澳大利亚现行法律允许残障工人在专业残障工作场所获得远低于法定最低工资的报酬[1]。根据"支持工资制度"，残障工人的时薪可低至3.31澳元，而全国最低工资自7月1日起为26.44澳元[1]。即使在支持就业服务奖项框架下，残障工人也仅能获得8.32澳元/小时的工资[1]。
当前残障人士就业状况不容乐观。澳大利亚残障企业约聘用17,000名严重残障人士[1]，但仅12%有智力残障的国家残障保险计划（NDIS）参与者在公开就业市场工作，患有唐氏综合征的参与者更是仅占7%[1]。数据显示，2022年从残障企业离开进入其他就业的比例极低：25岁以下工人仅4%在一年内实现转移，25岁及以上工人的转移率仅为2%[1]。
为推动改革，Grattan Institute建议在未来十年内审查支持就业服务奖项和支持工资制度的继续使用[1]。
Disabled workers in Australia can legally earn significantly below the national minimum wage through the country's support employment system, with compensation potentially dropping to just $3.31 per hour compared to the national minimum of $26.44 per hour [1]. Under supported employment service awards, disabled workers may receive as little as $8.32 per hour, and the system can reduce wages even further through a separate supported wage scheme [1].
The employment landscape for people with disabilities remains heavily restricted, with only 12 percent of intellectually disabled National Disability Insurance Scheme participants working in the open labor market [1]. For those with Down syndrome, the figure is even lower at 7 percent [1]. Australia's disability enterprises employ approximately 17,000 severely disabled workers, yet data from 2022 shows minimal pathways to mainstream employment: only 4 percent of workers under 25 years old transitioned to other forms of employment within a year, and just 2 percent of those 25 and older did so [1].
The Grattan Institute has recommended reviewing the ongoing use of both supported employment service awards and the supported wage scheme over the next decade [1], signaling recognition that the current framework requires reform to better serve disabled workers' needs.
