Martin Daly presses government on disability supports for entrepreneurs
Martin Daly raised concerns about government support for entrepreneurs living with disability, saying commitments are vague and that benefit rules can penalise those who start businesses. He noted supports appear focused on employees rather than self-employed entrepreneurs and suggested a "cost of disability payment" as a possible solution.
Martin Daly criticised a two-line government commitment on entrepreneurship and disability as vague and insufficient. He said past strategies were not referenced and called for a coordinated approach across government departments and agencies to address entrepreneurship for people living with disability.
Daly recounted testimony that support systems often do not respond to people who try to set up businesses after a disability. He relayed that attempts to become self-employed can lead to supports being withdrawn and to increased financial difficulty for the individual.
He observed that supports appear to exist for people with disabilities who are employees, but that comparable measures are lacking in the area of entrepreneurship. Daly emphasised that for some people living with disability, self-employment may be the only viable option.
Daly suggested the concept of a cost of disability payment as a way to separate disability-related costs from earnings. He said such a payment might allow people to work or start businesses without losing essential supports.
He expressed regret at the poor experiences described, wished the witness well, and thanked them for answering questions at the committee meeting.
Main concern
Martin Daly criticised a two-line government commitment on entrepreneurship and disability as vague and insufficient. He said past strategies were not referenced and called for a coordinated approach across government departments and agencies to address entrepreneurship for people living with disability.
Personal account of barriers
Daly recounted testimony that support systems often do not respond to people who try to set up businesses after a disability. He relayed that attempts to become self-employed can lead to supports being withdrawn and to increased financial difficulty for the individual.
Existing supports and gaps
He observed that supports appear to exist for people with disabilities who are employees, but that comparable measures are lacking in the area of entrepreneurship. Daly emphasised that for some people living with disability, self-employment may be the only viable option.
Policy idea - cost of disability payment
Daly suggested the concept of a cost of disability payment as a way to separate disability-related costs from earnings. He said such a payment might allow people to work or start businesses without losing essential supports.
Closing remarks
He expressed regret at the poor experiences described, wished the witness well, and thanked them for answering questions at the committee meeting.
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Transcript
I apologise in another committee meeting, so thank you for coming in today, and I also was reading your briefing papers around employment, people living with disability, and I was taken about by the statement from Mr. Hennessey about entrepreneurship and living with disability after a stroke. You've probably told your story already in some respects, but one of the questions I noticed is your concern about having a coordinated approach within government to help people who are entrepreneurs and living with disability, and you're concerned that whilst you've got some commitments, you've felt that it's not focused enough. It's very vague, it's a two-line commitment, and there's no response to disability, so I don't know. I'm happy that it's mentioned, that past two strategies wasn't mentioned at all, no matter how many reports they sit on, but I'm happy it's mentioned, but two lines. Yeah, and I'm also taken by the fact that what you said, your own reflection in your statement, which was around the fact that there appeared to be supports for people who are living with disability if they were employees, but not in the area of entrepreneurship, and you made a really good point that sometimes that may be the only option for someone who's living with disability, to become an entrepreneur and become self-employed. How have you found that yourself? How is it going for you? How is it going for you? I told you, how is it going for you? None, doesn't comment it, and not only doesn't they comment it, they make it harder, and take money off you. Other than the proposals that you made around the more focused approach by government departments and agencies you made some other points around supports they were good around flexibility for supports so that if someone does take a risk and sets up a business that they're not going to be penalised and lose their supports The biggest fear of disabled people starting their own business is fear of their taking the benefits off them and that's a justified fear because loads of people have Fantastic I suppose that probably comes back to the whole idea of concept of the cost of disability payment which might overcome something like that because then your disability and your needs and costs are dealt with but allow you to get on with working and setting up your own business so I'm sorry that your experience was so poor and I wish you the best of luck in the future and thanks for answering my questions today Thank you Thank you