PRIIMNIES TE
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATLNG, MP
PRESENTATION OF THE PRIME MINISTER'S EMPLOYER OF THE
YEAR AWARD, PARLIAMENT HOUSE CANBERRA, 19 OCTOBER
1994. 1 welcome the opportunity to be with you today, for the presentation of the
Prime Minister's Employer of the Year Awards.
These awards help all of us communicate a very important message to the
Australian community.
That message is about the economic and social benefits of employing people
with a disability. It is simple and uncontroversial, but we have to repeat it often
because it is often ignored. It goes like this:
To grow, as an economy and as a nation, we have to make the most of
all our resources, and this includes the talents and energies of people
with disabilities. We must ensure that everyone has an opportunity to
contribute and share in Australia's growth.
This message under-pins our broad commitments on social justice and access and
equity. It also meshes with the " Working Nation" agenda, outlined in the White
Paper on Employment released in May this year.
Through the Employer of the Year Awards we help to turn the message into
reality by acknowledging and supporting Australian employers who lead the
way in encouraging and assisting people with a disability to join the workforce.
We also recognise and demonstrate, practically, the significant contributions
people with disabilities make.
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People with a disability have shown that they are willing and able to take up the
challenge of working in mainstream employment.
People with a disability have proven they do bring special attributes to the
workplace, in terms of dedication to the job, low levels of absenteeism and staff
turnover. In the right job, with the ight training and support, they offer as much as any
worker. People with a disability want, and have the right to, a fair go to compete in the
open labour market and employers need a skilled and reliable workforce.
The Employer of the Year Awards recognise that once barriers to equal
employment opportunity are overcome, everyone employers, employees and
the community stands to benefit.
Over 300 employers around Australia have been nominated for this year's
awards. This is a record number of nomdiations and shows the real advances
being made in human resource management practices by Australian businesses.
It also shows our message is being received.
The Awards have been part of the Government's wider process of reform in
disability policy over the last ten years.
By changing existing supports, and introducing new services, our reforms have
helped people with a disability to have many of the same opportunities to
participate in the life and work of the community as anyone else. These are
opportunities which many without a disability take for granted.
The Disability Services Act of 1986 went a long way to address long-standing
barriers faced by Australians with disabilities.
The Disability Reform Package brought fundamental improvements to
assistance provided for people with a disability. This included the development
of further measures to assist open and supported employment for people with a
disability. A key feature is the linking of income support for people with
disabilities, with education, training and work opportunities.
Many of you will know of a more recent development, the Supported Wage
system, which involves wages based on skills and productive capacity and
income supplementation through the Social Security system. This will allow
employers to employ people with a disability on a pro rata award wage, where
necessary, and will greatly increase job opportunities for people with more
severe disabilities.
The Disability Discrimination Act, which came into effect in 1993, makes
discrimination on the grounds of disability unlawfiul, including in employment
situations. Now, through work in developing an Australian Disability Strateg, we are
embarking on a comprehensive and systematic effort to address barriers to
access, equality and participation for people with a disability.
The Strategy will provide a plan of action across Government programs to
comply with our own Disability Discrimination Act and the United Nations
Standard Rules on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities. Under the Strategy equal opportunity goals for people with a disability will be
set out and we will define ways to achieve them over the next ten years. A plan
of action has been developed covering Federal programs and responsibilities.
We are also working with State and Territory Governments to develop a
national Australian Disability Strategy for the next ten years.
My colleague, Carmen Lawrence, as the Minister for Human Services, has
recently announced the formation of the Australian Disability Consultative
Council, to advise the Government on the development and implementation of
the Strategy.
In the Employment White Paper, we expanded the employment assistance
available to people with a disability through:
a better access to labour market programs through the Job Compact;
S greater emphasis on individual case management with relevant case
managers having a lighter case load and greater resources;
more employment assistance through additional places in the
Commonwealth Rehabilitation Service and Disability Services Program;
and
S ongoing funding for specialist psychiatric pilot units.
Before I hand back to Dr Lawrence, I want to thank everyone who has helped
with these awards.
I would like to thank the ACTU, and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, for their support. You are key players in this work.
Finally, I would like to thank and congratulate all those employers present, and
the Awards finalists in particular, for their outstanding effort to ensure that
people with a disability have the rights, choices and opportunities that most
Australians take for granted.
Your efforts and these awards demonstrate the benefits of harnessing the skills
and abilities of people with a disability.
In this way we are all contributing to building a fairer and better Australia.