End the cycle launch – SA State Library
28/04/2011
There can be little denying that disability can be both a cause and a consequence of poverty. Particularly in poorer countries, where no one is financially well-off or stable to begin with, people with disabilities can often be subject to a kind of double disadvantage: what little money available to others in the community may be unavailable to them because of limited capacity to participate in society and the workforce, or cultural barriers. And here, women with disabilities in developing countries may even face a triple disadvantage, as they are subject to stigma and limited opportunities in life due to both their disability and their gender.
But as we all know, Australia is not a developing country, except perhaps in the more ‘metaphorical’ sense of the word, so to speak.
I’m sure I don’t need to tell anyone here today that we have made some big steps forward in comparison to some other countries, but still have a long way to go.
For example, we are, in a sense, a ‘sophisticated’ country in that we have the Disability Support Pension (DSP) in place to offer financial support to those who cannot access other income due to disability. However, reliance on this type of welfare makes people far from affluent, and can severely limit access to housing, transport, social activities, as well as life ‘basics’ such as food and clothing. Last year I attended a public meeting where a carer speak about how he had to choose between putting food on his family’s table, or purchasing himself a set of dentures after his own teeth fell out because he was unable to afford dental care.
It is sometimes hard to believe that Australia is one of the world’s richest countries when I hear heart-wrenching stories like that.
The poverty induced by relying on welfare systems like the DSP as as a sole source of income also affects people emotionally.
There has been a considerable amount of talk around cutting the DSP in the media of late, from the Government and the Opposition, as well as incorporated bodies and organisations such as the Business Council of Australia.
Now, people with disabilities in Australia may not face nearly as much stigma as they do in other cultures, but I have heard from numerous constituents who find it difficult not to feel objectified, burdensome or disrespected when politicians and the media seem to be spreading the idea that the DSP is some sort of luxury for people who simply do not wish to work.
Yes, of course we need a realistic and sustainable budget. This is, after all, in the best interest of all Australians in the long run.
And yes, we need checks and balances in the DSP scheme to ensure that it is available to those who truly need it; free of people who may take advantage of the scheme unfairly, thereby making it a more sustainable scheme which remains feasible for years to come.
But, even more important than these checks and balances, is the implementation of strategies to help people who are able to work get out of the cycle of welfare dependency, and therefore out of the cycle of poverty.
It is these measures which are missing from the Government’s budget plan, and yet it is these measures which are the most important.
Things like Increased placements in Supported Employment could open many doors for those who are able to work with a little assistance and supervision. However, if this Government is truly serious about enabling people with disabilities to enter and reach their fullest potential within the workforce, then I believe that it must also offer ‘bridging programs’, if you will, which would enable people working in Support Employment facilities to transition into the mainstream workforce if they are able and willing to do so.
A more physically accessible workforce would also be another big step toward enabling more people with disabilities to end their poverty and contribute to society by coming into work. Accessible toilets, hearing loops, Braille signage… these all sound like fairly simple things, but I am sure that you all know how big a difference they can make when it comes to people with disabilities participating in the community.
Increased support for people with disabilities to attend university, TAFE, and vocational training would also aid them to gain the tools they need to seek the best opportunities available to them, thereby increasing their independence and level of control over their own lives.
Yes, all of the possible steps which I have just mentioned would cost money to implement. But as time moves on and we have more and more people moving into the workforce, the rewards will be plain to see. Is the point of a sustainable budget, after all, not a budget which can serve the best interests of a Nation’s people in the long term?
Of course, the things which I have mentioned here are in absolutely no way an exhaustive list of ‘solutions’ to the problem of disability-related poverty. In fact, they are just a snap shot of some of the things we in the “lucky country” could do to help those stuck in poverty.
And given that this is the state of affairs in Australia you can imagine just how much more complex “ending the cycle” is in developing countries, where social, cultural and political barriers are that much higher for people with disabilities.
We have our work cut out for us, certainly, but change must start somewhere. And this is why I hope you will join me in committing to speak out both for and alongside people with disabilities to “end the cycle”.
