RESPONSE TO DISCUSSION PAPER: IMPROVING THE EMPLOYMENT PARTICIPATION OF PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITY
Maribyrnong City Council
Response to discussion
paper: Improving the
employment participation
of people with disability
DEEWR Employment Submission February 2013 Author: Disability Planner LO
The Maribyrnong City Council welcomes this opportunity to discuss employment of
people with disability and to respond to the Australian Government discussion paper
`Improving the employment participation of people with disability’.
Maribyrnong is a highly diverse community with an estimated total population of
72,896 persons. 40% of our population were born overseas and 43% speak a
language other than English. It is estimated that one in five persons in Maribyrnong
has a disability.
The City of Maribyrnong also experiences a number of challenges, including:

Rating 3rd on the SEIFA index of disadvantage;

A relatively high unemployment rate of 6.2%(compared to the Victorian
average of 5.2 per cent and the Melbourne average of 4.9%) – March 2011;

Females in the municipality experiencing the poorest health in the Western
Region sub-region;

Males in the municipality having the lowest life expectancy in Victoria (74.8
years);

24.4% of persons experiencing transport limitations.
It is predicted the City of Maribyrnong will experience significant population growth
over the next twenty years. By 2031, it is estimated Maribyrnong’s population will
increase to 107,790, a rise of 32,738 (30%) on the 2012 forecast population. The
average annual population growth rate is predicted to be around 1.9%.
All areas of the municipality are expected to increase in population, particularly the
suburbs of Footscray, Maribyrnong, Maidstone, Yarraville and Braybrook. Council
recognises that it will be particularly important in a period of rapid change that the
municipality remain inclusive and welcoming and responsive to the needs of people
of all abilities.
Maribyrnong City Council develops a number of policies that support and direct our
community. The policies and action plans that support this document are the
Disability Policy and Action Plan and the Human Rights and Social Justice
Framework 2013.
Submission to the Improving the employment participation of
people with disability in Australia
INTRODUCTION:
`Promoting the participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in the
community is an important policy objective for all Australian governments’.
Disability Care and Support Productivity Commission Inquiry Report 2011 Volume 1, No54,
p203.
The participation and inclusion of people with disabilities is supported via:
 United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
which Australia has ratified, where a guiding principle is ‘full and
effective participation and inclusion in society’ (United Nations 2006,
article 3c)
 COAGs National Disability Strategy 2010-2020
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

COAGs National Disability Agreement,
Australian, state and territory and local governments’ social inclusion
policies.
Despite a long history of employment initiatives and programs for people with
disability a sustainable disability employment program in Australia is yet to be
achieved. However, pilot initiatives have improved the evidence and knowledge base
for building such a program. It is our hope that the federal government will initiate
policy and funding to assist local government to embed good disability
employment practice and support employees and employers to realise such
policy intentions.
Creating greater inclusion is not only a socially desirable goal, the evidence from the
Deloitte Access Economics 2011 `The economic benefits of employment for
people with disability’ indicates that it makes good business sense. The report
notes that benefits include lower absenteeism and above average productivity rates
for employees with disability; positive impacts on staff morale; business benefits to
the employer brand and customer loyalty. Furthermore, employees with disability are
diverse, cost marginally less in terms of safety and insurance costs and have better
retention rates.
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Context of Local Government in
Victoria
The Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) strategic framework, `Creating a more
inclusive community for people with a disability’, drew on the work of many local
councils. The strategy articulated 13 actions to support Victorian councils create a
more inclusive community for people with disability and their families and help meet
legal obligations to remove barriers to discrimination.
The MAV reports that the following actions have been found to increase civic
participation and employment of people with disability:
1. A whole-of council approach
2. Incorporate access and inclusion objectives in key strategic documents
3. Facilitate civic participation and inclusive consultation
4. Systematically improve the accessibility of council buildings and infrastructure
5. Inclusive communication and information approaches
6. Accessible and inclusive council services, programs and events
7. Strategic use of statutory and regulatory roles
8. Improve employment opportunities
9. Influence community attitudes and perceptions
10. Exercise leadership in advocating to other organisations
11. Foster partnership and collaboration
12. Effective accountability practices
13. Review and evaluate progress
Taken from: A report on 2011-2012 implementation of the Municipal Association of Victoria’s
Strategic framework for disability: Employment and civic participation page 3.
