Agenda

CONFERENCE DAY ONE - Thursday 30th July 2009

Day One | Day Two

8.00 Registration & Coffee

8.30 Opening Remarks from the Chair
Roland Hassall, Partner, Workplace Relations and Safety, Sparke Helmore

8.40 KEYNOTE OPENING ADDRESS:
The Hon. Robert McClelland, Federal Attorney-General

9.10 KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
Employing People with Disabilities in Light of the Disability & Age Discrimination Law Reforms
The Hon. Bill Shorten MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities & Children's Services

9.50 Morning Tea

10.20 Genetics in the Australian Workplace: GATTACA or a Fair Go?

At present, there is little evidence of the widespread use of genetic testing and information in the workplace. However, remarkable advances in genetic science and technology are steadily increasing the accessibility and dramatically decreasing the invasiveness and cost of genetic testing.

In its 2003 report Essentially Yours: The Protection of Human Genetic Information, the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) predicted that in the next few years the availability of genetic testing combined with apparent incentives for employers – less sick leave, lower workers compensation premiums and so on – could turn the workplace into the major battleground with respect to the legally and ethically permissible uses of human genetic information.

The ALRC recommended a firmly interventionist approach to the use of genetic testing and information in the employment area, calling for the amendment of privacy, discrimination and workplace laws in order to avoid the creation of a ‘genetic underclass’ in Australia of people fit and willing to work, but with some predisposition that employers may use to rule them out. Recent research studies have uncovered a small number of verified cases of genetic discrimination in the Australian workplace, so it is timely to consider again the ALRC’s findings and recommendations, as well as what is required to implement them.

Emeritus Professor David Weisbrot AM, President, Australian Law Reform Commission

11.00 The Legal Framework Governing Discrimination on the Grounds of Disability & Age & Proposed Changes

• Statutory obligations on employers
• Common law obligations on employers and emerging contractual issues
• Unintended consequences of workplace policies
• Common sources of litigation against employers in relation to disability and age
• Future issues

John Pagacs, Special Counsel, Australian Business Lawyers

11.40 Lunch

12.50 Key Issues in Handling Discrimination Claims Against Your Organisation

Discrimination claims in the workplace are sensitive matters which need to be handled with a clear understanding of the rights and obligations of all parties involved. This requires expertise, and the ability to balance the various interests that are subject to such claims. This session will cover key issues in handling all discrimination claims, including:

• Processes for receiving complaints
• Investigation processes and practices
• Issues in relation to resolving complaints
• Recommendations for continual improvement

Roland Hassall, Partner, Workplace Relations & Safety, Sparke Helmore

1.30 CASE STUDY:

Building an Inclusive Work Environment for People with Disability

• Building accessibility - Ensuring worksites are accessible
• Reasonable adjustments/accommodations - Providing services or equipment to help employees with a disability
• Attitude - Raising awareness through education

Sandra Francis, Diversity Manager, IBM Australia & New Zealand

2.10 Afternoon Tea

2.40 CASE STUDY:

Using Employer Networks to Promote the Employment of People with Disabilities

• ACCI has an Australia wide network of 36 organisations and 350,000 employers
• Innovative and collaborative approaches have been used to leverage off this network to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities

Mary Hicks, Director of Employment, Education & Training, Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry

3.20 Practical Case Study: Transforming Your Workplace & Removing Barriers to Employing the Best People for the Job

• What is JobAccess? A one-stop information and advisory service for all matters relating to the employment of people with disability or mental health issues.
• What assistance is available through JobAccess?
• Specifically, what incentives are available for employers?
• What can managers do to assist people with disabilities in the workplace?

Therese Campbell, Director, WorkFocus Australia

4.00 Closing Remarks from the Chair

4.10 The National Relay Service and IIR Conferences invite all speakers and delegates to discuss the day's presentations at the informal cocktail reception.

CONFERENCE DAY TWO - Friday 31st July 2009

Day One | Day Two

8.30 Morning Coffee

9.00 Opening Remarks from the Chair

9.10 KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

People with Disability: 20% of Employees

• Your obligations under the DDA
• What constitutes disability
• What constitutes discrimination
• Reasonable adjustment and amendments to the law
• Disclosure - You can increase it
• Some practical examples

Graeme Innes AM, The Disability Discrimination Commissioner & Human Rights Commissioner

9.50 Encouraging & Supporting Disclosure of Disability in Your Workplace

• Why people don’t disclose
• Making it easier for employees to disclose
• Management capability

Suzanne Colbert, Chief Executive, The Australian Employers Network on Disability

10.30 Morning Tea

10.50 Fair Work Act & Discrimination

• Flexible work arrangements for carers
• Changes to anti-discrimination protections
• Unfair/unlawful dismissal and discrimination

Tim McDonald, Partner, Workplace Relations & Safety, Sparke Helmore

11.30 CASE STUDY:

Delivering to a Diverse Workforce & Marketplace

• Telstra's commitment to diversity
• Disability at Telstra - Programs and initiatives
• Developing products and services for customers with special needs
• Case Study: Telstra EasyTouch Discovery

Holly Kramer, Group Managing Director, Telstra Product Management & Executive Sponsor Disability Taskforce, Telstra Diversity Council

12.10 CASE STUDY:

The Brisbane City Council’s Approach to Recruitment & Retention of People with Disability

• Employment targets and performance
• Employment initiatives such as trainee programs, CJPs and disabled athletes program
• Career development programs and career coaching for disabled staff
• Practicalities of reasonable adjustment policies and procedures
• Consultative mechanisms

Ulrike Zimmermann, Senior OD Consultant Equity & Diversity, Brisbane City Council

12.50 Lunch

2.00 CASE STUDY

Dimensions on Disability: The Role of Tertiary Education

• Breadth - The scope of what is provided versus what is needed
• Depth - The substance of the work that we do - how to assist, what accommodations are provided
• Length - Transitions: Into tertiary education and then from graduation into employment
• Time - The influence of law

Helen Makeham, President, AT END & Disability Liaison Officer, Murdoch University

2.40 Inclusion Through Awareness & Flexibility

• The benefits of building inclusion ideas and practices into our worlds
• How we can be more inclusive through analysing and amending practices, systems and the physical environment
• The role of awareness and understanding of disability in achieving inclusion
• Social inclusion and human rights, two sides of the same coin - Respect, dignity and empowerment

Robin Banks, Chief Executive Officer, Public Interest Advocacy Centre Ltd

3.20 Closing Remarks from the Chair

3.30 Afternoon Tea & Conference Close

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