Synthesis of Early Learnings from Trial Pathways to Real Jobs

The Government is delivering on its election commitment to replace CDP with a new program with real jobs, proper wages and decent conditions – developed in partnership with First Nations people. Between November 2022 and June 2023, CDP providers were able to re-direct around 25 per cent of their funding to work with remote communities and trial new approaches to securing real jobs for participants. Fifty-eight trial approaches were undertaken in this phase, with a total of $31 million in expenditure. The trials were then extended and expanded into a second phase, taking place between July 2023 and October 2024.

This report synthesises the NIAA’s early learnings from the first phase under the CDP Trial – ‘Trialling Pathways to Real Jobs’. It includes analysis of self-reported data from CDP providers, as well as insights from site visits made by NIAA regional office staff and the NIAA’s Monitoring, Evidence and Learning partner, Keogh Bay.