The DEEWR discussion paper notes that internationally there has been a movement
to implement some form of disability employment quota scheme both in the public
and private sector. Local government, as part of the public sector, could be used
as a strategic example for voluntarily negotiating employment quotas.
Maribyrnong City Council accepts that all 13 areas require consideration and that the
identified actions support and endorse one another.
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MARIBYRNONG CITY COUNCIL ACTION ON DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT
Maribyrnong City Council recently completed an extensive community consultation
and developed a Disability Policy and Action Plan for 2012-2015. Actions that directly
address the employment of people with disability include:
Action 42: Promote and prioritise the use of local social enterprises that
employ people with disability.
Action 45: Advertise council employment vacancies on the JobSearch
disAbility Connections and JobSeeker InfoXchange websites.
Action 46: Include a statement on Council’s employment web page, and other
relevant documents, to indicate that Council supports employment
opportunities for people with disability and is a disability friendly employer.
Action 47: Investigate options for developing council traineeship opportunities
to enable people with disability to obtain work experience and develop skills.
Action 50: Continue to provide work experience opportunities for people with a
disability at Footscray library.
Action 59: Provide general disability awareness training each year for council
staff.
MARIBYRNONG CITY COUNCIL INCLUSIVE EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE
(MCCIEI)
In 2010-2011 the Maribyrnong City Council ran an inclusive employment initiative for
people with disability. This initiative offered real work for people with a disability at the
council. This initiative aimed to
 develop the employment skills and employment pathway opportunities of
people with disability within the Maribyrnong City Council;

develop the diversity of the Maribyrnong City Council workforce

provide Maribyrnong City Council staff with improved capacity to support
employees of all abilities and

demonstrate leadership and innovation in inclusive employment practices.
Council departments were invited to participate in the initiative and nominate
employment positions for the program; as a result the following three positions were
advertised and filled as part of the initiative:
 Administrative Assistant, Braybrook Community Centre,
 Nursery Assistant, Parks & Trees,
 Project Support Officer, City Design and Place Making
Participants successfully completed individual diverse work experience over 13
weeks.
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Staff Feedback
The initiative was seen to benefit the organisation. Staff commented that the program
showcased the broad range of capabilities of people with disability and got them to
think `outside the square’ in relation to the workplace. It was reported to have
contributed to developing a workplace team spirit and increased staff patience,
tolerance and flexibility. Importantly, the initiative was recognised as providing a real
and meaningful work experience for participants.
Staff identified that future initiatives could be run over a longer period of time, across
a greater range of departments and linked up with other councils to develop a
regional program.
One supervisor commented:
`The skills and practical experience they have will transfer well into future work
opportunities.’
The strength of the initiative was seen to be that it provided participants the
opportunity for work experience at entry level employment roles. Staff involved in the
initiative described it as a fantastic success and said they would be very willing to
participate in the program again. They identified that having targeted employment
positions would enhance the initiative and noted the need for attitudinal change
towards employing people with disability.
Building on the success of the initiative, the Diversity unit at Maribyrnong City Council
is exploring the possibility of adapting the highly successful casual work pool
program that has been operating in the City of Darebin for the last 6 years. That
program is a partnership with a neighbourhood renewal project and a local
neighbourhood house and delivers training to long term unemployed people in
Certificate 2 Business Administration. Participants undertake work experience during
the training thereby becoming familiar with council administration systems. On
completion of the training they can join the work pool to be employed on a casual
basis in various council departments. A similar but targeted disability employment
program will be explored.
Response to Discussion Paper Specific Questions
Maribyrnong City Council has considered the questions asked in the discussion
paper and suggests that changes in current employment practice are best achieved
by addressing both specifically targeted and mainstream employment programs. We
support the suggestion that the federal government encourage employers to observe
inclusive practice (of all employees), and create greater awareness amongst
mainstream employment agencies and employers about the benefits of employing a
diverse workforce- in particular of employing people with disability on a voluntary
basis.
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DISCUSSION POINTS:
1.1: WHAT ARE THE MAIN BARRIERS FACED BY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY IN
EMPLOYMENT?
