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Meeting the participation challenge

Meeting the participation challenge

How best to deal with the three Ps: productivity, population, participation? Productivity is about the efficiency of our economy; lifting productivity helps maintain international competitiveness and generate wealth. Population in this context refers in particular to Australia's changing demographics, as the baby boomers exit the workforce, reducing the proportion of the population who are in paid jobs. And Participation is about maximising the ability of all Australians to play a constructive role in society - to be valuable and to be valued - above all through meaningful work. These three Ps are inextricably linked. As the population ages we need to improve both productivity and participation to ensure that we can maintain our standard of living and pay for our future needs in health care and other areas. But not only that, the challenge of the three Ps is also a great opportunity. An opportunity to do things differently by engaging those who so often in the past have been shut out of the labour force by disadvantage or disability, or for other reasons. And that's where today's program begins. The 2011 ACOSS National Conference was held in Melbourne earlier this week, and it brought together a number of people to discuss the three Ps. The National Interest brings you the highlights of that discussion.

Radio national link http://www.abc.net.au/rn/nationalinterest/stories/2011/3179900.htm

ABC Radio national, National Interest

04 Apr 2011 11:33:00am comment: Kathy Leitch :

I heard most of the discussion and was pleased to hear Andrew Robb enunciate a more empathetic approach to the issue of the unemployed, underemployed and those on the Disability Support Pension. Perhaps the fact that he has experienced disability (depression) allows him to have a more heartfelt response. Why can't he make the announcements on Coalition policy regarding welfare and benefits instead of Tony Abbott? Abbott did the coalition a disservice by his bludgeoning, negative sound grabs he recently let loose across Australia's air waves, when he talked about proposed welfare reforms, including reforms to disability welfare payments. Most people with disability are keen to work, but the personal experience of our members is that employers are not willing to offer employment opportunities to people with disability. Under the coalition and labor governments, the percentage of employees with disability in the Australian public service has reduced over the last ten years from 6.4 per cent to less than 3 per cent. If governments can't lead from the front in employing people with disability, how can the rest of the employers be expected to make a difference? Instead of attacking people with disability themselves, politicians from all sides of politics should be leading by example. What about starting by every member of parliamnet looking at their own staff? How many of them have disability?

Kathy Leitch, Development Officer, Australians for Disability and Diversity Employment (ADDE) Inc.

Comment on radio national link http://www.abc.net.au/rn/nationalinterest/stories/2011/3179900.htm

ABC Radio national, National Interest

Disabilty Rights Commission U.K.

Clip from Talk by the Disability Rights Commission (UK)

Our mission is to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities and from diverse backgrounds in Australia. For those of you who are not aware we were officially formed on September 7, 2005 at Victorian Council of Social Services (VCOSS).

ADDE promotes pro-active employment policies and practices for disadvantaged groups including people with disabilities, mature age workers, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds as well as indigenous people. People who fall into more than one of these categories are recognised as being even more disadvantaged. Therefore, we see a greater need for a change of attitude and awareness.