Promoting diversity and equality in the labour market is just “bloody good business”

There’s little doubt there’s ever been a harder time to live in Australia. As the pandemic folds into daily life and rising interest rates and wage inequality are becoming the norm, it’s easy to be concerned about the future of Australian workplaces.?

Thankfully, these concerns aren’t being ignored, with September’s Jobs and Skills Summit confronting the issues head-on and grappling with possible paths forward. The Summit focused on tackling the challenges and opportunities facing the Australian labour market and economy. It captured a cross-section of Australian voices with platforms given to individuals and organisations representing a variety of sectors including disability, youth, Indigenous, single mothers and charities.?

The event brought together unions, employers, community stakeholders and governments; so, what did it achieve? And what can we learn from the attendees and speakers?

There’s no question the event will galvanise change, especially given the Albanese Government’s promise to build “a bigger, better trained and more productive workforce, boost[ing] real wages and living standards, and creat[ing] more opportunities for more Australians,” as well as working toward “reducing barriers to employment so that all Australians have the opportunity to participate to their full potential” in the wake of the event.?

I, like many employers, am thrilled to have a government willing to create tangible change in the Australian workforce, and I pride myself on living in a country with a government committed to boosting living standards and creating more opportunities for Australians.?

Though, if there’s one thing we know about politicians, it’s that words are wonderful, but action is what really counts. Following the Summit; and coupled with the Albanese Government’s commitment to a future-facing workforce, was an outline of thirty-six initiatives slated for immediate implementation. These include $1 billion in joint Federal-State funding for fee-free TAFE in 2023 and accelerated delivery of 465,000 fee-free TAFE places, one-off income credit for Age Pensioners, $575 million invested into the National Housing Infrastructure Facility and a? revamp of Australia’s workplace relations laws.

As well as these, the government promised amendments to the Fair Work Act, improved access to jobs and training pathways for women, First Nations people, regional Australians and culturally and linguistically diverse people, and changes to migration and visa legislation.

All fantastic initiatives.?

So, how will the government’s objective to “give everyone a seat at the table” actually translate into real-world action and improvement when it comes to the disability sector in particular?

Speaking at the Summit, Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott suggested employers not only hire more people with disabilities but focus on those employees’ long-term goals and career progression. “There are nearly 4.5 million people in this country who have some form of physical or non-physical disability, visible or invisible, and only 54 per cent of them are involved in the workforce,” Alcott said.?

“They want a career. They want a leadership position.”

The fact that only just over half of Australians with a physical or non-physical disability are employed is shocking. If this percentage does not increase there’s no way this country can spruik an inclusive, diverse workforce.?

Here’s another alarming figure.?

According to Disability Discrimination Commissioner Dr Ben Gauntlett, “the participation rate for people with a disability includes people legally employed at or around $3 per hour.”

It’s not all bad news, since the Summit the government has committed to providing up to $3.3 million in funding to develop a Disability Employment Initiative pilot aimed at increasing employment and improving career pathways for people with disabilities.

However, Disability Representation Organisations and advocacy groups consider this is not going far enough in removing barriers and guaranteeing job, financial, medical and housing security and support to the disability workforce. Since the Summit, the Disability Support Pension (DSP) has been a particular sore point, with calls to amend the scheme so that it adequately supports recipient workers.

Currently, the income rules under the DSP mean that 40 cents is deducted for every dollar a recipient earns over $190 per fortnight.?

Carolyn Hodge, Deputy CEO of People with Disability Australia, says, “increases to the DSP’s income-free threshold has dual benefits, it supports people with the additional costs of disability in a time of rising living costs and it can boost workforce numbers in a time of skill shortages.”

Seemingly, we have a path forward. We know that an inclusive Australian workforce means raising the DSP threshold, but this isn’t the only solution.?

In fact, during his address at the Summit, Dr Gauntlett signalled the need to completely rework the DSP framework more generally.?

Specifically, he raised four key points to boost workplace participation which included a Workplace Disability Equality Agency to research, assess and promote how we recruit, retain and advance people with disability into long-term careers and economic participation, further community engagement in the issue, law reform and the creation of new industries and jobs designed for physically and non-physically disabled workers.?

So, how can we design policies to enable people with disabilities to participate much more in the workforce?

For the Victorian Government, it’s all about increasing collaboration and co-designing work environments with people with disability on government policies, programs and services; as per its ‘nothing about us without us ’ plan. According to the Vic Gov, this means identifying opportunities to increase knowledge and application of best practice co-design principles with people with disabilities and increasing representation of people with disability across government boards and advisory groups.?

As well as this, the Gov has pledged to have a “particular focus on embedding co-design approaches in the first two years of the plan across emergency preparedness, response and recovery; mental health reforms; children and families services; creative industries; and pride and recognition initiatives.”

Added to this, in a report titled ‘Right to Participate: Co-designing Disability Policies in Australia ’, QUT School of Design & Creative Industries Faculty Associate Professor Janice Rieger outlined three recommendations that are crucial to ensuring an inclusive workforce. For Professor Reiger, it’s all about taking an ‘Abilities not Disabilities’ focus, it’s about employing expertise, and finally, understanding the value and importance of creative practice.?

At Local Peoples, we take these suggestions incredibly seriously and are focused on implementing and adhering to these recommendations. While there’s a lot to be done, we cannot shy away from these necessary changes. It is estimated that the economic benefits of employing people with disability would add over $50 billion to GDP by 2050, according to the Disability Royal Commission.?

It is imperative that we design comprehensive policies, regulatory frameworks and recruitment programs that offer opportunities to engage meaningfully within the workforce.

As Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott states, simply put, inclusive practices really are just “bloody good business”.