"The time for lip service is over": Dylan Alcott serves it up to Centrelink
During his appearance at the Jobs and Skills summit in Canberra, Aussie tennis legend Dylan Alcott delivered an impassioned speech on behalf of all people with disabilities, demanding they be allowed to work more hours without losing their Centrelink benefits.
His plea comes as the nation suffers through what's been widely characterised as an extreme labour shortage – with Alcott's rallying cry to change the current rules surrounding employment and the disability pension powerfully underlined by his parting shot that "the time for lip service is over".
The Australian of the Year suggested that people with disabilities should have the advantage of picking up more work without losing Centrelink payments. Presenting the moving speech to 140 attendees, he spoke passionately about the current state of affairs for people with disabilities in the workforce.
“Nearly 4.5 million people in this country have some form of physical or non-physical disability, visible or invisible, and only 54% of them are enrolled in the workforce,” he said
“I'm 31 years old, that participation rate hasn't changed in 28 years. My whole life. It hasn't changed.
“And to be honest, that's not fair. That really isn't fair. Because people with a disability are ready to have the choice if they want to work, just like anybody else.”
“The time for lip service is over to be honest, because we've been getting that for a long time.”
Australia's unemployment rate currently sits at 3.4% – however, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is almost triple that.
Alcott suggests the best solution to combat the problem is to allow those on disability support payments to work more hours without losing their benefits. Currently someone on that payment loses 50c in every dollar they earn over $190 a fortnight, putting them off working extra hours.
“There are so many opportunities to get out there and work at the moment, yet it's not really translating into people with disabilities getting that chance,” Alcott said.
“We need to have the opportunity to get out there and have a crack.”
Image: Getty