Government to provide jobs for people with disabilities

After months of facing challenges resulting from budget cuts, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants have something to look forward to – the government has committed to closing the gap in employment for people with disabilities.

Additionally, the government has vowed to embed employment into NDIS plans to ensure its participants who want work receive support.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said at the federal government’s jobs and skills summit that it will team up with the Business Council of Australia to establish a disability employment initiative pilot after reaching a memorandum of understanding.

“Everyone deserves the dignity of work, and people living with disability, once employed, should also be supported into leadership roles,” she told the summit, as reported by The Advocate.

Read more: NDIS price freeze triggers support coordinator exodus

The announcement follows calls on Australian businesses to address workplace discrimination by removing employment barriers and encouraging more people to enter the workforce.

“Bias and community attitudes have a significant economic and social cost, [and] we are missing an important opportunity to contribute to Australia’s economic growth,” Rishworth said – adding that gender, age, disability, and race discrimination in workplaces were holding Australians back from entering the workforce.

NDIS participants have been facing financial issues after budget cuts, forcing some to spend months longer than needed in hospitals. The NDIS price freeze also triggered a support coordinator exodus, leaving participants and their guardians in limbo.