4.2 - Commonwealth Disability Strategy

In 2006-07, the Department continued to consider the impact of all new or revised policy and program proposals on the lives of people with disabilities. For example, the Department considered the probable consequences when developing the aged care and population ageing programs which target frail older people, eligible younger people with disabilities, and their carers.

New policy and program proposals affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people included an impact statement acknowledging that a significant proportion of Indigenous people have acute or chronic health needs or disabilities. Initiatives implemented by the Department in 2006-07 included combating petrol sniffing and other substance use, the continued expansion of primary health care services, and the conversion of the Community Development Employment Project positions to permanent fully-waged positions. Furthermore, the Urban Brokerage Services initiative provided an identifiable and accessible entry point to the health care system to increase choice and access to culturally appropriate mainstream health services to Indigenous communities.

The Department's consultation with key stakeholder groups, including people with disabilities, formed an integral role in the development of new policies and programs during 2006-07. For example, the Department consulted with the Aged Care Advisory Committee on the development of national aged care policies and programs. The committee included representatives from Alzheimer's Australia, Carers Australia and other key stakeholders. The Home and Community Care Program, administered jointly by the Department and the states and territories, provided care to older people and people with disabilities. Consultations concerning the program included representation by people with disabilities.

In 2006-07, the Department also consulted with Indigenous communities on a range of programs and policies aimed at addressing the systemic disadvantages to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with acute or chronic health needs or disabilities.

In addition, the Department's Office of Hearing Services consulted with the Hearing Services Consultative Committee, including representatives from consumer groups and the Deafness Forum, on revised program proposals.

• the Health and Ageing website, accessible at www.health.gov.au, which provides comprehensive information on the policy and program initiatives under the Department's responsibilities;
• the Aged Care Australia website, accessible at www.agedcareaustralia.gov.au;
• the Bladder and Bowel website, an initiative of the National Continence Management Strategy, accessible at www.bladderbowel.gov.au; and
• the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits, accessible at www.pbs.gov.au. The website's layout, format, navigation and existing screen reader technology ensures all users have a choice of format that best suits their needs.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has primary responsibility in the Department for providing information on the regulation of therapeutic goods. In 2006-07, the Therapeutic Goods Administration continued to provide FreecallTM (1800 020 653) and FreecallTM (1800 500 236) teletypewriter information lines, via the National Relay Service. This service enabled users who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impediment access to interactive text based communications through the transmission of frequency-shift-keying audio tones across the telephone network. In addition, people could request publicly available documents from the Therapeutic Goods Administration's email address (tga-informationofficer@health.gov.au), or access other relevant information from www.tga.gov.au. The website was constantly reviewed by the Therapeutic Goods Administration during the year to ensure that it met current accessibility and usability standards, including the needs of people with disabilities.

The Department's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator regularly updated its website, accessible at www.ogtr.gov.au, with information on its functions and activities throughout 2006-07. This included a record of licences issued, as well as risk assessment and risk management plans prepared for applications to release genetically modified organisms into the environment, and information on quarterly and annual reports. A free call number (1800 181 030) was also maintained to respond to enquiries, such as providing callers with access to hard copies of all publicly available material.

Furthermore, the Department continued to provide access to all relevant regulations and contracts governing the Hearing Services Program on its website.

The Department's 2006-07 Regulatory Plan was publicly available through the Department's website in Hyper Text Mark-up Language and Portable Document File formats for people with disabilities. The plan covers business regulation, including primary legislation, subordinate legislation, quasi-regulation or treaties that directly affect business, have a significant indirect effect on business, or restrict competition.

In 2006-07, the Department displayed all business opportunities (tenders) and grant/funding invitations on its website in accordance with departmental policy. All electronically published material met departmental standards for accessibility and printed formats were available on request.

The Department also provided applicants with performance reporting information on purchase contract specifications for the allocation of aged care places and related approvals under the annual Aged Care Approvals Round. This information was available through the Department's website in accessible electronic formats, and in printed form.

