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12. Next steps

The preceding chapters document the Inquiry's progress in developing measures to facilitate the participation and employment of people with disability in the open workplace.

In particular the Inquiry has made 30 recommendations which seek to provide guidance to the Commonwealth government and all other parties to the employment process. The Inquiry urges the implementation of those recommendations as a matter of priority.

While the publication of this report marks the end of the Inquiry process, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (the Commission) will continue to follow policy developments in the area of open employment and people with disability.

In particular, the Commission will continue consultations with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations regarding:

• the launch and ongoing development of the one-stop-information-shop (see Chapter 10 and Recommendations 1-2)
• improvements to the Workplace Modifications Scheme (see Chapter 10 and Recommendation 11).

The Commission congratulates the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations for its commitment to delivering these outcomes.

The Commission is also concerned to ensure continuing development of the ideas discussed in its four working groups. In particular, the Commission hopes that those processes can influence the shape of new Commonwealth policy initiatives to be introduced on 1 July 2006.

The Commission therefore intends to reconvene the working groups to pursue discussions regarding:

• government-funded work trial schemes (see Chapter 4 and Recommendation 13)
• strategies to address employer concerns about occupational health and safety, disability discrimination and industrial relations laws (see Chapter 5 and Recommendation 15)
• strategies to encourage the creation of flexible workplaces (see Chapter 6 and Recommendation 19)
• improved delivery of comprehensive ongoing supports to employees with disability and their employers (see Chapter 7 and Recommendations 17-18).

Any queries regarding the Commission's future programs should be directed to disabdis@humanrights.gov.au.