Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Families and Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hughes for her question. The Morrison government is absolutely committed to getting as many people with a disability into employment as we can. But despite the improvements we've seen over the past seven years, there still remain many barriers to employment for people who live with autism. There are still way too many people with autism who are either unemployed or underemployed. That's why, as part of the election campaign in 2019, we made a commitment to support people with autism to not just find a job but to keep a job. We know that people who live with autism have a wide range of strengths and skills, and we need to make sure that we get the message out to employers about the benefits that they can achieve for their businesses and the long-lasting improvements they can have in their businesses by employing people with autism.

Just last week, Senator Hughes was part of an announcement around funding for two new projects that will encourage businesses to become 'autism-confident employers'. Firstly, doughnut bakery and social enterprise Krofne, along with Whitmur Advisors and GenU Training, have received $200,000 to work together to develop two accredited training programs for the hospitality industry. So people with autism will be able to undertake training to help them navigate the fast paced and often rapidly changing environment in a real-world situation. With more than 50 per cent of its workforce being people with intellectual disabilities, Krofne bakery is a leader in the Canberra region for disability employment—and I know that Senator Zed Seselja is a great supporter of this business and what they do. The Krofne bakery started in the first place because the owners' son has Down syndrome and they decided it was very, very important that their child had a meaningful job that he loved. I'm reliably informed, not just by—