ACTU
PRESIDENT Sharan Burrow
SECRETARY Greg Combet
393
TELEPHONE
ISD (613) 9663 5266
STD (03) 9663 5266
FACSIMILE
(03) 9663 4051
(031 9663 8220
actu.asn.au
14 September 2004
Disability Rights Unit
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
GPO
Dear Disability Rights Unit
RE: ACTU response to Request for comment: Possible public inquiry on
employment and disability issues
The ACTU would welcome a public inquiry on employment and disability issues.
In this regard, the ACTU makes the following brief
comments:
The ACTU believes that an inquiry, as a vehicle for
public education, would assist to promote employment opportunities for people
with disability. Additionally the inquiry would provide the opportunity to
consider ways to facilitate employment participation and could therefore
provide a means to report and make recommendations to Government.
In particular, the ACTU believes that the issue of participation costs facing people with disability and the means of addressing these costs should be considered. We see this as associated to the issue of personal support and assistance - the effectiveness of arrangements for personal support in relation to employment participation.
Among other issues the ACTU would wish to comment upon are the Supported Wage System and the Relationship between Supported and Open Employment.
The ACTU is a key stakeholder in the Supported Wage System (SWS). We believe the SWS is a successful and positive measure, facilitating the employment of people with disability. According to the Department of Family and Community Services Annual Report 2002-2003, 3010 people were employed under the SWS in the financial year 2002-03. We believe that, for people who are eligible to participate in the SWS, the system provides a valid, reliable and transparent wage assessment method. However we consider that access to the SWS needs to be better promoted.
The ACTU believes that all workers with disability employed in Supported Employment should also have their wages assessed in accordance with a valid, reliable and transparent wage assessment tool. Standard 9 of the Quality Assurance System for Business Services requires Business Services to pay award based wages. To assist Business Services comply with this Standard, the Department of Family and Community Services has developed the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool (BSWAT). The ACTU believes that this tool or an equivalent tool should be used by all Business Services to assess employee wages. We believe this is an integral part of facilitating a transition path between supported and mainstream or open employment because the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool links to training.
The ACTU would be happy to expand on these and other issues if a Public Inquiry
is formed.
We trust these comments are of assistance.
Yours sincerely
SHARAN BURROW
President