All people need access to information and support to be` job ready’ if they are
unemployed. Specific employment services and generic employment services with
trained service officers with knowledge about employee and employer benefits of
employing people with disability are needed to ensure there is not institutional
discrimination and to promote the effective uptake of government policy and
program initiatives.
Negative social attitudes continue to be the major barrier for people with disability
seeking and securing employment. Much of the discrimination experienced is based
on misconceived notions that they are not the same as other people and so cannot
be expected to share the same rights and aspirations. This contributes to the further
barrier for people with disability rarely having had the opportunity of work
experience and therefore they do not have references. Meaningful `job ready
programs’ for people with disability need to ensure there are opportunities to take on
real roles so that they gain experience that enables placement supervisors to offer
references. Programs should also offer orientation and training to enable participants
to develop knowledge about employer expectations, workplace cultures,
diverse organisational structures, and interview skills.
As the Deloitte Access Economics report identified employer misconceptions and
assumptions overshadow the reality of the social and economic benefits of employing
people with disability. All local government areas in Victoria have access to deaf
access support services and MetroAccess and RuralAccess workers. These services
are an important resource to include in the development of effective strategies as
they have good local knowledge and skills regarding the implementation of effective
policy and programs.
Further barriers faced by people with disability include: the complexity of pathways
between paid employment and income support, lack of access to employment
programs and employment support staff with a good understanding of disability, lack
of access to training and education and access to childcare, responsibilities for caring
and domestic duties that require flexible employment hours, transport difficulties,
economic hardship and poverty, inaccessible built environments, physical and
psycho social assumptions and misconceptions about their contribution to the
workforce. This includes a lack of flexible work practices, the fear of costly work
adjustment and aids, and that other staff may be required to carry an extra load.
There are also financial costs and benefits to participation that can be inequitable.
For example, there are currently discrepancies between mainstream and specific
disability employment incentives.
FEEDBACK / RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The federal government review current disability employment incentives and
ensure parity with mainstream employment incentives.
2. The federal government consider creating sustainable employment programs
for people with disability with reference to group training schemes and
apprenticeship and traineeships in specific industries.
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3. That employment support officers be trained to work effectively and sensitivity
with the diverse Australian population.
2.1: WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL AND WORKABLE APPROACHES TO MAKE A
REAL IMPROVEMENT TO EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES AND WORKPLACE
EQUALITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY? HOW WOULD THEY
WORK?
A lack of advertising in the disability employment sector, failure to train mainstream
employment agencies, low expectations and a lack of preparation or accommodation
of the needs of applicants with disability are further and sometimes subtle barriers.
For example, in an interview situation, people with visual impairments may have
seating preferences due to lighting sensitivity and hearing impaired people may
require visual access to all interviewers for lip reading. These factors can be easily
accommodated by interview panels asking all applicants if they have a seating
preference and allowing them to identify the reasons, or not. This also links to the
question of disclosure. Normalizing the discussion of anti-discrimination
legislations and an employer’s commitment to complying with such
regulations would be good recruitment practice.
Employment opportunities need to be available at all levels of the workforce including
management and supervisory roles. Improving employment outcomes include
creating sustainable programs and work positions with the following features:
 Real Work
 Clear roles/responsibilities
 Accessible/Equitable Recruitment Process
 Supervision and support provisions
 Training & orientation and placement exit strategy
 Support and Training for Managers/Supervisors
 Dedicated Resources to address the Challenges
 Identified number of places and reporting
An example of how people might be forced into compromising health and social
activities because of economic factors was relayed by the council MetroAccess
worker. She described how a young woman who required assistance with toileting
three times a day was informed she should wear an incontinence pad for her mid-day
toileting as her care did not cover three visits. In addition to this being presented in a
disrespectful manner, if implemented this action could compromise this persons
ability to work with dignity.
Sustainable and equitable employer incentives and workplace subsidies need to be
widely advertised and celebrated in the workplace and via local, state and national
media and social media. Such incentives should not be limited to Centrelink clients
but be available, for example, for people wishing to change jobs. Regular review and
updating of incentives need to be advertised and shared with the general community.
For example it used to be that support for workplace equipment or appliances was
capped to a certain financial amount. We understand that this was changed but many
employers are unaware of this progressive change. Again, the councils MetroAccess
worker found out this information via speaking with a man who wanted to be a bus
driver and required a special muscle support glove which was able to be funded by
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the Workplace modification scheme. Group training and industry specific work
programs may be also be appropriate to consider in the private/public sector mix.
