I am delighted to announce details of a $99 million package to strengthen the disability employment reforms of recent years by guaranteeing that no employees will lose their place and that services will receive help when they need it.
Almost 17,000 people with disabilities are employed by business services, often known as sheltered workshops. The Government has been working with these services since 1996 to help them meet quality standards, move to more business-like funding arrangements and move toward paying pro rata award-based wages. As services undergo change, it is important that individual employees, their families and their carers retain the security and social support such services provide.
To ensure this sense of security, the Government will guarantee that no employee will lose access to their place in a service. To underpin this guarantee, the Government will allow some services to phase-in wage increases over an agreed period of up to four years. Direct financial assistance, including help to meet wage commitments, will be available for these services as they move through the phase-in period. This assistance will be supplemented by extra help designed to increase the longer-term viability of services, tailored to their individual needs. In addition, very low productivity employees and their families and carers can choose to remain in their service and will also be offered access to case manager should they wish to discuss the options available to them.
The package announced today also includes new case-based Government funding arrangements for people with disabilities working in business services and in open employment and the release of the business services wage assessment tool. This wage tool has been developed by the Government in close consultation with business services, people with disabilities and their families, and union representatives, to assist business services determine pro rata wages for employees with disabilities.
This Government is committed to supporting people with disabilities. This package provides extra security and support for employees, their families and carers, while providing a strong base for the further development of disability employment opportunities.