Canberra, Australia
— Labor has called on the Federal Government to
spend more money training disabled people, as part of its
campaign to persuade disabled people to move off welfare
and into work.
The Government is spending $840,000
on a six-month pilot program aimed at reducing the number
of people receiving the disability support pension.
Nearly 700,000 people receive this pension, which costs
the Government $2.6 billion a year.
The Government is offering 12 Job
Network providers money to run ad campaigns and employ
staff to encourage pension recipients back into the
workforce. Job agencies will receive a bonus for every
disabled person placed.
The Government believes its scheme
could result in up to 150,000 people moving off welfare.
If the pilot is successful, it will be expanded to
include all 110 Job Network providers.
But Labor said extra money needed
to be spent on rehabilitation and training of disabled
people if the plan was to succeed."Unless you're willing
to invest in disabled people and give them the training
and rehabilitation and support, they're going to find it
very, very hard to find a job," the Opposition Leader,
Mark Latham, said.
A spokeswoman for the Workplace
Relations Minister, Kevin Andrews, said the scheme would
provide disabled people with the appropriate job
training.
"There is money in this new program
to equip them with the skills and training which they
need to find work," the spokeswoman said.
The Australian Council of Social
Services welcomed the Government's plan in principle, but
warned employers would have to be re-educated, and
workplaces re-engineered, to accommodate disabled people.
ACOSS is also concerned that disabled people who are
unsuccessful finding work may then have to re-apply for
their pension.
Mr Andrews said the Government
would not target any particular disability group, and
participation in the program would be
voluntary.