FEEDBACK / RECOMMENDATIONS
That the Australian government consider:
4. Develop a targeted advertising campaign to promote diversity in the
workplace along the lines of the Worksafe advertising. This is a good
approach to prepare the general community for greater acceptance of a
diverse workforce and build community expectations that there will be people
with disability in a broad range of workplaces.
5. Consider individualised and group training work incentive packages, such as
those initiated in the access to work model in the UK
https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work .
6. Initiate annual best practice awards for public and private sector
employers and organisations to reward leadership and innovation in
employment of people with disability. It is important that such awards are
not costly window dressing but affordable/creative and celebratory in nature.
2.2: WOULD INTRODUCING DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT DISCLOSURE
ARRANGEMENTS IMPROVE THE EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITY? WHAT ARE THE LIKELY BENEFITS OF SUCH
ARRANGEMENTS? SHOULD THEY BE VOLUNTARY OR MANDATORY?
It is likely that the introduction of disability disclosure arrangements would lead to
more accurate reporting and monitoring of targets. Such information is important to
leverage support and resources. However, the balance between rights and
responsibilities needs to be respectful of the individuals privacy and confidentiality.
Evidence from the Deloitte report suggests that staff morale is improved when
workplaces have a diversity of workers. However, disclosure has both potential
benefits and challenges for employees with disability. Disclosure for some disability is
self-evident and places a clear duty of care with the employer to ensure physical
access arrangements and support are in place. Recent overviews of evidence in
relation to disclosure of mental health suggest that there are as many disadvantages
as advantages for employees and students who have identified ( Jones 2011;Venville
and Street 2012) Disclosure is also more likely where the information is de-identified
and confidential. There is also evidence to suggest that other factors such as gender
and ethnicity influence how people with disability are perceived and treated if they
disclose disability.
For example, Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA): Submission to the Human
Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) National Inquiry into
Employment and Disability in 2005 http://www.wwda.org.au/employsub2.htm notes
that inequities and barriers which exist for women in the workplace are exacerbated
for women with disabilities. There are fewer employment openings, and women with
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disabilities are overrepresented in poorly paid jobs. Furthermore they recommended
that
`The Australian Government makes explicit recognition of the impact of
multiple discriminations caused by the intersection of gender and disability,
particularly in relation to employment.’
Ethnicity and Aboriginality also compound disadvantage already experienced by
people with disability.
FEEDBACK / RECOPMMENDATIONS:
Given the long history of discrimination and rights violations experienced by people
with disability it is recommended:
7. That sensitive and respectful disclosure options be introduced on a voluntary
basis. The balance between rights and responsibilities is presented in options
according to United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disability (United Nations 2006, article 3c).
8. That participating organisations be required to present reporting information in
de-identified and sensitive ways.
2.3: WHAT ARE THE KEY RISKS THAT WOULD NEED TO BE ADDRESSED?
Issues of disclosure need to be considered at the following points of the employment
process:
 Employment advertising
 Job application
 Application forms
 Interview
 Disclosure Options
 Data keeper and reporters- Identify a role
Risks include
 Privacy and Discrimination
 Privacy and Confidentiality
 Duty of care and Occupational Health and Safety requirements
 Complaints about disclosure options
 Awards and fair and just wages and conditions
 Resources to retrofit for access arrangements.
 Community, employer and employment services awareness training.
 Mentoring and employee and employer support re disclosure options
and arrangements
FEEDBACK / RECOMMENDATIONS:
9. That an information and training package be developed for employees and
employers about voluntary disclosure.
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2.4: HOW ARE DISCLOSURE ISSUES BEST RESOLVED? WHAT WOULD
BETTER PRACTICE LOOK LIKE?
The quality of relationships between people with disability, employment officers and
employer representatives; individual history; and diversity and inclusion
demonstrated in the workplace or industry, along with privacy and confidentiality
processes, will influence disclosure. Human Resource Departments already maintain
confidential employee data and are the obvious place to consider for training and
implementing best practice in the area of disclosure.
A clear demonstration of inclusive employment practice and adherence to antidiscrimination legislation will indicate openness and encourage both employer and
employee confidence.
