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With Australia’s federal election called for 3 May, all parties are in campaigning mode. And some political stances are detrimental – if not downright dangerous – for the disability community.
Namely, Peter Dutton’s intention to remove work from home options for public servants, thereby forcing them to choose between their health and/or caring responsibilities, and their jobs.
There has been backlash from unions – and subsequent media coverage – about the consequences of the removal of remote working options for women.
But, unsurprisingly, the impact of such a decision on the disability community has gone largely unmentioned.
I work almost entirely from home by necessity, and I’ve previously written about the importance of that flexibility for myself and other disabled people. In short, some people with energy limiting conditions (the prevalence of which are increasing thanks to Long COVID) are housebound and could not work if it meant commuting to an office every day. And some, like me, live with mental illness or other conditions which are far easier to manage in the familiar, accessible space of our own home. Working from home, for many of us, is not a luxury. Despite the Coalition’s claims, we’re not “refusing to go to work.” We’re working in a differently – and, arguably, more effective – way.
Dutton’s proposal is particularly galling because it’s likely a tactic to avoid making and paying redundancies. The coalition intends to cut approximately 36,000 public sector jobs. With a return to the office order in place, they would be giving employees who cannot work from the office, irrespective of the reason, no other option but to quit.
They either do not know or do not care that this proposal constitutes sexism and ableism poorly packaged and disguised as a way to “ensure we have an efficient public service.” Never mind that research has shown that working from home can increase staff productivity and decrease the spread of contagious illnesses.
Dutton will ostensibly take a “commonsense approach.” It is unclear if this would include exemptions allowing remote work for disabled employees. Even if such exemptions were in place, they would put the onus on the employee to disclose their disability, thereby exposing themselves to discrimination and insidious, everyday ableism.
Furthermore, though Dutton’s move would apply only to public servants, it would offer implicit permission for other businesses and organisations to do the same. It’s a get out of jail free card for employers to refuse to meet reasonable adjustments for disabled people. A return to the office would unfairly disadvantage us. It would unfairly disadvantage women, those living rurally or regionally and anyone else who might be unable to completely return to the office.
Accessible and inclusive working arrangements are a human right, embedded into the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Federal election is just over a month away. I’ll be voting for a party that upholds those rights and doing everything I can to keep out parties and people who would seek to strip them away.