Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth vows to get more people with disabilities into jobs

Major changes are coming to drive down the jobless rate among one group of Australians. See what changes are coming.

Australia’s $1.4bn disability employment services program is in for a shake-up, with Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth flagging major changes as part of her plan to drive down the jobless rate among people with disabilities.

In an interview in New York, where she is attending a United Nations conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Ms Rishworth said the National Disability Insurance Scheme’s potential would not be fulfilled without greater economic inclusivity.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth attends a United Nations conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Picture: Supplied

The 10 per cent unemployment rate for Australians with disabilities has been virtually unchanged for decades, and the Disability Royal Commission found the failure to provide equal opportunities for economic participation and equal access to services cost the economy $27.7bn a year.

Ms Rishworth said it was a “pretty big shock” to learn the star rating system for the government’s disability employment services program did not even account for the experience of the hundreds of thousands of people it was supposed to help find work.

Royal Commission chair Ronald Sackville said last year the scheme’s participants were “seldom placed in meaningful work”.

Amanda Rishworth at a United Nations conference on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Picture: Supplied

Ms Rishworth said the system needed to “improve significantly,” and some taxpayer-funded private providers also needed to “lift their game”.

“The Commonwealth does spend a lot of money on that and we need to make sure we’re getting the best outcomes,” she said.

The Social Services Minister said the government’s commitment to breaking down employment barriers for Australians with disabilities was a key message she would deliver at this week’s UN conference.

“I hear over and over and over again people with disabilities saying they’re just not getting a chance – they’re not even able to get an interview or get a foot in the door,” she said.

Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth with Olivia Sidhu, a health ambassador for Down syndrome Australia who is part of Australia's delegation at the UN conference in New York. Picture: Supplied

While other countries were expressing interest in learning about the world first NDIS, Ms Rishworth said it was important to remember it was “not the whole story” in improving the lives of the 4.4 million Australians with disabilities.

“If we don’t work on inclusivity across the board, we’re not going to realise the benefits of the NDIS.”

She said the government was already preparing for the final recommendations of the Disability Royal Commission, which will be delivered in September after more than four years.

“Some of the evidence has been pretty shocking, and we need to do better,” Ms Rishworth said.

She is in New York with what she said was a “really impressive” delegation from Australian disability representative organisations, including young advocates inspired by last year’s Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott.