Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Edwards, for your question. I think most colleagues would be aware of the great work done by Australian Disability Enterprises around the country, giving employment and the dignity of work to around 20,000 Australians. I think colleagues would also be aware that employees of Disability Enterprises are paid pro-rata wages, determined by wage assessment tools which are registered with Fair Work Australia.

When we came into office, we inherited a situation where there was some uncertainty around the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool, which is used in about half of Disability Enterprises. So what we sought to do was something to deal with the present, the past and the future. To deal with the present, we sought a temporary exemption from the application of the Disability Discrimination Act to the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool to try and provide a certain environment for enterprises. We also put in place $173 million to help the development of a new wage assessment tool for enterprises and also to help those enterprises supplement what would likely be higher wages. The other very important thing we did to try and address the past was to put in place the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool Payment Scheme, which would seek to give a one-off payment to eligible supported employees of Disability Enterprises who had been paid a pro-rata wage assessed by the BSWAT. I am very pleased to advise that that payment scheme is now open for registration. Applications can be received and the government will be communicating with employees who are potentially eligible for the scheme in the coming weeks, but it is important that people who have been employed in ADEs are aware of this.