Responsibility: Australian, state and territory governments
Joint Response: Accept in principle
Status: In progress
What has been achieved to date
As per recommendation 7.19, all governments are progressing aspects of this recommendation, with several jurisdictions demonstrating a preference to address 7.18, 7.19 and 7.21 prior to addressing this recommendation. Some jurisdictions already have regular public reporting about public sector disability employment in place, most notably at the whole-of-workforce level.
In the instance of the Australian Government, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC) will take the lessons learnt from phase 1 of the Disability Royal Commission Discovery Project to inform this recommendation.
The South Australian Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment (OCPSE) continues to implement the South Australian Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy, which includes an overall target for Disability Employment across the South Australian public sector. Additional reporting of progress against these targets in line with the Disability Inclusion Act (2018) (SA) is underway, with further work needed on how targets may be implemented.
What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report
The Australian Public Service Commission and state and territory public service commissions should report annually on the progress of their public sector disability employment strategies, including progress against overall and disaggregated targets for increasing the percentage of employees with disability. These reports should be published and made available in accessible formats.
Joint Government response July 2024
The Australian Government and state and territory governments support continued action to increase opportunities for people with disability in public sector employment across Australia.
All governments recognise that people with disability have a right to work, and that employment supports an individual’s social and economic participation and independence in society.
As large employers, public services have a crucial national role as leaders in modelling best practice inclusion that can positively influence other employers and workplaces.
Governments agree that specific employment targets can have a positive impact on the number of people with disability employed in the public sector, noting that some jurisdictions may need to further consider data limitations and privacy considerations before committing to disaggregated targets.
The Australian Government and state and territory governments also support continued and increased focus on ensuring public sector workplaces are accessible and inclusive for people with disability, including through workplace adjustments. Public service commissioners will work together to share best practice on improving public sector employment outcomes for people with disability.
Governments also support in principle adopting procurement policies that encourage inclusive employment practices in the private sector, noting governments will individually consider opportunities and approaches that most appropriately work with respective government procurement frameworks.
More recommendations
View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.