Page 1046 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 21 March 2012
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community, which is about supporting young individuals as they transition into adulthood, with the investment of 25 units, three of which will be taken up by young men with a disability.
In regard to the ACT public service employment strategy for people with a disability, it has three key planks of performance. One is improving our capability. For Mr Doszpot’s information, CSD has updated its guidelines for recruitment and retention of staff with a disability and have had information sessions for senior management. Certainly it is reworking the duty statements and selection criteria to remove any unwarranted barriers to participation in employment.
Another plank is around retaining employees with a disability. We have now called for expressions of interest for the disability employment network. The third plank is attracting people with a disability. The CSD is part of the whole-of-government traineeship system for people with a disability. We are, as I have said, working on our position statements and selection criteria to make sure that they have the appropriate level of regard and that there are no unwanted barriers for people with a disability.
It is worth noting that increased reporting of disability status across the service is a measure of success. I think the comment is that not everyone in the public service may identify as having a disability. But we are measured on those who identify as having a disability. So that is work that we certainly have to do at a directorate and a public service level.
I am quite comfortable, as minister for disabilities services, to support Ms Hunter’s motion and the amendment because they sit within our efforts about what we do for young people as they transition into adulthood.
MS HUNTER (Ginninderra—Parliamentary Leader, ACT Greens) (3.57): The Greens will be supporting Mr Doszpot’s amendment about the government working more closely with those existing service providers to assist them in those supported employment places within the ACT public service. It was some years ago that this was not going as well as it should have. It was similar to Indigenous employment. Certainly, progress has been made. I applaud that progress and I look forward to more places being available.
As I said in my speech, we do have large numbers of young people who are coming out of our schools across Canberra, whether they be mainstream schools or special schools, who are going to need that assistance to find a life after school—employment opportunities and educational opportunities. For those for whom that is not an option, we do need to understand that it is important they still have that opportunity to participate, to have those places where they can recreate with peers and where they can maintain the skills that they have and to learn new skills. This is incredibly important.
As has been spoken about by Ms Burch and by Mr Doszpot, it is also incredibly important that we support the whole family and that we support the parents and the carers. We know the incredible strain that many of these families can be under. For many, they have not had options available. Therefore, when the young person has left
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