PRIME MINISTER
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING, MP
DELIVERED BY THE MINISTER FOR HUMAN SERVICES AND HEALTH,
THE HON CARMEN LAWRENCE, MP
PRIME MINISTER'S EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS, CANBERRA,
18 OCTOBER 1995
I am very pleased to be here today to present the Prime Minister's Employer
of the Year Awards and to recognise employers who have given job
opportunities to Australians with a disability.
The Awards are in their sixth year and in 1995 attracted almost 400
nominations. I must say that past presentation ceremonies number amongst the most
uplifting functions I have attended.
The Awards always tell a good story and, I think, a very Australian story.
In Australia we move forward as a group. In Australia, we care about each
other we help each other out and we stick together. Australians have, I
believe, a fundamental and very deeply-held belief in fairness.
There is a consensus in this country and it's not found in all countries, or
even most countries a consensus that everyone should contribute to and
share in the common wealth.
That's one of the best things about living in Australia. And it's one of the best
reasons for loving Australia.
These awards are a practical expression of the Australian consensus. They
are a good example of government, business and unions all pitching in and
working together in the common interest.
There are many things that a government can do to create an inclusive
society and to maintain a strong social net.
Governments can provide health care and social security and education and
community services to all. Not all governments do this but the best do.
And there is much that governments can do for people with a disability.
For the past decade, this Government has assisted people with disabilities
through the Disability Services Program and in light of the Baume Report,
we will redouble our efforts to increase opportunities, especially in
employment, education and training.
In 1991 the Government introduced the Disability Reform Package to coordinate
Commonwealth services and enable people with disabilities to
participate more fully in the life of the community. The Disabilities
Discrimination Act of 1993 declared that discrimination on the grounds of
disability is unlawful.
These are valuable things and the Government will keep doing them, and
building on them.
But what governments cannot easily provide to people with disabilities
unlike businesses are jobs.
A job is the most important element of the Australian inheritance.
Ilt is the best guarantee of an interesting and prosperous life.
It's the best builder of confidence and self-esteem, and the best antidote for
depression and self-doubt.
As a way of bringing people in from the margins of society, nothing else
comes close.
Businesses should employ people with disabilities because they share
along with the rest of us a responsibility to society.
They should do it because it will provide their employees with new skills and
a better future.
But they should also do it because hiring people with disabilities is good
business practice. With proper training and support and in the right job, a
person with a disability can do as well as any worker. And the experience of
these Awards tells us they bring an extra measure of enthusiasm and
commitment to the workplace.
Of course, many businesses have already seen the light. People with
disabilities are working with great flair and success in shops and offices and
schools; in councils, timber companies and computer companies; in
universities and banks and hotels and airlines.
And all of them are very much a part of the national enterprise.
Let me offer my congratulations to everyone involved with the Employer of
the Year Awards the organisers, the sponsors and the very hard-working
selection panels.
Thank you especially to the ACTU, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry and Business Review Weekly.
Congratulations to those employers in both the private and public sectors
who have given people with disabilities a chance, and who have been
nominated this year.
Most importantly, congratulations to those people with a disability who take
their place in Australia's work force, whose courage is equal to their
employers' vision.
Australia is a stronger nation for these Awards. And because of the
generosity and intelligence of the employers we recognise today, Australia is
a better country in which to live.
Thank you.