Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

RISHWORTH (—) (): I would like to thank the member for Pearce for her question and her ongoing support for those living with a disability in her electorate and beyond. Of course, the Albanese Labor government is committed to supporting the fullest participation of all people with a disability in society, and increasing employment for people with a disability is a key priority. The unemployment rate for people with a disability increased steadily over the last decade, widening the unemployment gap between people with disability and people without disability. It is now more than double.

Every person in Australia is entitled to the dignity of work and the economic, social and psychological benefits that work brings. That's why I was incredibly pleased at the Jobs and Skills Summit last Friday: there was a shared commitment to boosting participation and breaking down structural, institutional and attitudinal bias and barriers that many Australians living with a disability face every day. Really, it was disappointing—

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is interrupting here, but what was really disappointing was that the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party missed out on the panel of people with lived experience of barriers to the workplace. Those individuals were able to talk about—

I really find the Leader of the Opposition disrespecting the lived experience that those people with a disability face. They had the guts to stand up and talk about their own experience of barriers to the workplace.

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