LGA Discussion Paper: Disability Employment Targets

A role for local government

July 2016

Purpose of this paper

At the 2015 LGA Annual General Meeting, it was moved (Prospect) and seconded (Campbelltown) that the LGA be requested to investigate whether there is sufficient evidence across local government to initiate disability employment targets for the sector.

This discussion paper provides an overview of the approach to disability employment in Australia and provides examples of targets set at all levels of government and in other sectors. It provides discussion on the potential benefits and challenges of setting targets in a local government context.

Input is sought from councils on their approach to employing people with a disability, any current targets set, along with views on the challenge and opportunity of introducing a an overarching target for local government in South Australia. Responses will be used to develop a report to the LGA Board with a recommendation on how to proceed.

Disability employment snapshot

In 2012, there were 2.2 million Australians aged 15-64 years with a disability (14.4 per cent of the population).1 This figure is likely to increase as our population ages, as people acquire disabilities and those with pre-existing disabilities live longer. Changes in attitudes may also mean that more people feel comfortable in disclosing a disability.

The benefits of a diverse workforce are well documented. In addition higher levels of productivity (90 per cent of people with a disability have productivity rates that are equal to or greater than their colleagues), 86 per cent have better attendance records and there is evidence to suggest that employee retention rates can be higher2.

However, at the same time, South Australia’s labour force participation rate3 for people with disability was 52.6 per cent4, compared to an 82.5 per cent participation rate for working-age people without a disability. This is in line with the national labour force participation rate and has remained constant for over 20 years.

This indicates that much more needs to be done to support people with a disability to enter and remain in the workforce. South Australian councils can play a key role by ensuring that their workforce reflects and represents people with a disability in their local communities. There is much potential, with councils collectively employing over 10,600 people, managing an annual revenue of $2 billion and being responsible for $22.2 in community infrastructure and other assets.

Legislative requirements

At the Commonwealth level, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 encourages organisations to develop action plans to eliminate discriminatory practices. This aligns with a key outcome of the National Disability Strategy 2010-2020 to ‘increase access to employment opportunities as a key to improving economic security and personal wellbeing for people with disability’.

While there is no legal requirement for them to do so, South Australia’s disability plan, Strong Voices — a Blueprint to Enhance Life and Claim the Rights of People with Disability in South Australia (2012-2020), recommends that local councils (as well as other government agencies) develop and implement an annual Access and Inclusion Plan to provide a planned and systemic approach to progressively improve access for people with disability. Many councils have developed disability access and inclusion plans as an outward sign of their intention to tackle discrimination.

1 ABS, Disability and Labour Force Participation, 2012  

2 Diversity Council Australia, submission to the Commonwealth Discussion Paper on improving the employment participation of people with disability in Australia, 2013

3 The proportion 15-64 year olds who are either employed or actively looking for work.

4 ABS, Disability and Labour Force Participation, 2012  

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Examples of disability employment strategies and targets

Both the Australian and South Australian governments advocate for initiatives to improve the employment participation of people with a disability. However, the approach to setting disability employment targets varies across government departments at both levels.

Australian Public Service (Commonwealth)

The As One: Making it Happen, APS Disability Employment Strategy 2016–195 aims to improve the employment experience of people with disability in the APS and forms part of the Commonwealth's response to the National Disability Strategy 2010–20. It identifies key action areas that APS agencies will need to focus on in developing a plan, which include expanding the range of employment opportunities for people with disability and increasing the representation of employees with disability in senior roles.

In recognition that agencies have different needs, no general disability employment target has been set at the Commonwealth level. Rather, agencies are encouraged to adopt activities against the key actions best suited to their needs, noting that success will be measured by an increase in the number of people with disability who come to work for the APS.

South Australian Government (State)

South Australia’s Strategic Plan includes a target to increase by 10 per cent the number of people with a disability employed in South Australia by 2020.6 However, it should be noted that this applies to both public and private sector employees and is not specific to government employees.

