Suchergebnisse

AbstractThe Australian Government announced in its 2017 budget that it would trial random drug‐testing of recipients of the Newstart Allowance and Youth Allowance in three locations from January 2018. The Prime Minister described it as a policy 'based on love', but that sentiment is hard to find in the policy rhetoric, which situates it in a suite of measures designed to 'ensure taxpayers' money is not being used to fund drug addictions which are creating significant barriers to employment'. The policy may make it harder for people to buy drugs with their welfare payments, through income management, but research suggests it will not help them overcome addiction and its costs will exceed any savings it generates in income support. Furthermore, the policy perpetuates 'medicalisation' of the problem of long‐term unemployment by suggesting it stems from deficiencies in individuals that can be 'treated', despite evidence to the contrary. Finally, the policy claims to close loopholes in enforcement of mutual obligation requirements without addressing structural weaknesses in the welfare‐to‐work model. Each of these issues will pose challenges for those charged with implementing the policy.

AbstractLabour markets around the world are experiencing extraordinary disruption during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The gap in the employment rate between Australians with and without disability is likely to widen, given the entrenched disadvantage of people with disability in the job market. For many, it will compound existing health and economic vulnerabilities. This scenario is troubling from both a human rights and an economic perspective. In this paper, we examine the interface of two policy instruments intended to improve the prospects of people with disability finding and keeping employment in Australia – Disability Employment Services and the National Disability Insurance Scheme – in the lead up to and in the early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Findings from three studies conducted between 2018 and 2020 reveal these instruments are not mutually reinforcing. With a 10‐year National Disability Employment Strategy (NDES) in development under federal government oversight, we argue that more concerted and targeted effort from these services and broader public policies and programs is needed to ensure Australians with disability are not sidelined in the labour market in the wake of the pandemic.

Sharing disability-related information with an employer to gain workplace adjustments is a complex process for young people with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities. We examined the disclosure experiences of young Australians with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, their subsequent access to workplace adjustments, and their employment outcomes. Using narrative inquiry, we analysed qualitative data collected from 24 interviews with participants with an intellectual (n = 10) and psychosocial disability (n = 14) between 18 and 25 years old recruited as part of an Australian Government-funded Youth Employment Study. Four main narratives emerged among the participants responses. Positions ranged from their having no control over disclosure experiences to a high level of control resulting in access to workplace adjustments. These positions were impingent on their knowledge of rights and adjustments, previous experiences, workplace context, and self-advocacy capacity. Our study provides unique insights into the employment experiences of young people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities. The findings may inform initiatives aimed at building their capabilities for disclosure to gain workplace adjustments that can improve their employment outcomes in turn.