JFA Purple Orange is grateful for the opportunity to provide this submission to the Department of Social Services (DSS) regarding the future of supported employment.
If Australia is to fulfil its obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD), there should not be a future for segregated, discriminatory, exploitative forms of employment that only exist for people living with disability and no other workers in this country. The Federal Government should take immediate action to set a deadline within five years for the abolition of supported employment, the Supported Wage System, and the Supported Employment Services Award. It should urgently invest in a comprehensive co-designed transition plan that enables workers living with disability to access work and career opportunities on the same basis as other Australians. Anything short of ending supported employment approaches will mean workers remain trapped in poverty and unable to access the same life choices that are available to other Australians.
Importantly, we are not proposing to just shut down Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) and leave workers unemployed, bored, and more isolated. Rather, we are arguing for a transition to a new business model that would abolish the practice of segregation, the Supported Wage System, and the Supported Employment Services Award that underpin the current ADE approach, while supporting the organisations and their employees to thrive in new ways. Many who oppose change assume that all ADE workplaces would be shut down and people would lose their employment, the opportunity to contribute, and the relationships that they hold dear within these settings. This is not what we want either. The key to successful change is an effective transition that brings workplace practices into the 21st century while maintaining the positive attributes of employment, including contribution and social connection.
In this submission, we highlight the urgent need to address the poor outcomes of the current supported employment approach in enabling participants to enter and maintain meaningful employment with a living wage. We focus on the importance of employment to living a good life characterised by valued roles in community and the personal resources necessary to create ordinary choices in life. We challenge the flawed assumptions based in entrenched low expectations and the deficits approach that underpin the supported employment model. Then we highlight how investing in alternative pathways into authentic mainstream employment offer far greater prospects for achieving employment outcomes that are beneficial to the person, their workplace, the economy, and the community. Finally, we address each of the specific initiatives outlined in the Discussion Paper for this consultation.
This submission draws on input from people living with disability in a range of consultations we have undertaken regarding employment and the supported employment approach over many years. Across our organisation, we have the privilege of regularly hearing from people in our community living with diverse disabilities and experiencing a range of life circumstances. Additionally, we are currently running an Information, Linkages, and Capacity Building (ILC) funded project that involves working with employers to increase their confidence and capacity to employ people living with disability. Through this work, we have established partnerships with employers, Disability Employment Service (DES) providers, and training organisations to create opportunities in various industries. This work has provided us with unique insights about the supports needed for successful mainstream employment outcomes.