Canberra, Australia
— THE Wheelchair and Disabled Association of
Australia today gave a cautious welcome to the Federal
Government's plan to encourage disabled pensioners into
the workforce.
But the association's chief
executive officer Shirley White warned against
intimidating people who received a disability
pension.
Under a six-month pilot scheme, Job
Network providers will be offered cash to run advertising
campaigns and to employ staff to contact disability
pensioners.
They will also be paid an incentive
for each disabled pensioner placed in a job.
Mrs White said of the scheme: "It
can work, but we have to be very careful in how we go
about it.
"We must ensure that people with
disabilities that are in receipt of pensions at the
moment are not frightened and scared off."
She told Channel Seven: "Certainly
the opportunities that are there for people with
disabilities that have the ability to hold down a
full-time job are fantastic and I applaud the Government
for making this decision."