Best practice would include processes for interagency confidentiality and
encouragement regarding employer and employee responsibilities to meet legislation
and policy.
FEEDBACK / RECOMMENDATIONS:
10. Disclosure becomes a choice through real support from Equal Opportunity and
Human Rights Commissioner.
11. That DEEWR undertake a process and impact evaluation to monitor the
effectiveness if these changes are introduced.
2.5: HOW ARE DISCLOSURE AND PRIVACY ISSUES BEST ADDRESSED?
Disclosure and privacy issues are best addressed within the current legislation and
associated support services. The United Nations convention on Human Rights and
the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability.
2.6: WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO A PERSON DISCLOSING THAT THEY HAVE
A DISABILITY TO THEIR EMPLOYER?
The perception that a workplace or employer is not inclusive is one of the biggest
barriers to disclosure. Privacy, fear of discrimination, past experiences, the type of
disability, and the fact that there is often not an option on employment paperwork are
further barriers.
2.7: WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST PRACTICAL WAY FOR EMPLOYERS TO
REPORT ON DISABILITY?
The most practical and respectful reporting would be for employers to compile a
report on the percentage of the workforce who have identified disability via an annual
confidential survey. This survey should include casual work and traineeships. Such
reports could be compiled by DEEWR on a local government, state and national
profile and shared with relevant networks to set and review quotas.
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2.8: WHAT WOULD BE THE MOST SUITABLE DEFINITION OF ‘DISABILITY’
FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT DISCLOSURE
ARRANGEMENTS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE EMPLOYERS TO HIRE
MORE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY?
The Disability Discrimination Act definition of disability is suitable for the disclosure
arrangements.
2.9: DO INFORMATION AREAS OUTLINED ABOVE COVER THE RIGHT
INFORMATION OR IS THERE OTHER INFORMATION THAT COULD OR
SHOULD BE SOUGHT FROM EMPLOYERS?
Employer links with disability networks would be additional useful information.
Networking is a primary step to building a trusting relationship with people with
disability and is an indicator that their workplace/industry intends to become
inclusive.
A mixture of private and public sector up to date `good practice stories’ in a variety of
formats- visual and audio- would be a welcome addition on the current DEEWR
website. For example; recent article in The Age Career section, 26th January 2013,
highlighted an example of good practice in the private arts sector. An arts-based
business, the Creative Spirit, initiated the employment of a young man with disability
who is credited with inspiring staff at the agency. The project is being shared with
organisations overseas.
References:
Elaine Brohan1, Claire Henderson, Kay Wheat, Estelle Malcolm, Sarah Clement,
Elizabeth A Barley, Mike Slade and Graham Thornicroft, 2012, Systematic review of
beliefs, behaviours and influencing factors associated with disclosure of a mental
health problem in the workplace BMC Psychiatry, Vol 12, No 11
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/12/11
Disability Policy and Action Plan 2012-2015 , February 2013, Maribyrnong City
Council
Disability Employment Programs by Local Governments in Victoria, 2009
Statewide Disability Employment Working Group
Human Rights Employment Inquiry 2005 www.humanrights.gov.au
Improving the employment participation of people with disability in Australia:
Discussion Paper , December 2012 DEEWR Australian Government
The economic benefits of increasing employment for people with disability. August
2011, Deloitte Access Economics Commission by the Australian Network on
Disability,
Submission to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC)
National Inquiry into Employment and Disability 2005 Women With Disabilities
Australia (WWDA): http://www.wwda.org.au/employsub2.htm
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Venville, A & Street, A, 2012, Unfinished business: student perspectives on
disclosure of mental illness and success in VET, NCVER, Adelaide.
Attachment A: Definitions of ‘disability’
DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT DEFINITION OF DISABILITY
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992, section 4, which state that ‘disability’, in
relation to a person, means:
a) total or partial loss of the person’s bodily or mental functions; or
b) total or partial loss of a part of the body; or
c) the presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness; or
d) the presence in the body of organisms capacity of causing disease or illness; or
e) the malfunction, malformation or disfigurement of a part of the person’s body; or
f) a disorder or malfunction that results in the person learning differently from a
person without the disorder or malfunction; or
g) a disorder, illness or disease that affects a person’s thought processes, perception
of reality, emotions or judgment or that results in disturbed behaviour;
h) and includes a disability that:
i) presently exists; or
j) previously existed but no longer exists; or
k) may exist in the future (including because of a genetic predisposition to that
disability);
or
l) is imputed to a person.
