Pioneering projects
We’re constantly coming up with new an innovative ways to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We work closely with businesses and government on projects that shape the future of access and inclusion in Australia.
Active projects
Accessible Procurement Taskforce
With the Accessible Procurement Taskforce we’re trialling a tool with members to assess the extent to which their procurement practices include accessibility. This is revealing opportunities for change in procurement practices that we’re passing on to our other members.
Connect50
Connect50 is an internship project in which businesses across regional Victoria offer paid internships to talented university and TAFE students with disability. The Victorian Government is providing the funding, and chose us to deliver the project as part of its economic participation plan for people with disability.
Completed projects
Victorian Employer Enablement Project
Our Victorian Employer Enablement Project (VEEP) helped employers gain the benefits of a diverse workforce that includes people with disability. The Victorian Government funded the project, which ran until December 2018.
Victorian Employer Enablement Project
High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates (HGJTC) was an innovative project we delivered in partnership with Social Ventures Australia. It was pioneered and funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.
Policy & reform submissions
We believe that government policy for employing people with disability should consider two key principles:
- disability shouldn’t mean poverty – most people with disability can work if they have the right support, and even those with significant disability can do their roles successfully for many years
- leave no-one behind – it’s possible to create high-quality, inclusive employment and sustainable jobs by providing support services for jobseekers and employers.
How we support policy-making
We regularly submit papers to influence and shape government policy. To create these papers we consult with our member organisations, our Board of Directors and expert advisers.
We bring to policy-making the voice of employers who use the talents of people with disability. We strongly support evidence-based policy, based on:
- what has and hasn’t worked over the past 30 years, in Australia and internationally
- the lived experience of people with disability and the research that captures this.
Submissions and reports
We regularly submit papers to influence and shape government policy. To create these papers we consult with our member organisations, our Board of Directors and expert advisers.
We bring to policy-making the voice of employers who use the talents of people with disability. We strongly support evidence-based policy, based on:
- AND Employment White Paper submission, 30 November 2022 (Word)
- AND Submission to the Economic and Infrastructure Committee of Parliament of Victoria, to the Inquiry into Sustainable Employment for Disadvantaged Jobseekers, 9 August 2019
- AND Submission in response to the Australian Government Department of Social Services 2018 Discussion Paper “Ensuring a strong future for supported employment, 19 March 2018
- AND Submission on Disability Employment Services (DES) 2018 Discussion Paper, January 2017
- AND Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Employment Inquiry into School to Work Transition, 9 August 2017 (Word)
- AND Submission to the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory Standing Committee on Health, Ageing and Community Services ACT Inquiry into the Employment of People with Disability, 26 April 2017 (PDF)
Royal Commission
The board, leadership and team of Australian Network on Disability condemn violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability. We believe that people with disability are valuable social and economic contributors with skills and capabilities who are entitled to share in the economic, social, cultural and political wealth of Australia and must be treated with dignity and respect. We believe that less violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability will occur when more and more organisations become accessible to and inclusive of people with disability and there is fair representation and participation of people with disability across all aspects of business and our communities. We applaud the many organisations that are taking positive steps towards being disability confident so they can welcome people with disability as skilled and talented employees and valued customers.
We agree with the feedback from people with disability that many mainstream organisations have more to do to ensure that their employees with disability are better enabled and are not discriminated against, bullied or harassed at work. More needs to be done to facilitate professional development opportunities and encourage initial employment and then career progression of the many talented and committed people with disability. Many organisations need to do more to facilitate fair and equitable inclusion of people with disability as customers and service users.
The Australian Network on Disability is committed to assisting large organisations from the private, public and third sectors to build the capabilities they need to be accessible and inclusive to people with disability and working with those organisations to help them improve.
We deeply regret the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability that has occurred and continues to occur. We encourage organisations from the private, public and third sectors to develop the behaviours, attitudes, systems and knowledge to become inclusive and accessible so that everyday we’re working towards a fairer, more inclusive and economically prosperous Australia.
Further Information:
For further information on the Royal Comission, please go to the Department of Social Services website.
