Willing to Work: National Inquiry into Employment Discrimination Against Older Australians and Australians with Disability

In 2015, the Attorney-General asked the Age and Disability Discrimination Commissioner, on behalf of the Australian Human Rights Commission, to undertake this inquiry to: (1) examine practices, attitudes and Commonwealth laws that deny or diminish equal participation in employment; and (2) make recommendations to address employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with disability. The terms of reference had regard to: the obstacles faced by older persons and persons with disabilities in actively participating in the workforce; discrimination against older persons and persons with disabilities as a systemic problem and a considerable barrier to their enjoyment of human rights; the economic and social costs, and the costs to productivity, that result from discrimination against older persons and persons with disabilities in employment; and the Australian Government's commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights of older Australians and Australians with a disability.

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