In this submission, we provide feedback in response to the Options Paper regarding establishing a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence or similar body.
We fully support endeavours to address the significant shortfalls in employment outcomes for Australians living with disability compared to non-disabled people, which are clearly set out in the Options Paper. Establishing a Disability Employment Centre of Excellence or similar body is likely to make a positive contribution if it forms part of a broader comprehensive plan to drive change. Below, we provide input regarding core functions for the proposed Centre (per the Options Paper, we will refer to the proposed body as a Centre although it could take another form), who it should assist, its design, and steps toward implementation.
We also take this opportunity to emphasise that a Centre alone will not fix the entrenched problems in the Disability Employment Services (DES) system, the failure to date of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to deliver meaningful employment outcomes for the vast majority of participants, or the ongoing exploitation of workers living with disability in so-called supported employment services. These matters require urgent focused attention from DSS and governments. Notwithstanding this, we first emphasise the importance of co-designing the proposed Centre.