The Department had a variety of mechanisms in place in 2006-07 to respond to complaints and grievances from stakeholders, clients and members of the public about service providers.

The Department's Aged Care Complaints Investigation Scheme (formerly the Aged Care Complaints Resolution Scheme) was available to anyone wishing to provide information, or make a complaint about, a Government-subsidised aged care service. This included people with a disability or their families. The Aged Care Commissioner looks at examinable decisions made by the Department in relation to the investigation of complaints and the processes for investigating complaints. Advocacy services were also available in each state and territory to assist clients to understand their rights or make complaints and to contact service providers on a client's behalf.

Under the National Aged Care Advocacy Program, the Department administered funds to aged care advocacy services in each state and territory. These services were community-based organisations which provided care recipients with advice about their rights and helped them to exercise their rights. Aged care advocacy services also worked with the aged care industry to encourage policies and practices to protect consumers.

The Department established a continence email address (continence.strategy@health.gov.au) and complaints helpline (1800 33 00 66) under the Continence Aids Assistance Scheme to enable consumers to make any grievances regarding the scheme. In addition, the Department offered a comprehensive complaints/grievance mechanism to address concerns about hearing service provider performance which included access to a Complaints Officer within its Office of Hearing Services (1800 500 726 or 1800 500 496 (TTY)). This was in addition to a general client feedback mechanism and the annual client satisfaction survey on hearing services.

In 2006-07, the Department continued to ensure that all employment policies, guidelines and processes met the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and did not discriminate on the basis of disability.

The Department's commitment to the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 was included in its 2004-2007 Certified Agreement and Australian Workplace Agreements. In 2006, the Department began preparing the 2007-2011 Collective Agreement and Australian Workplace Agreements while adhering to the principles of the Act. All staff and managers were responsible for supporting the principles of workplace diversity, as articulated in the Department's Workplace Diversity Plan and the Department was a financial member of the Australian Employers' Network on Disability.

The Department continued to provide training and support to help eliminate discrimination in accordance with its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (and the Workplace Relations Act 1996). The Department also developed a Disability Action Plan to implement the range of better practice disability workforce strategies identified in the Management Advisory Committee report Employment of People with Disability in the Australian Public Service. The plan will be implemented in 2007-08.

Potential job applicants could access recruitment information in electronic formats (through the internet or via email) and in hard copy. By providing Hyper Text Mark-up Language, Portable Document File and Rich Text Format versions, the Department's online recruitment system complied with World Wide Web Consortium guidelines on accessibility for visually impaired applicants, and also the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission guidelines on accessible document formats. Email and hard copies of documentation were usually sent to applicants within 24 hours. A teletypewriter telephone service was also available for hearing impaired applicants. The telephone number is (02) 6289 5945.

The Department's recruitment process and systems are endorsed by the Australian Employers' Network on Disability.

Reasonable adjustment needs could also be identified as a result of a pre-engagement medical assessment. The Department continued to provide chairs of selection committees, business managers and the Health Management Unit with information and support to make adjustments during the recruitment process or on commencement of new staff.

Requests for reasonable adjustment during the recruitment process were reviewed on a case-by-case basis. When required, these requests were reviewed by the Australian Employers' Network on Disability to gauge the appropriate level of adjustment provided. The Department also provided special needs equipment to staff and job applicants through its Reasonable Adjustment Program.

The Department's training suites in the Central Office were disability friendly and readily accessible for staff with mobility impairment. These suites provided large computer monitors to support IT training needs for people with visual impairment and speakers for the hearing impaired. The Department also had access to signing interpreters when required.

From time to time, the Department used external sites to conduct its training courses. During the year the Department conducted a review of external training venues to ensure facilities were accessible for people with disabilities.

All staff training programs included information on disability issues where applicable.

The Department had an established process to address staff complaints and grievances through the Fair Treatment and Review of Actions' framework, and procedures for determining breaches of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct. The Department's intranet website provided staff with information on external review mechanisms.