April 2011 - Sydney Morning Herald
Our research reveals that discriminatory attitudes towards people with a disability are pervasive, as are myths that employing a person with a disability will cost a business more and their work capacity is less. A 2004 report by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found that the cost or productivity impact of employing people with a disability is equal to or lower than employees without a disability.
How can we blame employers for these misconceptions when the government has shown little leadership in this matter? The proportion of people with a disability employed in the public service has steadily declined since 1999, from 4.9 per cent to 3 per cent in 2009.
Australia has signed the Convention on the Rights of People with Disability, which requires it to promote the right of people with a disability to earn a living through employment that is open, inclusive and accessible. We are falling far behind in meeting these obligations.
Instead of blaming the victim, the government should turn its attention to proactive measures aimed at employers to increase labour force participation rates for people with a disability. Quotas within the public sector would be a good start.
Joanna Shulman, Chief Executive Officer, Redfern Legal Centre
Read the letter on the Sydney Morning Herald website.
