Page 243 - Week 01 - Wednesday, 10 December 2008
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in our community. Employment is a key part of community wellbeing and it impacts not only the financial aspects of life but also social inclusion.
The ACT Greens have a long history of pushing for programs and measures to improve the employment prospects for people with a disability, including measures by Ms Tucker and Dr Foskey such as championing employment funding for people with a mental illness.
The new disability employment services model discussed by Ms Porter is outlined in the second discussion paper from the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations released on 3 December 2008 and is based on a series of consultations and research from the first paper released in September. Submissions on the second paper close at the end of January 2009 and it will be interesting to note the comments on the model outlined by DEEWR.
The measures outlined in the proposed new model are welcome. These include:
• the uncapping of services from March 2010 with the aim to reduce the incidence of people being turned away and waiting times of over a year and, hopefully, to also prevent people being referred to inappropriate employment streams, which did occur under the previous employment programs;
• improved flexibility and allowance for a safety net for episodes, with two programs allowing better flexibility and more recognition of the individual needs of each job seeker; and
• better outcome-focused incentives and less red tape.
These changes, once analysed and improved by ongoing consultation with providers, job seekers, employers and members of the community, will help to make employment more accessible for people with a disability. Disability employment groups must, however, continue to be consulted to ensure that the processes are leading to better employment outcomes for people with a disability.
The improved flexibility provided by the new programs in the new proposed model is welcome. Understanding the often changing needs of many people with a disability is vital for their employment options and for many aspects of their lives. I have heard anecdotal evidence that some people with a disability believe that there is a disincentive to find employment, as their access to subsidies for health care and various aids may be lost due to their increased income. This is something that needs to be kept in mind for those entering the workforce and, while it is not specifically mentioned in the priorities framework, this is something that the department will need to be aware of and disability and employment groups will need to keep a watch on. It is important to consider that for people with episodic conditions it may be necessary to ensure that they are still able to access income support when or if they become unwell.
Employment for people with a disability is a matter for all jurisdictions and, as mentioned in the discussion paper, assistance for job seekers and for employers needs to be targeted to individual needs and to the local environment. That is about making sure that the system is people centred and not focused on people fitting the system.
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