John Cobb (Parkes, National Party, Minister for Community Services) Share this | Hansard source

May I thank the member for Casey for his question, for his commitment to community organisations in his electorate and also for his commitment to our government’s policy of providing work opportunities for all Australians and in particular for Australians with a disability. It is all part of our policy of supporting communities and keeping the economy strong.

There are 232 disability services in Australia. They provide work for over 17,000 Australians with a disability, and they do it in around 380 locations. Our government is committed to assisting those services to continue to provide employment for people with disabilities, to be viable and to expand. We do that by way of the Business Assistance Program, which is worth $99 million. We do that by way of equipment upgrades, process improvements, product development and business plans. Along with the one billion dollars which we put towards the employment of people with disabilities, it is money very well spent.

Not many people would realise that the jobs people do in business services include things like packaging, assembling, gardening, manufacturing and, in particular, skills which not very many Australians gain, such as welding and the use of precision machinery. I point out to the employers of Australia that the safety and attendance records of people with disabilities are second to none.

Recently I travelled to Melbourne to Waverley Industries, a business service in the electorate of the member for Chisholm, where they do precision carpentry and joinery manufacturing for use in a major chain. They won this contract because they could meet deadlines and they could deliver a finished product. Our government is helping people move from welfare to work through various ways, one of which is disability business services. Another one is the Job Network. I am very happy to be able to say that, in the last 12 months, 11,000 Australians with disabilities have been moved into open employment, which is a record—and I must congratulate the Minister for Workforce Participation. These are all part of our economic and workplace reforms—reforms which the members opposite oppose. Disability business services are enabling people with a disability to learn skills, which helps their families and certainly helps the Australian community. This builds the confidence of people with disabilities. It builds their self-esteem and enables them to go home with a pay cheque instead of a welfare cheque.

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