Disability Royal Commission to examine pathways and barriers to people with disability finding employment

Pathways and barriers to open employment for people with disability will be the subject of the ninth public hearing of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability to be held in Sydney.

It will be the first public hearing of the Royal Commission concerning economic participation of people with disability.

Chair of the Royal Commission, Ronald Sackville AO QC, said people with disability have a right to self-determination and independence, and gainful employment is an important pathway towards them achieving a secure future and autonomy within society.

“People with disability must be allowed the freedoms and rights to make decisions about their future, and finding open employment is one way that allows them to achieve these goals,” Mr Sackville said ahead of the hearing to be held from December 7-11, 2020.

“The Royal Commission will examine the importance of community attitudes and how those attitudes can operate as a barrier, or a pathway, to employment that hinder people with disability from finding their proper place in society.”

The Royal Commission expects to hear from people with disability about their experiences – both positive and negative – in seeking open employment, as well as organisations working with a range of businesses, including employers, to promote inclusive workplaces, and advocacy groups.

The hearing’s Scope and Purpose includes examining a range of issues, including:

  • the systemic barriers to people with disability attaining meaningful employment, including attitudinal, physical/environmental, organisational and structural barriers
  • links between meaningful and sustainable employment and inclusion of people with disability into broader society
  • the experience of women with disability, First Nations people with disability, and people with disability who are from culturally and linguistically diverse, refugee and/or migrant backgrounds, or who identify as LGBTIQA+
  • employment programs and how different systems such as the Disability Support Pension, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Disability Employment Services interact
  • how employers can build inclusive workplaces to promote employment opportunities and career advancement for persons with disability

“We are hopeful the hearing will assist in creating greater awareness within society of the barriers faced by people with disability, and we are keen to engage with them and others to ascertain a true picture so as to guide our final report and any recommendations we make,” Mr Sackville said.

The Royal Commission intends to further consider segregated employment settings in later hearings.

Mr Sackville will preside over the hearing alongside Commissioner Roslyn Atkinson AO in Brisbane, Commissioner Rhonda Galbally PSM in Melbourne and Commissioner John Ryan AM in Sydney.

Senior Counsel Assisting leading the inquiry will be Ms Kate Eastman SC.

The Disability Royal Commission was established in April 2019 in response to community concern about widespread reports of violence against, and the neglect, abuse and exploitation of, people with disability.

The hearing will be closed to the public, but will be live-streamed on the Royal Commission website.

Public hearing 9: Barriers to open employment (Auslan)

Public hearing 9: Barriers to open employment

Public hearing no.9 will be held from Monday 7 to Friday 11 December in Sydney.

This hearing will focus on open employment for people with disability.

The Royal Commission will consider segregated employment settings in later hearings.

At the hearing, people with disability will tell the Royal Commission about their experiences in:

  • finding and keeping jobs
  • barriers to transitioning in and out of the workforce, eg from school to work, or from one job to another
  • discrimination and exploitation.

Some of the topics the hearing will cover include:

  • the human right of people with disability to work without discrimination and on an equal basis with others
  • barriers to people with disability getting and keeping meaningful employment. This includes other people’s attitudes, whether environments are accessible and organisations’ policies and procedures.
  • how these barriers contribute to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability
  • links between meaningful employment and inclusion of people with disability into wider society 
  • the experience of women with disability, First Nations people with disability, and people with disability who are from culturally and linguistically diverse, refugee and migrant backgrounds or who identify as LGBTIQA+
  • employment programs and different systems such as the Disability Support Pension, the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Disability Employment Services
  • how employers can build inclusive workplaces to promote employment opportunities and career advancement
  • how employers can make adjustments for people with disability in finding, maintaining and returning to work.

The hearing will not be open to the public but will be livestreamed on the Royal Commission website. It will have captions and Auslan interpreters.

For more information, go to the Public Hearings section on our website.