Page 4372 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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In 2004, the government’s commitment to the development of employment opportunities for people with disabilities was evidenced by the launch of the ACT public service employment framework for people with a disability. The framework has led to the establishment of a memorandum of understanding between the ACT public service, local disability employment support agencies and a federally funded employment service. The MOU established a brokerage mechanism to facilitate employment of people with disabilities in the ACT public service.
We also developed the whole-of-government online toolkit with a range of disability-related information and resources to support both managers as well as employees. These proactive efforts to increase the number of employees with disabilities in the ACT public service need to be acknowledged, even though I concede that they have not yielded the results that we had hoped for. We are, indeed, acutely aware that there is still much more to be done.
At the beginning of this year I called for a renewed effort to ensure that people with a disability are able to realise their potential through access to employment opportunities within government and by working closely with this sector’s key stakeholders. In addition, People with Disabilities released its report, Making diversity work: a study of the employment of people with disabilities in the Australian Capital Territory public service. This important report has provided government with useful input to support the review of the ACT public service employment framework for people with a disability which commenced at the beginning of 2010 and is due for release later this year. The development of an ACT public service disability employment strategy and supporting action plan is part of a broader review of the ACT public service equity and diversity framework.
Building a diverse and skilled workforce is important to a successful public service and, indeed, a successful government. Such diversity will inform the way we design and deliver services and contribute to the development of the ACT community. As a government, we seek to reflect the attitudes and behaviours which the community would expect of us. As a large employer, we also have a responsibility to do business in a way which models an innovative and sustainable approach to increasing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Current reported rates of employment for people with disabilities in the ACT public service were at 1.45 per cent in 2007-08 rising, just marginally, to 1.5 per cent in 2008-09. Approximately 16 per cent of the Australian working age population identify as having a disability. Of this group only 53.2 per cent participate in the labour force compared to 80.1 per cent for people not reporting a disability. We should make every effort to close those gaps.
I am aware that other Australian jurisdictions are reporting comparable levels of employment of people with disabilities. In making this point, I do not in any way seek to diminish our level of responsibility, rather, to note two things. Firstly, low reported levels of employment of people with disabilities is a problem confronting many public sector employers. The factors contributing to this, in many instances, extend beyond the ACT environment.
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