Human rights lawyers call for recommendations from People with Disabilities Report to be applied across ACT

September 6, 2017

Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) is calling for all 32 recommendations from the report by the Standing Committee on Health, Ageing and Community Services to be immediately applied across all organisations in the Australian Capital Territory to ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunities to employment.

ALHR supports all the recommendations including a standalone disability employment strategy for the ACT Public Service, a paid internship program to build professional skills, the creation of an employment register for people with disabilities and the review of selection criteria. ALHR also calls for the implementation of outcomes from other reviews including the Washington Group questions, Doing It Differently and the Lead Toolkit from New Zealand.

“ALHR enthusiastically supports the recommendations made in the Inquiry into the Employment of People with Disabilities,” said ALHR’s ACT Convener Sangeeta Sharmin.

“There is a clear need for ensuring inclusive employment opportunities for people with disabilities, which includes programs to facilitate participation and reasonable accommodations within the workplace.”

“A key challenge now is to implemenent of these recommendations immediately and in a manner that ensures people with disabilities are consulted throughout the implementation phase. The Australian Capital Territory is now one step closer to achieving laws, policies and programs that are not discriminatory and to preventing public authorities from applying or enforce laws, policies and programs in a discriminatory or arbitrary manner,” Ms Sharman said.

Contact: Matt Mitchell, ALHR media manager 0431 980 365.