Vision Australia has joined calls for the Australian Government to include initiatives in the 2017 Budget to increase the participation of people with disability in the Australian Public Service.
Australia ranks 21st out of 29 OECD countries in public sector employment participation rates for people with disability.
Vision Australia General Manager for Advocacy, Karen Knight said the organisation supports Vision 2020 Australia’s call for the government to set a target of seven percent employment of people with disability by 2021.
“The rate of unemployment among people who are blind or have low vision sits at 58 per cent which is significantly higher than the general population and the highest among all disability groups,” said Ms Knight.
“It’s essential that the government creates a specific program to ensure people who are blind have increased employment opportunities and are well represented within the targeted seven percent of employees with disability.”
One in five Australians has a disability and by recruiting and retaining more people with disability, the Australian Public Service would reflect the diversity of the Australian community.
“Employment is critical to our community securing financial freedom, being included socially and playing a valued part in the broader community. A good place to start is in the Australian Public Service,” concluded Ms Knight.
Media contact: Vanessa Sandhu, Senior Communications Advisor, Vision Australia, 0418 937 327.