NSW Disability Services Minister Ray Williams offered his support for Australian Disability Enterprises like The Flagstaff Group during a visit to its Unanderra facility on Tuesday.
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Illawarra-based organisations including Flagstaff and Greenacres are among 180 ADEs across the country awaiting a Fair Work Commission decision on the best method of assessing wages for people with a disability.
Some disability advocates and the Federal government want skill-based assessments removed from the wage assessment tool and instead are seeking a change to a productivity-based wage tool. The issue went before the commission last week, and the decision is pending.
“I’m glad that Fair Work has come and visited this facility and others, to see the incredible opportunities they provide,” Mr Williams said.
“We just cannot afford to jeopardise facilities like Flagstaff – if it didn’t exist almost 300 local people with a disability wouldn’t have a job to go to; they wouldn’t have access to different opportunities and skills and a more inclusive way of life.”
During his visit, Mr Williams handed over a cheque for $6300 to Flagstaff CEO Roy Rogers – an amount the disability enterprise will match to purchase a new security fence.
“We’ve had an issue with security at our North Nowra site, with a couple of break-ins in recent times,” Mr Rogers said.
“Equipment has been stolen, vehicles had been damaged and the premises have been left in a mess – it’s also upset our employees coming in to find the place like that.”
Mr Rogers was anxiously awaiting the outcome of the Fair Work hearing, as he said disability enterprises would be forced to cut jobs, or even close, if a productivity-based wage tool was introduced.
“That type of tool does not consider the skills and abilities of people and the way disability enterprises deconstruct jobs,” he said. “We take a job and we pull it apart into many pieces or tasks and then we match the task to the person’s ability to do the role.”
Parliamentary secretary for the Illawarra Gareth Ward also offered his support for ADEs during the visit.
“We want to give people with disabilities more opportunity, not less,” he said. “...Organisations like Flagstaff provide opportunities for people with disabilities to get into the workforce, to realise their potential and feel valued and that they’re making a contribution.”