Employment Project, National Indigenous Cadetship Project, Placement Incentives for Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), the Indigenous Small Business Fund and the Voluntary Service to Indigenous Communities Foundation. These various elements operate differently and, as mentioned above, are not categorised by electorate.

The SBECP is equally problematic, in that individual projects may cover several electorate boundaries. What may occur is that the proponent of a project may be located in one electorate yet be conducting the elements of the project in another electorate(s).

To attempt to identify individuals living in the electorate of Eden-Monaro who may be the beneficiaries of assistance under the various elements of the programme is, at best, problematic.

For the 2000-2001 financial year, the amount allocated to the Indigenous Employment Programme is $55.428 million. Under the SBECP, funding of $2.2 million has been made available to assist small business skill development programmes.

Job Network

Similarly, expenditure on Job Network is not reported on the basis of electoral boundaries. The Eden-Monaro electorate is located in the Job Network labour market region of Illawarra and South East New South Wales in the second contract period which began on 28 February 2000. Job Network payments in this region (and the corresponding region for the first contract period which ended on 27 February 2000) totalled $3 383 400 in 1997-1998, $22 361 000 in 1998-1999 and $23 395 700 in 1999-2000. Job Network began on 1 May 1998. Therefore, there was no expenditure in 1996-97. Expenditure in 1997-98 relates to payments made between 1 May 1998 and 30 June 1998. Job Network funding is not appropriated on the basis of electoral or regional boundaries.

Although funds are also not allocated by electorate in respect of the Community Support Programme, the Return to Work Programme andthe Work for the Dole Programme, some figures can be provided.

Community Support Programme (CSP)

CSP is administered by DEWRSB in the electorate of Eden-Monaro.

Funding for CSP commenced in the 1998-1999 financial year. In the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 financial years a total of $121 000 was allocated for CSP sites within the electorate of Eden-Monaro. Expenditure of funds would be subject to the use of places by the service provider. For the 2000-2001 financial year the amount appropriated for CSP in Eden-Monaro is $256 179.

Return to Work Programme (RTW)

RTW is administered by DEWRSB in the electorate of Eden-Monaro.

Contracts commenced in March 2000 and will continue until February 2002. In the financial year 1999-2000 a total of $4500 was provided for RTW to assist people living in the federal electorate of Eden-Monaro.

For the financial year 2000-2001 the amount allocated for RTW to assist people living in the federal electorate of Eden-Monaro is $54 000.

Work for the Dole (WFD)

This program was not operating in 1996-1997 and no payments were made. In the 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 financial years, $171 504 and $164 614.50 was provided to WFD activity sponsors respectively. In 1999-2000 $454 702.30 was provided to WFD activity sponsors and Community Work Coordinators (CWCs) based in the electorate of Eden-Monaro

In 2000-2001 $22 400 has been provided to CWCs based in the electorate of Eden-Monaro. A further $290 337 has been committed for WFD sponsors and CWCs based in this electorate. However, further funding may be provided during the remainder of this financial year as WFD projects are approved on a monthly rolling basis.

The allocation of business to Community Work Coordinators (CWCs) (and sponsors in previous rounds of the programme), is based around Employment Service Areas (ESAs). CWCs are required to make available Work for the Dole places for eligible job seekers resident in the ESA for which the CWC is contracted. ESA boundaries do not coincide with federal electorate boundaries.

Therefore in the case of the Federal electorate of Eden-Monaro, whilst these projects/activities are located in the Eden-Monaro electorate, and most participants would reside in the Eden-Monaro electorate, participants may have been drawn from parts of the ESAs that are located in neighbouring federal electorates. Furthermore, projects/activities located in other parts of the ESAs that fall into neighbouring federal electorates may recruit participants living in the Eden-Monaro electorate.

CWCs may also provide placements for eligible job seekers outside the ESA they are contracted for, but, this is subject to prior approval from the relevant DEWRSB State Office.