We are proud to be the first Northam sponsor offering unpaid work opportunities for the Department of Justice’s Work and Development Permit Scheme – and they are looking for more sponsors in our region.
What is the Work and Development Permit Scheme (WDP)?
The WDP scheme is a partnership between the Department of Justice, Legal Aid WA and the Aboriginal Legal Service. The scheme aims to help people who are having difficulty paying court fines undertaken a service or activity as way of offsetting the amount owed.
Participants can choose to undertake a range of different activities as a way of paying off their court fines. These include:
- unpaid work
- medical or mental health treatment
- educational, vocational or personal development courses
- drug and alcohol treatment
- mentoring (for under 25s)
There are seven organisations across the Wheatbelt that are currently offering ways of participating but we are the first in Northam to offer the unpaid work option.
Our role in the WDP Scheme
Scheme participants will be working alongside our experienced Noongar Budjar Ranger team. Their projects will include work at the cemetary, the annual Burlong Park clean-up and, from time-to-time, seed collection.
The project was spear-headed by our CEO, Karl O’Callaghan, who says, “This partnership is a great social enterprise and we’re very pleased to be part of it.”
He goes onto say, “It creates a win-win for everyone. It is providing additional hands on deck for our Noongar Budja Rangers while supporting people within our community that are struggling to pay court fines due to hardship.”
The Department of Justice is looking for sponsors in our region
The Department of Justice are always looking for more Wheatbelt sponsors to join the WDP Scheme. If you are an individual or organisation that has unpaid work options available, you can start the application process here.
Anyone wanting to participate in the WDP Scheme to assist in paying off court fines should apply through Legal Aid or the Aboriginal Legal Service.