Australian Human Rights Commission Submission to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – 25 July 2019 Recommendation 55: The Australian Government provide a timeframe for finalising and implementing the National Disability Employment Framework. Recommendation 56: The Australian Government undertake a comprehensive review of Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) against the requirements of Article 27 of the CRPD and provide services to transition people with disability into open forms of employment. Recommendation 57: The Australian Government provide detail on the nature of reforms to Disability Employment Services which seek to address underlying structural barriers experienced by women with disability, and work with women with disability and their representative organisations, to develop and implement these reforms. (b) Willing to Work (LOI 30) 110. The Commission commends the steps taken by the Australian Government to implement the recommendations made in the Commission’s report, Willing to Work—National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination against Older Australians and Australians with Disability (Willing to Work report). However, The Commission remains concerned by the lack of substantial progress in improving the rates of labour force participation and employment for people with disability. In 2015, 53.4% of people with disability between 15 and 64 years participated in the labour force, compared with 83.2% of people without disability. 109 111. The Commission is particularly concerned by the low rates of people with disability working in the public service. As at 30 June 2018, the proportion of Australian Public Service employees with disability was 3.7%.110 This represents no movement since 2016 and only a 0.5 percentage point increase since 2013. Recommendation 58: The Australian Government continue to implement the Willing to Work report recommendations, including expanding the role of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) to extending its current functions to Australians with disability. Recommendation 59: The Australian Government commission an independent evaluation of the Australian Public Service Disability Employment Strategy (2016–2019). 33