MEMBER for Parkes Mark Coulton is "95 per cent confident" of securing funding to allow the IPROWD police pre-training course and Dubbo College Indigenous Youth Leadership Program (IYLP) to continue.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The highly successful initiatives have been threatened by a federal government decision to change Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS) funding allocations.
Under new arrangements IPROWD and the Dubbo component of IYLP have been told they will only be funded until the end of the year.
Minister for Indigenous Affairs Nigel Scullion told the Daily Liberal funding would be provided until 2017 to allow current IYLP participants to finish year 12.
Dubbo College has provided assistance for 150 students since becoming involved in IYLP in 2009. Initially a solo participant, the college had became a broker for other public schools when the government funding model changed.
The brokerage had involved Dubbo College, Coonabarabran High School, Young High School and Campbelltown Performing Arts School.
Dubbo College Senior Campus principal Andrew Jones said it was "pleasing" the government was allowing current year 11 students to finish the scholarship program.
"But there appears to have been no consideration for younger students who will not have the opportunity to develop leadership skills over six years," he said.
High-profile Wiradjuri man and community worker Riverbank Frank Doolan echoed that view and questioned why the government was cutting funding "for what has to be the most successful Indigenous youth leadership program ever run".
"It has the potential to impact on the crime rate in Dubbo and increase the level of acceptance, tolerance and understanding."
From the outset Mark Coulton pledged to "look into" what was happening with funding for the Dubbo programs.
On Friday he spoke out to calm fears.
"I had a meeting with the minister on Wednesday," Mr Coulton said.
"I am very confident - 95 per cent confident - that funding for IYLP and IPROWD will continue. The programs are running until the end of the year and I am very sure additional funding will be available to allow them to continue on from there."
Mr Coulton was scheduled to meet with Dubbo College on Friday. He had already met with IPROWD state co-ordinator Peter Gibbs and TAFE Western Director for Aboriginal Education and Equity Provision Rod Towney.
"If Mark Coulton says he is confident about getting the funding I am confident," Mr Towney said.
Mr Coulton said it was unfortunate the Dubbo IPROWD and IYLP schemes had been "caught up" in changes being made to ensure IAS funding achieved appropriate results.
And if the programs were not funded? "We will deal with that then," Mr Coulton said.
Mr Doolan, a member of the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG), welcomed Mr Coulton's efforts to secure ongoing funding for IPROWD and IYLP.
"I want the real deal from the Indigenous Affairs Minister and I question why Mr Coulton is part of a government that is taking money away from a program giving young Aboriginal people the chance to learn how to operate in this world."