In its second forum for workers with disability, the PSA CPSU NSW discussed why workers are reluctant to fully disclose their status to their employers
Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington, said the NSW Government was taking measures “across different departments” to increase inclusion. The Minister said the State Government’s workforce included 7.7 per cent of people with disability, which was “well ahead of targets”.

However, PSA CPSU NSW statistics show a greater incidence of disability in the workplace, something the minister conceded proves “there is a cultural issue where people are hiding their disability”.

Ms Washington said there were moves made to make workers more comfortable in disclosing their disability.

“The Public Service Commissioner is giving our managers a lot of tools to support workers,” she said. “It is crucial we have a front door which is welcoming.”
She said a number of NSW departments received recognition for disability-inclusive recruitment practices, but admitted delivery of these aims needs to be consistent across the public sector.

NSW Ageing and Disability Commissioner Jeff Smith talked to forum attendees about how all people benefit from an inclusive society.

“I see every day the significant impact when people are genuinely seen, genuinely involved,” he said. “Employment is critical to independent lives in the community.”

However, he said there were “lamentable levels of employment throughout Australia, and the dial around disability and employment has hardly moved in 30 years”. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and immigrants with disability were particularly poorly represented in job figures.

While the National Disability Insurance Scheme has been criticised recently, Mr Smith said it had started to improve figures. He said the NDIS has helped start to shift this, but there was still work to be done.

“The high cost of living has discouraged innovation in recruiting staff with disability,” he said. “Barriers included the belief that hiring staff with disability is expensive and staff are unreliable.”

However, he said employers should be shown that their problem-solving skills often make workers with disability more resilient and “are often the greatest innovators”.
Mr Smith added that the pandemic had proven that workers could be productive from home, which would give workers with disability better access to employment opportunities.

Other barriers that needed to be overcome included the fact “people with disability often have patchy work histories” and frequently require a more long-term approach to hiring.

“Building an inclusive workplace is not a technical enterprise,” he said. “It is something you learn by doing. You need an attitude and an outlook. You don’t need to know about every disability, you adjust as you go along.”

The forum also included information on workplace health and safety, as well as round tables on creating more inclusive workplaces.

“Unions are there to create better workplaces for all,” said PSA CPSU NSW President Nicole Jess. “Events such as this are vital in giving us the tools to create an employment market that is accessible to as diverse a workforce as possible.”