Disability advocates have called on ACT politicians to set up paid internships for people with disabilities in the Legislative Assembly, in an Australian first.
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In a submission to an inquiry into the employment of people with disabilities, the ACT Council of Social Services said having paid interns around the assembly would set an example to Canberra.
"The ACT should introduce become the first jurisdiction in Australia to introduce a parliamentary internship program for people with a disability in the ACT Legislative Assembly to showcase good practice, provide employment outcomes and signal to the whole community that it is serious about change," their submission said.
While 15.8 per cent of people in the ACT have a disability, at the latest count in 2015 only 2.1 per cent of employees in the ACT public service had a disability.
Robert Altamore of People With Disabilities ACT also told the committee the ACT Assembly needed to lead by example with each politician employing on their staff one person with a disability.
Currently only one MLA has a person with a disability on their staff, Mr Altamore said.
"People with disabilities can be jus as productive and valued employees as other people in the community if given the chance. I was given the chance and I was able to work for 38 years," Mr Altamore told the Canberra Times.
In their submission, People With Disabilities ACT said government directorates should review their workforce to identify positions suitable for people with disabilities and actively recruit them.
They said said the government needed disability employment targets in the public service and the ability to hit these targets should be a factor in the performance reviews of the heads of directorates.
The ACTCOSS submission said the ACT government should scrap the payroll tax exemption for the employment of people with a disability and instead consider concessions or tax offsets for the costs they may encounter in order to keep themselves in jobs, like taxis or other special transport.
The council said the government should preference private businesses and not-for-profits who employ people with a disability in open employment at award wages in procurement and employ more people with disabilities, particularly in areas where lived experience would be a boon, like the Office for Disability.
The next public hearing in the disability workforce inquiry will be held on May 30.
