dear tony, page-11

Free will

Re your post which included;
"... There will be people with genuine disabilities that can not work at all ..."

A T/u from me for that post.

Many people with disabilities made themselves available at my schools to speak with all students. Their stories of how they wanted us to recognise their ABILITIES were amazing.

IMO their critics need to reflect on the achievements of disabled athletes at the Olympics etc. to appreciate just how much people with disabilities are driven to maximise the abilities they have. The likes of my 80 year old Mum still knits & crochets despite arthritic hands & the tenuous grip she has on life that requires high level care in a nursing home. Then have a look at the works of Stephen Hawking.
http://www.hawking.org.uk/

IMO we need to listen until it hurts & to work out how we can take full advantage of their skills & what they are offering.

IMO those who present barriers to the employment of people with disabilities - not to mention older workers - are the ones with the real disabilities [IMO some of them are disabled by greed & prejudice]. To set out to demonise people for cheap political gain is in my opinion reprehensible. IMO the whiff of this which has once again come via what appears to be an increasingly desperate Tony Abbott reflects very poorly on him & his supporters.

Data does not lie & IMO the higher rates of unemployment amongst people with disabiilities & those over 50 is more a reflection on our systems of employment & the disabilities of employers than a reflection on those seeking work. How shabby is it that many people over 50 are told they are 'overqualified' for the jobs they seek - after having completed the extra training our society enables / demands.

Then of course there is the matter of acknowledging 'the other work' being done by people outside the paid workforce - such as looking after grandkids while their parents go to work & making presentations to kids in schools!

As to the cases of people abusing the system, yes they are out there & they make for great media publicity until Centrelink tracks them down. But they are the exceptional cases & certainly not the norm.