Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

2008 Category 2: Australia
than other employees to recruit and that the risks to the employer are higher for this
group than for other employees.
As a result, employers in Australia did not have a great awareness of the business
benefits of employing people with disability including that the cost of hiring people
with disability can be up to 13% lower than the cost associated with hiring other
employees. Employers were also discouraged from accessing and using some of the
free services and support available to them because of lengthy application processes
and government red tape.
The Solution
As part of the Inquiry into Employment and Disability, the Australian Human Rights
and Equal Opportunity Commission recommended that the Department of Education,
Employment and Workplace Relations (from now the “Department”) develop and
implement a one-stop information shop and expert advice service for the employment
of people with disability. The Commission also recommended that the Department
improve access to the Workplace Modifications Scheme. The Commission’s recommendations
were based on intensive consultation with people within the disability
community, employment service industry, the private sector and government.
The Department commissioned a scoping study to examine the feasibility of developing
such a service in Australia. Associate Professor Nicholas Buys (Griffith University)
completed the study, consulting with key stakeholders in Australia and seeking
input from the United States Department of Labour (who fund the Job
Accommodation Network in the United States). The Job Accommodation Network
project team, who provides advice about workplace adjustments and solutions to
employers in the United States, was available to discuss its experience in detail.
Following completion of the scoping study, the Department conducted further targeted
consultations in Australia with employers and potential employers of people with
disability, job seekers and employees with disability, their co-workers, employment
service providers, disability peak bodies, consumer organisations and other government
departments and agencies. Employers, industry and peak body representatives
also provided advice to the Department on increasing labour force participation and
employment opportunities for people with disability in Australia. These stakeholders
recommended how to best engage with business, how to target website content to
meet employer needs and also participated in user testing of the site before its release.
The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Employment and Disability recommended
that the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
(previously the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations) develop and
promote a service for employers and people with disability, offering them all the in-
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