Introduction
The Department of Premier and Cabinet’s (DPC) mission is to support the people of Victoria by:
- helping government achieve its strategic objectives
- providing leadership to the public sector to improve its effectiveness
- promoting collaboration across government to drive performance and improve outcomes.
DPC supports the Victorian Government’s commitment to a stronger, fairer, better Victoria by pursuing excellence in whole of Victorian Government service delivery and reform. We strive to ensure government policy and programs are inclusive for all Victorians, including people with disability, and are committed to a workforce that is genuinely inclusive and better reflects the diversity of the community it serves.
Within DPC, the number of people who identify as having a disability, according to the 2021 People Matter Survey results, has increased from 3% in 2017 to 7% in 2021. DPC is committed to working towards the 12% employment target set for people with disability by 2025 as set out in Getting to Work: the Victorian Public Sector Disability Employment Action Plan 2018–2025 . As a central agency, DPC has an opportunity to lead the push towards the 12% target.
This Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2021–2025 has been developed against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which has, over the past 18 months, significantly disrupted office-based working practices across DPC. As a result, flexible and remote working became a reality for most employees. Embedding and normalising remote and flexible working has had positive benefits for many people with disability for whom this flexibility is essential. We acknowledge, however, that for some people with disability and carers, working from home has created more barriers. With the foreseeable return to office-based and hybrid working practices, it will be important to preserve recent flexibility gains achieved for staff, in particular, because of the benefits it has provided for people with disability.
While significant improvements have been made to representation and experience for people with disability under the previous Disability Action Plan 2017–2020, our recent People Matter Survey measures still show opportunities for improvement in the experience of work for people with disability at DPC. In the 2021 People Matter Survey results, people with disability responded comparably with all staff to factors such as job satisfaction, engagement, organisational culture with respect to people with disability, and diversity and inclusion. However, people with disability responded less favourably to questions about securing effective workplace adjustments, career development and opportunities for promotion. In addition, people with disability continue to experience bullying and discrimination at a higher rate than other staff.
The Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2019–2021 acknowledges and reflects on the challenges and opportunities for people working in an environment that is not yet reflective of the communities it represents. As a key plan under the Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, this access and inclusion plan aims to:
- improve the representation and integration of people with disability across all groups and levels
- improve the employment experience of people with disability, including their access to physical and digital environments
- improve the attitudes and confidence of managers and staff related to working with people with disability
- promote a more positive workplace culture and psychologically safe culture related to people with disability
- enhance inclusive practices throughout the employment life cycle.
Updated