This Human Rights Policy Statement outlines our commitment to respect human rights. We have taken proactive steps to integrate this commitment, along with core human rights principles, into policies and processes across our organisation.
Commitment
We are committed to respecting human rights, with a focus on:
- disability rights;
- labour rights;
- health and safety;
- inclusion, diversity and equity; and
- privacy.
We recognise that delivering on this commitment requires sustained effort and we have established a robust governance framework to support this work.
We expect high standards of human rights performance across our organisation and our supply chain.
Approach
Our approach is guided by internationally recognised human rights standards set out in:
- the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
- the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights; and
- the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
We also recognise that, in specific circumstances, other international human rights law, voluntary principles and guidelines for business may support our decision-making.
Our values and purpose
We aim to foster an ethical culture where everyone embraces a sense of responsibility for doing the right thing. Respecting human rights across all our business activities supports and reinforces our core values of Respect, Equality, Support and Integrity.
As an NDIS provider, our purpose is to improve the lives of people with disability through vocational supports and life-skills training. We focus on the human rights that are most relevant to our organisation.
Disability rights
We are committed to respecting the rights of people with disability in line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Under the NDIS, all participants receiving supports have the right to receive services that:
- promote and uphold their rights to freedom of expression, self-determination, and decision-making;
- respect their culture, diversity, values, and beliefs;
- protect their dignity and privacy;
- are free from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, or discrimination; and
- enable them to make informed choices and maximise their independence.
Our NDIS Practice Standards guide us in upholding the rights of our supported employees.
In practice, we aim to ensure that each supported employee’s legal and human rights are understood and incorporated into everyday practice by providing training on the rights of people with disability.
We communicate with supported employees using the mode of communication they are most likely to understand.
We promote informed decision-making and ensure that every supported employee understands their right to access an advocate of their choosing.
We work to minimise the risk of violence, abuse or discrimination by:
- implementing polices which align with the NDIS Code of Conduct;
- completing worker screening checks;
- undertaking training in safeguards and duty of care; and
- following a clearly understood incident management system.
Labour rights
We are committed to respecting, promoting, and protecting the rights of every person who works for us. This means making sure that the following principles are upheld:
- No child labour or forced labour is used and employment is freely chosen.
- Employees have fair wages and employment agreements.
- All employees are free to exercise their right to form or join trade unions and to bargain collectively.
- Employees enjoy a work environment that is free of discrimination, harassment, intimidation or vilification.
- Employees have access to fair procedures and remedies.
Modern slavery
We will continue to identify and address modern slavery risks across our operations and supply chains by embedding the following practices in our standard operations:
- strengthening our procurement processes to promote ethical sourcing and supplier accountability;
- providing education and training to employees on modern slavery awareness and prevention;
- maintaining governance frameworks that support transparency and compliance; and
- conducting regular reviews to identify areas for improvement.
Health and safety
Health is recognised as a fundamental human right. We are committed to promoting and protecting physical and mental health by taking all reasonable steps to provide a safe workplace.
Our policies on work health and safety outline our commitment to identifying and mitigating health and safety risks, promoting physical and mental wellbeing, and ensuring access to appropriate resources and support services.
Inclusion, diversity and equity
In line with our policies on inclusion and diversity, we respect each other and continue to improve the representation of people from diverse backgrounds, including people with disability, across our organisation.
We are committed to a workplace culture free from discrimination, harassment, and vilification. This includes:
- Prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, or any other protected attribute.
- Actively opposing antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hate or prejudice.
- Promoting cultural safety, diversity, and inclusion across all levels of the organisation.
- Providing accessible and equitable services to all individuals.
Privacy
We respect the right to privacy. In line with this, we collect, hold, and handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. Our Privacy Notice provides more information on how we handle personal information.
We are alert to the privacy and ethical implications of emerging technologies, and recognise that these tools have the potential to both enhance and undermine the right to privacy.
Due diligence
We understand that human rights due diligence is an ongoing process, one which is most effective when it is embedded in the risk and procurement processes of our operations.
We aim to continuously improve our systems and controls to identify and assess our human rights risks and integrate the findings to manage them effectively.
Where we have concerns that the products or services supplied to us are directly linked to human rights violations, we will communicate our expectations to the relevant supplier and work with them to mitigate these impacts, as appropriate.
If we have concerns that our work will be directly linked to human rights violations by a customer, we will discuss our concerns with the relevant party and seek to mitigate the impacts.
In some cases we may choose to not do business with a supplier or customer where our integrity could be called into question if we continue.
Feedback and complaints
We encourage employees, participants, family members, carers, advocates, customers and other stakeholders to provide feedback or raise concerns (including concerns relating to human rights) without fear of disadvantage or retaliation.
See our Feedback and Complaints notice and Whistleblower Policy for more information.
Governance and oversight
We will continue to monitor and evaluate progress on human rights issues and we will work collaboratively with affected stakeholders.
If we discover that we have caused, contributed to, or are directly linked to an adverse human rights impact, we will take the appropriate remediation steps.
This Human Rights Policy Statement has been approved by the board of directors, will be made available on our website, and will be reviewed periodically to ensure that it remains relevant, effective, and aligned with international standards and evolving business operations.
For more information contact cosec@accessindustries.com.au
Access Industries for the Disabled Limited — ABN 84 001 797 511