Cathy O'Toole (Herbert, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the weekend I attended the Labor Women's National Conference, where I had the pleasure of attending an excellent workshop conducted by Queensland's newly-formed Labor Enabled. The workshop was called 'Breaking barriers' and was delivered by members Ali France and Janine Atkin. One of the key issues in this workshop related to employment opportunities for women with a disability, and the statistics are incredibly disappointing.

I have worked in the role of CEO in a disability employment service and I know firsthand how hard it is for women with a disability to get a job. Fifty-one per cent of women with a disability earn less than $200 a week, compared to 36 per cent men with a disability. Only 16 per cent of women with a disability are over $400 a week, compared to 33 per cent of men with a disability. Men with disabilities are twice as likely as women to be in paid employment. Only 16 per cent of women with a disability are likely to have a secondary education, compared to 28 per cent of men.

Women with disabilities are 40 per cent more likely to be victims of domestic violence than women without a disability. Women with disabilities have difficulty finding accessible housing and are more likely to be institutionalised than their male counterparts and are often forced to live in situations where they experience or are at risk of experiencing violence, abuse and neglect. Australia is ranked 21 out of 29 in the OECD countries for employing women with a disability—(Time expired)