To avoid doubt, a disability that is otherwise covered by this definition includes
behavior that is a symptom or manifestation of the disability.
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Appendix A: Maribyrnong City Council Inclusive Initiative 2010/11
INCLUSIVE EMPLOYMENT INITIATIVE 2010/11
BACKGROUND
This Council Initiative offered real work for people with a disability at the Maribyrnong
City Council (MCC). MCC funded the project (approx $24,000) through a 2010-11
Initiatives bid. This initiative aimed to
 develop the employment skills and pathway opportunities of people with a
disability within the Maribyrnong City Council;

develop the diversity of Maribyrnong City Council workforce

provide Maribyrnong City Council staff with improved capacity to support
employees of all abilities and

demonstrate leadership and innovation in inclusive employment practices.
Council departments were invited to participate in the initiative and nominate
positions for the program, as a result the following three positions were advertised as
part of the initiative:
 Administrative Assistant, Braybrook Community Centre,
 Nursery Assistant, Parks & Trees,
 Project Support Officer, City Design and Place Making
RECRUITMENT
Three individuals were successfully recruited for the positions: Administrative
Assistant, Braybrook Community Centre, Nursery Assistant, Parks & Trees,
Project Support Officer, City Design and Place Making
It was not clear that all applicants were eligible for the Inclusive Employment program
and were people with disability. The support provides to some individuals by their Job
Support provider (for those that were linked to one) made a difference to the
preparedness of the applicant at interview and this varied among applicants. Due to
these factors some positions took longer to recruit for than anticipated.
Employment Period
Participants successfully completed work experience, over 13 weeks individually in
three diverse roles. Thus they contributed to the work of council across three areas.
They earnt the respect of workmates, completing tasks with commitment and
conducting themselves in a friendly professional manner.
Staff Feedback
Staff identified that future programs could be longer and provide greater
assistance with procuring workplace aids to assist them to work safely at their
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workplace. They also considered that the skills and practical experience gained by
participants would transfer well into future work opportunities.
The initiative was seen to benefit the organisation: to `think outside the square’,
to prove that people with disability are capable in so many ways, and raise
awareness of the world of people with disability. It was also of great benefit in
developing a workplace team spirit and increased staff patience, tolerance and
flexibility. It was seen to benefit the participants by providing a real and
meaningful work experience.
One supervisor commented:
`I cannot overestimate how wonderful it has been to have.....working
with us. It is just a real feeling of wellbeing every time I see them.’
The strength of the initiative was seen to be that it provided the opportunity for
entry level opportunity in administrative roles and the process was supported by a
team that provided excellent support and advice
Staff said it was a fantastic success and they would be very willing to participate
in the program again. They identified not having targeted or identified positions as
a barrier when employing people with disabilities at Maribyrnong City Council and
mentioned the need to address some attitudes.
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Appendix B: Disability Employment Programs by Local Governments in Victoria
State-wide Disability Employment Working Group
1 How did they do it? Increasing the number of people
with disabilities employed by Local Governments in
Victoria
Summary
Victorian Local Government Disability Planners as well as MetroAccess,
RuralAccess and DeafAccess workers are trying out different strategies to
encourage local government to employ more people with disabilities. The
following information is a summary of strategies used by workers across
Victoria. The examples were contributed by workers to the State-wide
Disability Employment Working Group in 2009.
We have collated the information under headings which should help you
understand the how and why the strategies were successful. If you would like
more detailed information about the examples used, you can contact the
State-wide Disability Employment Working Group via its co-convenors MetroAccess at Monash City Council, phone 03 9518 3637, email
metroaccess@monash.vic.gov.au; or MetroAccess at Yarra Ranges Council
on 03 9294 6405 or metroaccess@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
The strategies that form the basis of our discussion include:
· A work experience program that is inclusive of work experience students
with disabilities (Darebin Council)
· A mentoring program that employs trainees with disabilities to run festivals
(Darebin Council)
· Developing a partnership between council and an employment agency
(Mildura Rural City Council)
· Developing a work experience partnership with a special development
school (South Gippsland Shire Council)
· The development of an organisational change strategy for Council (Yarra
Ranges Council)
Getting started
There are a range of approaches used by workers to increase the
employment of people with disabilities in councils. Workers involved in these
types of strategies have acknowledged that the reasons why they are able to
get started vary.
