NSW CAG Consultation: Barriers to education, employment and training
Under human rights law, everyone has a right to work, and to not be prevented from doing so.
In Australia, people with a mental illness are also protected against discrimination by the federal Disability Discrimination Act. This means it is illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of a mental illness and that employers should take all reasonable steps to ensure their employees' mental health needs are met.
However, from speaking to people with a lived experience of mental illness, NSW CAG is aware that the rights of people with a mental illness are not always respected. Many people with an experience of mental illness report that they are not able to find appropriate workplaces (despite actively seeking employment). Many others who are in employment are not getting appropriate support from their employers. Informed by ongoing consultations with consumers, NSW CAG is also aware that there are many barriers for people attempting to access education and training opportunities.
The Australian Government has recently set up a House of Representatives Committee to examine the links between mental illness and workplace, training and education participation. To ensure that the views of mental health consumers are represented, NSW CAG will be conducted a series of consultations to find out people's experiences of barriers to education, training and employment and how these can be overcome.
NSW CAG understands that not everyone will be able to attend one of these consultations, so we have set-up an 'online consultation' so that people can have their say on this important issue.
If you would like to contribute, please click on the image below to find a copy of the NSW CAG consultation questions.
Education and Employment Barriers Discrimination Barriers to transitioning from school
