Responding to a Fairfax Media report that the number of public servants with a disability had fallen to the lowest point since 1993, Public Service Minister Eric Abetz said targets were ''often counter-productive''.

He said the previous government was to blame for the lack of progress on the issue.

''Employment provides people with an opportunity to carve out opportunities for themselves, their families and society as a whole, [but] the Coalition believes in cultural change, not targets which are often counter-productive,'' Senator Abetz said in a statement.

Disability advocates have continued to back targets and press for other urgent reforms, including the introduction of a US-style internship program to employ people with disabilities in MPs' offices.

People with Disabilities Australia president Craig Wallace said there weren't enough people in the public service to begin the required cultural change.

''To have cultural change you actually have to have people in the culture to change it,'' he said. ''And the number of people with a disability in the public service is so low and they're so invisible that we need some breakthrough measures to change that.''

The State of the Service job figures showed the number of people with disabilities who left the service was more than double the number who joined.

One solution that Mr Wallace suggested was the introduction of a paid parliamentary internship program for people with disabilities.

A similar program has been implemented in the US, where college students with disabilities work as interns in the offices of congressmen and senators.

''It's not just a gimmick, it's about the fact that those MPs' offices act as hubs for a lot of community activity,'' Mr Wallace said.

''What an example it would be to say, 'we're taking this seriously as politicians and are prepared to support a person with a disability into employment and believe they can work in a high-profile area.' ''

Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes said he strongly supported the idea.

''Most members of Parliament would be happy to accept a person with a disability and [it would set] a real positive example,'' he said.

Public servant and People with Disability Australia vice-president Fiona Given graduated from Macquarie University with an arts/law degree in 2003, but soon found it difficult to get a job. The 35-year-old said the internship program suggested by Mr Wallace would have been perfect for her.

''It would have given me a foot in the door, which was really hard,'' she said. ''The government should lead by example in their employment of people with a disability,'' she said.

Physical Disability NSW president Peter Simpson said he thought the internship program could bring disability issues to the attention of community leaders.