10 signatures reached
To: Tanya Plibersek MP; Amanda Rishworth MP; Clare O'Neil MP; Mark Butler MP — relevant Ministers for Social Services, Employment, Housing and Disability/NDIS.
Break Down Employment and Housing Barriers for Deaf Australians
We call on the Australian Government, state and territory governments, employers and employment services to take stronger action to remove the barriers that Deaf and hard-of-hearing Australians face in employment, housing and everyday life.
Deaf people are capable of working across many industries, professions and trades, but too many still face barriers before they even get an opportunity. These can include recruitment processes that depend heavily on telephone communication, inaccessible interviews, limited access to Auslan interpreters, poor Deaf awareness, inaccessible workplace training, and employers misunderstanding what reasonable workplace adjustments actually involve.
Australian Government JobAccess guidance already recognises that reasonable adjustments can include Auslan interpreters during interviews and training, accessible communication methods, captions and changes to workplace communication. Funding may also be available through the Employment Assistance Fund.
Yet employment disadvantage remains a serious issue for Australians with disability more broadly. ABS data from 2022 showed that 56.1% of working-age people with disability were employed, compared with 82.3% of people without disability.
At the same time, the rising costs of rent, housing, food, transport, electricity and other essential expenses place additional pressure on people who are already struggling to obtain secure and adequately paid employment.
We are asking governments to:
- Conduct a national Deaf-led review into employment, income, housing and cost-of-living barriers experienced by Deaf and hard-of-hearing Australians.
- Improve the collection and publication of specific data about Deaf and Auslan-using Australians, including employment, unemployment, underemployment, income and housing outcomes.
- Review barriers within recruitment, interviews, apprenticeships, training, employment services and workplace communication.
- Make government-funded employment services genuinely accessible to Deaf people, including appropriate access to Auslan and other communication supports.
- Improve education and practical guidance for employers about employing Deaf people and providing reasonable adjustments.
- Reduce unnecessary reliance on telephone-only communication in recruitment, workplaces and essential services by ensuring accessible alternatives such as email, SMS, video communication and Auslan.
- Investigate how employment disadvantage and low income contribute to housing insecurity and cost-of-living pressures for Deaf people.
- Include Deaf people and Deaf-led organisations directly in designing policies and services that affect their community.
- Develop measurable actions and publicly report progress so that improvements can be monitored.
Deaf people should have the opportunity to obtain employment, develop careers, earn sustainable incomes and access secure housing without unnecessary communication and systemic barriers.
We ask governments to work directly with the Deaf community to identify practical reforms and ensure existing accessibility and employment supports work effectively in real life.
Employment barriers → lower/unstable income → difficulty managing cost of living → difficulty obtaining or keeping housing.
Why is this important?
Deaf and hard-of-hearing Australians want the same opportunities as everyone else: to work, earn a fair income, afford a safe home, support their families and participate fully in the community.
But for many Deaf people, barriers begin before they even get through the door of a workplace.
Recruitment may depend on phone calls. Interviews may not be accessible. Employers may not understand Auslan, interpreters or reasonable adjustments. Workplace meetings, training and promotion opportunities can also become difficult when communication access is not properly provided.
Deaf Australia identifies communication, accessible environments and workplace culture as major employment challenges for Deaf people. Its Deaf Census research also records experiences such as inaccessible workplace communication, limited interpreter access, technology barriers and difficulties with career progression.
This matters even more during a period when housing and essential living costs place significant pressure on people with lower or insecure incomes.
Australian data also shows a broader employment gap for people with disability. In 2022, 56.1% of working-age people with disability were employed, compared with 82.3% of people without disability. The unemployment rate was 7.5% for people with disability compared with 3.1% for people without disability. These figures cover disability generally and are not specifically Deaf employment statistics, but they show why employment inequality deserves serious attention.
Housing and employment are closely connected. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare notes that people with disability can face additional risks associated with limited labour-market participation, discrimination and low income, which can contribute to housing insecurity and create barriers to escaping homelessness.
For a Deaf person who is repeatedly excluded from employment opportunities, this can become a cycle:
Employment barriers → lower or unstable income → difficulty paying rent and everyday expenses → housing insecurity → even greater difficulty finding and keeping work.
This campaign is not asking employers to give Deaf people jobs simply because they are Deaf.
It is asking for equal opportunity.
Deaf people should be able to compete for jobs based on their skills, qualifications, experience and ability — without unnecessary communication barriers preventing them from demonstrating what they can do.
We also need Deaf people themselves involved in developing solutions. Policies and programs work better when people with lived experience are included from the beginning rather than consulted only after decisions have already been made.
Please support this petition because employment, housing and financial security affect a person's independence, wellbeing and ability to participate in society.
Breaking down barriers to employment can help create stronger financial security, greater independence and better opportunities for Deaf Australians.
Deaf people can work. Deaf people can contribute. Deaf people can lead.
The opportunity needs to be accessible.
How it will be delivered
I plan to formally deliver the petition and signatures to the relevant federal Ministers and departments responsible for Social Services, Employment, Housing and Disability/NDIS. I will request written responses and, where possible, meetings. I will also share the petition with relevant state and territory governments, Deaf-led organisations and services, together with a short summary of the key barriers and actions requested.