Page 4377 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 22 September 2010
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workforce has, for the most part, remained stagnant. In fact, in 2005 1.6 per cent of the public service workforce had a disability and in 2009 this figure decreased to 1.5 per cent.
The government may claim that a slight decrease of 0.1 per cent constitutes an inconsequential figure, but it is important to remind ourselves that there are human lives behind these statistics. If we are allowed to quote People with Disabilities ACT’s figure that approximately 17 per cent of people in the ACT have a disability, then having only 1.5 per cent of people with disabilities in the ACT public service workforce is tantamount to underachievement. It is imperative that the government show leadership on this matter.
When we look across the border to New South Wales, the reported public sector benchmark for people with disabilities in that state is 12 per cent, with an incorporation of a seven per cent benchmark for individuals with disabilities that require work related adjustments. At present New South Wales Department of Education and Training figures show that disability employment levels are higher than here in the ACT, with figures as early as 2007 pointing to six per cent of employees with a disability and 2.3 per cent of employees who require work related adjustments.
Here in the ACT we have had a disability framework since 2004 and the government’s Challenge 2014 document was supposed to, in the government’s own words, “put meaning and practical relevance to the vision that the ACT government has embraced for all people with disabilities; achieving what they want to achieve, living how they choose to live and being valued as full and equal members of the ACT community”.
Over half a decade into this initiative, I think it is time for the government to put its money where its mouth is. We understand that the government is working on updating the 2004 ACT public service employment framework for people with a disability. The Canberra Liberals will work hard to ensure that these valued members of our community are not short changed and have equitable access to job opportunities. This motion and our amendments are a first step towards ensuring this. Every polity functions on an underlying social contract for mutual benefit. However, in many cases, people with disabilities have limited participation at this bargaining table. We tell and we give to individuals with disabilities, but we seldom listen.
Last year I had the privilege of hosting a work experience student in my office here in the Assembly. This student had muscular dystrophy, was wheelchair bound and required constant carer supervision. He was also one of the smartest and most savvy 16-year-olds I have met and he did first-rate work in researching many issues, including bullying in schools.
This opportunity allowed me to see firsthand the many difficulties encountered by someone with disabilities in securing a job and functioning effectively in that job. Firstly, there was a problem with this student and his carer securing reliable transportation. Hence, work hours had to be flexible to accommodate transportation arrangements. Ultimately bookings had to be made directly with a known taxi driver to ensure some semblance of reliability.
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