In 2012, the Government endorsed the introduction of Disability Access and Inclusion Plans (DAIPs) across government in accordance with recommendation 6 of the Strong Voices report. While this recommendation applied to local government, DAIPs are not legally required for local councils in South Australia (unlike Victoria and New South Wales). State departments are advising that they have developed or are in the process of finalising new DAIPs in line with the National Disability Strategy 2010–2020. On an individual basis, departments are publishing disability employment data as a proportion of all employees in their Annual Reports.

ANZ

ANZ launched their first Disability Action Plan in 2005 with a view to strengthening their commitments to employees with a disability, which include flexible policies, providing mental health and wellbeing information and reviewing employment practices to successfully recruit, onboard, promote and support people with a disability. One of their objectives is to employ at least 35 people with a self-disclosed disability per year through traineeships, graduate programs and permanent recruitment. ANZ note that they have employed 131 people with a disability since 2008, with a retention rate of 74 per cent. In 2012, they employed 38 people with a disability, exceeding their target of 357.

Australia Post

Australia Post launched its first Accessibility Action Plan in 2012, which is viewed as a “proactive and public commitment to taking a lead role” in enhancing the attraction, recruitment and retention of people with a disability by improving access to employment and ongoing development opportunities. The plan does not publically state a disability employment target but does note that in 2012, 7.3 per cent of people in their workforce have a disability, compared to three per cent in the Australian Public Service.8

5 http://www.apsc.gov.au/managing-in-the-aps/disability/aps-disability-employment-strategy-2016-19

6 http://saplan.org.au/targets/50-people-with-disability

7 Diversity Council Australia, submission to Willing to Work: National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination against Older Australians and Australians with Disability, 2015

8 Australia Post, Accessibility Action Plan 2012 – 2015

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Setting disability employment targets in local government

While specific disability employment targets have not been set at the Commonwealth or State Government level, it is clear that as a sector local government in South Australia is falling behind in public commitments and coordinated efforts to employ and support more people with a disability.

This is a lost opportunity for councils and the local government sector in South Australia. Having a workforce that reflects the diversity of its community gives councils the opportunity to enhance customer satisfaction, as well as developing a competitive advantage in accessing a depth of knowledge and experience in relation clients, customers and stakeholders with a disability.

The issue at hand is whether these benefits can be best achieved by setting employment targets, by developing disability access and inclusion plans, or both. It seems evident that setting a disability employment target, whether at an individual council level or for local government as a whole, will not achieve results if done in isolation.

As per the examples given in Commonwealth and State Governments, as well as the private sector, there is real value in councils developing DAIPs that include a range of best practice initiatives, which may include actions to increase the number of people in the workforce with a disability and setting a disability employment target as a way of reporting on the outcomes.

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In developing a position on whether there is sufficient evidence across local government to initiate disability employment targets for the sector, councils are asked to provide responses to one or more of the following questions.

Targets

1. Do you see value in setting a disability employment target for the sector, or should targets be determined by councils at an organisational level?

2. What do you consider would be an appropriate target for the sector?3. Do you currently have or are you in the process of developing a DAIP?4. Should a DAIP include a hard target for disability employment? 5. Should a target be set as a proportion of total employees, or reflect a stretch target to increase the

actual number of employees with a disability by a stated amount? 6. What are the barriers to employing someone with a disability and how can they be overcome?

Disclosure and reporting 7. Noting that best practice is to support voluntary disclosure of a disability, what strategies do you have in

place / should there be to support this?8. Do you publically report on the number of people with a disability in your workforce?9. While it is not a legislative requirement, should there be a sector wide commitment to make this

information publically available – for example in DAIPs or the annual report?10. If some councils choose not to report, does this affect the authenticity of collected efforts? 11. Should reporting also include a breakdown of disability, work-place adjustments made, seniority of

employees?12. How can reporting be achieved without increasing regulatory burden?

13. Any other issues or comments?

Responses are welcomed by 2 September 2016 to Lea Bacon, Senior Policy Adviser, via email to lea.bacon@lga.sa.gov.au (Tel: 8224 2025).

148 Frome St

Adelaide SA 5000

GPO Box 2693

Adelaide SA 5001

T (08) 8224 2000

F (08) 8232 6336

E lgasa@lga.sa.gov.au