In the examples given, projects or programs have begun because:
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· An influential manager has an interest in the issue and has initiated a new
process inspiring other staff to take part (Darebin)
· An existing council project that seeks to improve disability access has
expanded to include participants with disabilities as employees (Darebin)
· Workers with an advocacy role (disability, cultural diversity) have identified
the issue within their council, and have:
a) developed relationships with like-minded workers within council to
consider solutions (Yarra Ranges)
b) proposed a solution to their Human Resources team (Mildura)
c) developed a pilot program with the aim of supporting it as an
ongoing initiative (South Gippsland).
Choosing a method
Council staff chose methods based on their experiences of what would work
best in their respective council. Councils have very different views on which
strategies best suit their organisation as they each consider the size and
demography of their workforce, the readiness of their management teams to
support new initiatives and their commitment to social justice principles.
Councils that provided examples to us chose methods to implement a
strategy that began with:
· the creation of a new, cross-organisational steering group; or
· creating new, dedicated positions for employees with disabilities; or
· developing and proposing a strategy to the team responsible for change
(e.g. Human Resources, Organisational Development) and enlisting their
support; or,
· presenting an evidence-based and proven solution to management and
seeking their endorsement for implementation.
All workers consulted for the development of this resource agreed that any
successful strategy for increasing the employment of people with disabilities in
council must respond to the organisational culture of each individual
organisation.
Success factors
Common themes are evident where worker have had some success
implementing a particular strategy with councils to increase the number of
people with disabilities they employ.
Successful strategies appear to:
· be initiated or strongly supported by senior management at council;
· foster partnerships with external organisations who have specific expertise
in the employment of people with disabilities and who are willing to help
implement the project;
· involve a range of staff across council including advocacy workers (e.g.
cultural diversity planners, disability planners, Rural/Metro/deafAccess
workers), Human Resources, Organisational Development, and other
departments;
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· proactively seek to employ people with disabilities (rather than simply
improving council’s overall recruitment policies).
Challenges
In many cases the most difficult task is to convince council that they should
employ more people with disabilities! In some councils this has been achieved
because:
· a senior staff member or councillor believes it is an important issue and has
decided to lead organisational change;
· external organisations have worked with council and have made a good
business-case for change;
· individual staff members have developed rapport with managers within
council and have used their influence to initiate and drive organisational
change.
Workers have also faced challenges in implementing specific strategies and
projects including:
· negative staff attitudes about employing people with disabilities;
· difficulty securing funding from within Council to implement strategies;
· lack of support from senior management, and frequently, lack of support
from the Human Resources team.
Advice?
Workers who have tried implementing strategies to increase the number of
employees with disabilities in local government offer the following advice for
people seeking to do the same:
· Gather as much evidence as possible to support your proposed strategies,
including examples of successes in other organisations, especially in other
councils.
· Seek support from external agencies with the expertise to ensure the
strategy is a success.
· Remain open to suggestions about how the strategy could be improved or
changed to suit the particular local government you are working with.
· Celebrate your achievements and any positive changes at all as
frequently as possible and in varied, creative ways.
· Acknowledge the input of partners within and outside the council itself.
More information
This resource was developed by members of the State-wide Disability
Employment Working Group. If you would like more detailed information
about the examples used, you can contact the group via its co-convenors MetroAccess at Monash City Council, phone 03 9518 3637, email
metroaccess@monash.vic.gov.au; or MetroAccess at Yarra Ranges Council
on 03 9294 6405 or metroaccess@yarraranges.vic.gov.au.
The SWDEWG includes MetroAccess, RuralAccess, DeafAccess workers and Local Government Disability
Planners from councils across Victoria. The group aims to increase the awareness of employers about
the benefits of employing people with a disability, as well as resource councils to employ more people
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with disabilities. At the time of publication, the membership of the group included Emma Cramer
(Monash City Council), Sarah Forbes (Yarra Ranges Council), Alisha McDonald (South Gippsland Shire
Council), Christine Mulholland (Darebin City Council) and Liz Wright (Maribyrnong City Council).
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