Page 1500 - Week 05 - Thursday, 7 May 2015
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by placing an emphasis on a combined approach to achieving outcomes in conjunction with the community, this change of tack should not be seen or used as an excuse for a government who cannot achieve their goals.
Despite the rhetoric, the track record has not been all that great for this government when it comes to achieving the goals for improving the lives of people with a disability in the ACT. The disability inclusion statement is, after all, the replacement for the employment strategy for people with a disability that has been in place since 2010. If we look at the statistics gleaned from the ACT government employment strategy for people with a disability we can see evidence of these targets failing to be met.
The targets set down for employment opportunities in the ACT public service for people with a disability went from a total of 327 positions in 2010 as the starting point, aiming to reach a total of 655 positions by the middle of this year. The goal for 2014 was that at least 578 people with a disability had employment in the ACT public service. The government failed again to reach their target, only meeting 438, a shortfall of 140 jobs for people with a disability. This year the goal increases to 655, but by continuing to change the goalposts and changing the strategy we can be sure that progress is not necessarily being made on any improvements for the lives of people with a disability.
Expectations must be managed and a realistic approach taken in the first instance. What is needed is achievable goals, fewer glossy brochures and less flowery language. This is what the disability community expects, it is what the disability community deserves and I think it is in line with the expectations of the broader community.
The purpose of the employment strategy for people with a disability—and the government has failed to meet targets—was to lead by example, to show what a valuable contribution people with a disability can make to the workplace and to the workforce. If the government have been unable to walk the walk and lead by example in this space they are going to have continued difficulty in implementing any further strategy without first addressing the issues within their own public service.
One of the greatest things that can be done to promote inclusion in our community is to give people with a disability the opportunity that employment brings—not just to be part of something bigger but also to have further and additional independence, the opportunity to earn an income, to be part of something bigger than themselves, and to contribute to the city that they are part of.
Steps should be taken to protect and to make sure that social enterprises are viable and are able to continue in the ACT as a constructive and creative and sometimes out-of-the-box way of creating opportunities that otherwise would not normally exist for people with a disability in our community. I look forward to seeing what further steps the government takes on the development of the inclusion strategy and will keep watch with a keen eye as to how successful they are in implementation. Hopefully one day we will be here celebrating the successes rather than the failures of this government.
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