Underpaid intellectually disabled workers granted compensation fund
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Version 0 of 1. The government has created a new fund to support employees with an intellectual disability who were previously part of a contentious wage-assessment scheme. The Department of Social Services said the new scheme would “deliver certainty” for employees, their careers and employers, although details on the level of payments have yet to be released. The one-off payments will be made to people with an intellectual disability who had their wages assessed when working for Australian Disability Enterprises – businesses that specifically provide employment for disabled people. The system used to decide wages, the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool (Bswat), was deemed by the high court in May to be discriminatory against people with an intellectual disability. The decision followed a federal court ruling in December 2012 that the system discriminated against two workers – Michael Nojin and Gordon Prior. Nojin, who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy and a moderate intellectual disability, was given a wage of $1.85 an hour following an evaluation by Bswat. The federal court found that the system “skewed against intellectually disabled workers”. There are about 190 Australian Disability Enterprises, also known as sheltered workshops, in Australia. They provide work in areas such as gardening, packaging and cleaning. The government said the new scheme would be in place until it developed a new wage assessment process. “The Australian government’s priority is to ensure minimal disruption to the employment of these supported employees,” said Mitch Fifield, the assistant social services minister. “We want to assure people with a disability, their families and carers that the Australian government remains committed to ensuring supported employees have certainty about their future employment within Australian Disability Enterprises.” The scheme will be available to employees with an intellectual disability who have worked in an Australian Disability Enterprise at the grade one or two level, been assessed by Bswat and experienced an economic loss. Registrations for the scheme will open on 1 July. Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |