Navigating discrimination laws to hire people with disability

In November 2022, The Australian Human Rights Commission released its guidelines for the Targeted Recruitment of People with Disability. The comprehensive guidelines help employers to develop and implement recruitment campaigns that specifically target people with disability, or with a particular disability.

“This is potentially a form of ’special measure’ that makes such a targeted campaign lawful under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (Disability Discrimination Act) and state and territory equal opportunity or anti-discrimination legislation,” the AHRC’s guidelines state.

Disability Discrimination Commissioner Ben Gauntlet said, “We need to explore novel and unique methods to ensure people with disability obtain not just a job, but a good job.”

The rate of employment for people with disability of working age is 48% compared with 80% for people without disability.

Australian Disability Network CEO Corene Strauss described the guidelines as “a valuable tool that will help organisations develop recruitment strategies which benefit both employers and people with disability, while working towards addressing this critical employment gap.”

Reach out to your Relationship Manager if you would like to discuss how we can help support your organisation. Or find out more about our Disability Confident Recruiter program.