House debates

Wednesday, 19 October 2016

Constituency Statements

Jobsupport

10:00 am

Photo of Chris HayesChris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | | Hansard source

Jobsupport was established in 1986, initially as a demonstration project under the Disability Services Act, to prove that people with moderate intellectual disabilities can successfully transition to employment in the regular workforce. Jobsupport was a pilot for the Transition to Work program now being rolled out in the NDIS as the School Leaver Employment Supports initiative. Led by its dedicated CEO, Phil Tuckerman, in over 30 years of successful operation, Jobsupport has supported over 700 people in regular employment, in jobs of their choice, throughout Sydney and Melbourne.

Jobsupport has partnered with Inclusion Australia, the peak body for people with intellectual disability, so that they can offer online courses on how to transition individuals facing an intellectual disability into open employment services across the country. The Moderate Intellectual Disability Loading evaluation found that Jobsupport was responsible for over 60 per cent of all open employment placements for people with moderate intellectual disabilities across the country.

McDonald's is one of Jobsupport's top 10 employers and has employed Jobsupport clients continually over the last 30 years. McDonald's currently employs over 70 Jobsupport clients. Recently I met with Lee McGillivray, who is one of 35 Jobsupport clients residing in my electorate and who has been working at McDonald's Moorebank for over the last 14 years. During his school life, Lee was quite reserved and had difficulty talking to people. He had difficulty with spoken as well as written communication. All that changed once he started working at McDonald's. Since his commencement in the job, he has made many friends, and not just with co-workers but with many of the customers as well. He is regarded as a star performer, particularly among his customer service team, and as a very dedicated employee. Initially Lee started working in the Australian Disability Enterprises system, in what we would have called at the time a sheltered workshop. At one point, his productivity was calculated at a speed of 18 per cent. With the right training and support through Jobsupport, Lee has proven he can consistently work in open employment at a rate of 70 per cent.

I would like to thank Peter Meadows, the franchise owner of McDonald's locally, and all his team at McDonald's for being the principal supporters of this great initiative, empowering people like Lee and allowing them to reach their full potential. McDonald's cops many brickbats, but at this time I would like to give them a bouquet. They have made a change for the better within our community.