Grattan Urges Australia to Phase Out $3.31 Disability Wages Within 10 Years
Updated
Updated · The Conversation · Jul 26
Grattan Urges Australia to Phase Out $3.31 Disability Wages Within 10 Years
3 articles · Updated · The Conversation · Jul 26
Summary
$3.31 an hour is the lowest rate disabled workers can receive under Australia’s Supported Wage System, and Grattan says the country should set a path to end such sub-minimum pay after building better alternatives.
17,000 people work in specialist disability workplaces, where base award rates can be as low as $8.32 versus the national minimum wage of $26.44, yet these jobs rarely lead to mainstream employment.
Only 12% of NDIS participants with intellectual disability in the labour force are in open employment at full award wages, and the figure is 7% for people with Down syndrome.
Grattan proposes a dedicated employment-support stream for people with high support needs, stronger incentives for employers to hire disabled workers, and tougher standards for disability-focused employers.
The institute argues closures should not come first: it wants a review of the Supported Employment Services Award and Supported Wage System within the next decade, after credible pathways, support and social-enterprise-style jobs are in place.