Australian disability perspectives need revising: There needs to be a shift from legislation that breeds bureaucracy to legislation that stimulates practical results rather than producing impressive statistics. In Australian workplaces and other work environments, playing the percentages, and encourage the best possible practical output under the circumstances is quintessential. If anything, statistics should be a measure of achievement or the need for improvement, not neglect, incompetence or substandard practices and procedures, pertinent examples include disability and aged care. Facilitating disability employment and social mobility will negate the need for government efforts. Workplaces need to be further developed so that capable individuals will be recognised and make an active contribution to the economy rather than being consigned to merely utilising economic resources, namely living as a liability.
The perils facing the disabled in 2020 Australia are many and the sad truth is that much disability legislation is cosmetic leading to a spate of services that are substandard. If there is a pervasive problem in Australia, across Australian politics, it is surely the issue of policies and pledges being short term and ad hoc in nature. Just as this applies in economic and foreign policy, brief examples being the JobKeeper scheme and volatile but convenient relationship with China, so too disability policy never appears to take the form of long-term policy. There are many policies and statutes like the Disability Discrimination Act 1984 and Convention on Rights of People with Disabilities 2007. The more recent statute, much like The Right to Shelter, specifically Article 19 of Vienna Convention Australia is merely a signatory; the Optional Protocol may have been signed. [1] The results in practice are far from satisfactory.
Work and the workplace do not require a paradigm shift, but rather innovation via diversification. If the spike in services being delivered, notably groceries proves anything, it is that lateral thinking in times of adversity can lead to future positives. Simply put, current adversity presents an unprecedented opportunity to “play the percentages.” which can lead to economic and social improvements. This would further enfranchise demographics that have traditionally struggled, such as the disabled or those elderly still willing to be employed thereby lessening the economic divide between classes and political demographics. A minor but paradoxically significant instance of this is Edward Feuerstein of Aboriginal organisation, Dreamtime Explorers making facemasks with Aboriginal insignias and patterns hosting workshops in local communities, like in the Campbelltown Macarthur region.[2]
“Playing the percentages.” Or facilitating each worker to perform at maximum ability, would mean diversifying or expanding the way work occurs, specifically making social distancing beneficially practical. companies and firms ought to allow a contingent of workers to work from home: For several months of the year alternating rosters in a company approved rotation policy or “quid pro quo” should occur. Financial benefits and bonuses could be negotiated so that all colleagues are granted the opportunity to diversify duties and work in personal comfort. This is aimed at enhanced efficiency. If more employees are working at 60 to 70 percent efficiency, in a relaxed environment such as their home, more often, it is likely job satisfaction and productivity would be greater. Improvement, not perfection is the target.
Circumventing damaging bureaucratic tendencies will come when government structures realise that statistics should be a guide but not a measure of the quality of work or the reality of the situation. Performance driven results chiefly reliant on key performance indicators do not reflect the quality of work but make it easy to hide behind statistics.
Never has this been more apparent than recently when Amber Schultz published a story about the dreadful experience of Georgi Hadden in disability care in which the frightening statistics of 187 workers versus 71, 000 clients were exposed.[3]If the current reliance on statistics in the workplace is not curbed, professional incompetence and institutionalised discrimination will perpetuate, because those most vulnerable will continue to suffer and those disabled who can articulate their plight will continue to be excluded due to suspicions of potential poor performance. Statistics should never obscure or exalt incompetence.
A further but equally pertinent example pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic and particularly the elderly is the Federal Government observation on August 29 that 97% of aged care homes have not had an outbreak[4] an infuriating statistic for Labor Senator, Kristina Keneally, who felt this obscured the realities of the pandemic for some 353 families of aged Australians. Nonetheless according to Federal Health Minister Richard Colbeck, “a high watermark”[5] This is disturbingly shocking when just over a fortnight prior to this statement, Dr Patricia Sparrow on August 13 stated 68% of Australian COVID-19 cases were aged care residents. The $563 million aged care package decreed by the Morrison government seems a positive step, but questions of transparency must be asked. While many a commentator will call into question the various state governments, pertinent disability and aged statistics point to Federal government oversights, failings and incompetence. A weary, but wise Australian voter can only suspect that a decline in Prime Ministerial popularity as being the driving force of this initiative.
While many people correctly feel the nature and spectrum of disabilities needs redefining into more practical definitions of people’s perils and daily experiences, the truth is that expecting government bodies to be accountable on compassionate grounds is a furphy and employment and education should be the focus. Only if the disabled take responsibility for their own affairs will government incompetence be avoided.
Quota systems long reviled in the Australian experience should exist in the workplace at multiple organisational tiers, and there should always be a contingent of disabled workers graded on intellect and competence levels. Examinations reminiscent of the former Public Servant Exam, ought to be introduced. This is to ensure that the disabled are not merely represented for the sake of representation: If the existence of Intellect were acknowledged and competence graded, then people with the competence and Intelligent Quotients of famous disabled figures like the late Dr Stephen Hawking and former U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt will become part of the Australian experience.
Australian disability policy is inadequate: legislation that breeds bureaucracy must be dispensed with and legislation conducive to results rather than impressive statistics must be enacted and applied. In Australian workplaces and other work environments, playing the percentages is vital, the best possible practical output under the circumstances is quintessential. Statistics should reflect achievement or identify a need for improvement: neglect, incompetence or substandard practices and procedures, particularly in disability and aged care needs eliminating. Facilitating disability employment and social mobility will make it easier for governments as self-reliance will reduce the need for assistance. Workplaces need to be further innovated, so individual capabilities can make an active contribution to the economy, as opposed to utilising economic resources, specially being relegated to socioeconomic liability status.
Robert E Melato
References:
Kenneally, K August 29, 2020 https://twitter.com/KKeneally/status/1298880041959354368
Layt, J. “Popular Project”, Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser, 26 August 2020.
Schultz, A. Overwhelmed disability watchdog routinely dismisses abuse and neglect”, crikey.com.au,11 August 2020.
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html accessed September 7, 2020
Wong, P.. Labor’s Senate Select(ions) 29/8/2020 accessed September 7, 2020
[1] https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities.html
[2] Jess Layt, “Popular Project”, Campbelltown-Macarthur Advertiser, 26 August 2020.
[3] Amber Schultz, “Overwhelmed disability watchdog routinely dismisses abuse and neglect”, crikey.com.au,11 August 2020.
[4] @KKeneally August 29, 2020 https://twitter.com/KKeneally/status/1298880041959354368 accessed September 7, 2020
[5] Penny Wong. Labor’s Senate Select(ions) 29/8/2020 accessed September 7, 2020
Rob's Ramblings 