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Issues Paper 3, which was issued on the launch of the Inquiry, discussed the incentives and disincentives regarding employment of people with disability from the perspective of employers.

This section of the Interim Report summarises the main issues raised in submissions which relate to the job search phase of employment. Those issues include:

However, as discussed in Chapter 7, the Inquiry is conscious of the need for a holistic approach to addressing the participation and employment of people with disability in the open workplace. Therefore the areas identified in this Chapter should not be taken in isolation of other approaches to the issue of employment of people with disability.

The preceding chapters of this report are a summary of the main issues raised in the submissions and consultations already conducted by the Inquiry. The issues have been grouped into themes as follows:

The issue of participation of people with disability in the open workforce has been the subject of much public debate in recent months. This is largely the result of the 'Welfare to Work' package announced in the May 2005 Commonwealth Budget. However, the issue is a longstanding one, as indicated in the submissions to the Inquiry.

No person can achieve a smooth transition and successful entry into the open workforce unless they are 'job ready', and this is especially the case for people with disability.

Discussion about people with disability in the open workplace tends to focus on whether a person can find a job, rather than keep a job. While successfully obtaining a job is clearly the first step for a person seeking employment in the open workplace, it is only the first step.

Australians with disability are much less likely to be employed than people without disability. They have a comparatively lower labour force participation rate (53.2% compared to 80.1%) and a higher unemployment rate (8.6% compared to 5%) than those without a disability.

This is the Interim Report of the National Inquiry into Employment and Disability. The Inquiry was announced on 4 March 2005 and is due to issue its final report by the end of 2005.

The Australian Human Rights Commission has a statutory responsibility to investigate and conciliate complaints of discrimination based on a person’s disability. Each year, the Australian Human Rights Commission receives a significant number of disability discrimination complaints related to employment. In 2013-14, 830 complaints were received under the Disability Discrimination Act and 33%…

The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against people with disabilities in employment, including recruitment, terms and conditions of employment, and dismissal or termination.

The Disability Discrimination and Other Human Rights Legislation Amendment Act 2009 (Cth) has made a range of significant changes to federal discrimination laws. The focus of this paper is on the major changes to the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), which commenced for the most part on 5 August 2009.