A year ago today, the Disability Royal Commission handed down a report with 222 recommendations for sweeping changes. One of which is the phasing out of 'segregated employment', which allows people with disabilities to be paid a fraction of the minimum wage. But the government says that proposal needs more consideration.
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TVTranscript
00:00It's a busy day with a familiar routine for Davis Stokes.
00:11So each morning I arrive, I go and sign in, make a cup of coffee and then find out exactly
00:19what we're doing for the day.
00:23He works at an Australian Disability Enterprise, or ADE, which employ people with moderate
00:29to severe disabilities separate from the mainstream workforce.
00:35He's been with this one run by support provider Eurella for 14 years.
00:43Davis maintains train stations, does gardening work and drives forklifts.
00:49I enjoy driving this forklift.
00:51I'm confident of loading and unloading trucks and whatever needs doing.
01:01This might look like any other factory floor, but some workers here receive a fraction of
01:07the minimum wage.
01:10Across Australia, around 600 disability enterprises employ about 20,000 workers.
01:16Most live with intellectual disability.
01:19They're employed under a special award, which uses tools including a productivity test to
01:25decide what proportion of wage they'll get.
01:28Under the rules of this scheme, it's legal to pay workers as little as $6 an hour.
01:36Greg Tucker lives with intellectual disability and told the Disability Royal Commission about
01:41his experience doing packing work at another ADE.
01:46I was only getting paid $2.50 an hour.
01:50Hello everyone, welcome to my housing plan.
01:53Greg now works a second job as a housing advocate, earning $33 an hour.
01:59It's definitely not right to pay these people such low ranges.
02:05They are humans too and they just want to work and earn money for their families.
02:10Hi, I'm Naz.
02:13That's nice to meet you.
02:15A majority of Disability Royal Commissioners recommended ADEs be phased out by 2034.
02:21So you have Wednesday off.
02:23The government's official response to the inquiry listed that recommendation as needing
02:28further consideration.
02:30Segregation is harmful.
02:33It's based on othering and until we change our policy to address that, we won't be achieving
02:40equality for a long time.
02:43The government says it's planning further consultation and is committed to improving
02:47employment outcomes for people with disability.
02:52Some ADEs like this one here at Eoralla have already started overhauling operations.
02:57Its CEO says change is needed but there should be a gradual approach.
03:03The place that ADEs have in today's society is symptomatic of a wider community, an economy
03:11that hasn't provided the opportunities for people with disabilities.
03:17Not all people employed in ADEs are unhappy.
03:21We have workers, some of them don't want to work anywhere else and we believe we have
03:26to start with respecting and supporting those workers to make choices.
03:31Well, I feel confident in doing my job.
03:35It makes me feel important.
03:37Also, yeah, it gives that responsibility as well.
03:42Davis is now in a leadership position at Eoralla.
03:46His colleagues look up to him.
03:48He's progressed into open employment one day a week and hopes other people with disability
03:54can follow.
03:55They're doing the same job as everyone else so I think they should be paid the same.