Mutual obligations should be dumped, or made more flexible, as part of an overhaul of the government's disability employment services program, a review was told.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The suggestions were detailed in a consultation paper on a new disability employment model, which the Morrison government received but chose not to release before the federal election.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth will finally make the report public on Monday, as she puts the employment of Australians with a disability on the agenda ahead of next month's jobs and skills summit in Canberra.
No decisions on any possible changes to mutual obligations have been made.
Ms Rishworth said she would listen to all feedback on the future of disability employment services offered at an upcoming roundtable and the September summit.
The former government was planning to end the controversial Disability Employment Services [DES] program when existing contracts expired on June 30 next year.
It was to be replaced with a new model focused on "genuine choice and control" for people with a disability, which would help them find a job and support employers to hire them.
Among the most common issues raised during consultation on a new model was the need to reduce barriers for people with a disability to access employment services, and for "holistic, wrap-around services" to support workers and their employers.
Submissions also raised concerns about the mutual obligations which people are required to meet in order to retain income support.
Some stakeholders said the current measures were "ineffective and/or excessive".
Various solutions were put forward, including axing mutual obligations entirely or making them more flexible.
The "majority" of stakeholders suggested service providers should not be the ones enforcing mutual obligations, as that eroded trust between people with a disability and their provider.
Ms Rishworth is set to host a disability employment roundtable later this month ahead of the jobs and skills summit in Parliament House on September 1 and 2.
"We want to work with people with disability, their families, carers and others to ensure that disability employment policies and programs are well targeted and meet the needs of people with disability," she said.
"Hiring someone with disability should not be seen as an optional or charitable act.
"Hiring a person with disability makes good business sense and is good for the nation."
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
