Monday 8 January 2007
Insurance coverage for work experience placement welcome
Human Rights Commissioner and Commissioner responsible for Disability Discrimination, Graeme Innes AM, today congratulated the Australian Government for paying the costs of personal accident and general liability insurance for disadvantaged job seekers, including those with disabilities, participating in the Work Experience Placement program.
“There is a large and talented pool of jobseekers with disabilities that are continuously overlooked by employers,” Commissioner Innes said.
“I hope this new work experience program will help jobseekers with disabilities to enter the workplace more easily and enable them to demonstrate their capabilities to employers.”
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission held a National Inquiry into Employment and Disability last year and found that one of the main barriers to the employment of people with disabilities was employer concerns about perceived increased exposure to legal and financial risks related to occupational health and safety.
“There is a perception that employees with disabilities are a higher safety risk than other employees, but there is no evidence that this is true: in fact the evidence suggests the contrary - that people with disabilities have fewer injuries and days off than other workers,” Commissioner Innes said.
“The perception however appears to be strong enough to have a significant impact on hiring decisions by employers.
“People with disabilities have a valuable contribution to make to workplaces in Australia and are keen and eager to work.
“I hope this program will help employers overcome their concerns and hire more people with disabilities.”
Media contact: Louise McDermott 02 9284 9851 or 0419 258 597
Last updated 30 January, 2008
