Inclusive Workplaces

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (15:46): Today, I would like to highlight the importance of inclusive workplaces and the positive impact they can have on individuals and our wider community.

Foodbank, at its core, is an enabler of building resilience. Every day, volunteers are packing supplies that will enable someone to move through and keep going, despite their challenges. But Foodbank is also providing opportunity for a cohort of people before the supplies even leave the delivery gate.

While in Renmark earlier this year, I heard a story of how the inclusive and supportive environment of Foodbank had changed the life of an autistic Berri local, Zach. Zach is 23 years old, and prior to November last year he would spend his day at home, playing video games. As much as he wanted to be part of something that would enable him to find friends, to not be judged and to help others, he did not know how to go about it. He felt that he did not have the confidence to leave his safe place, that being his home.

Zach described how he felt flat and that he was missing out on being part of his community. As the beneficiary of others giving him support throughout his life, he was motivated to take on the opportunity to pay it forward and give back to others in need. He decided to pay it forward by answering the call-out for more volunteers to support the Berri Foodbank Christmas rush. It was the perfect Christmas present to give back to his community.

Zach's first day was a big step for him and his family, especially his mum, Tegan, who is also a tireless advocate for the autistic and autism communities. They arrived early to settle their nerves, and Zach went from volunteer to volunteer, introducing himself. Thirty minutes in, Zach was getting hugs from his fellow volunteers. He felt, and I quote:

I was with a group of people where I was having fun, but also helping my community. I felt like I [finally] belonged.

While Zach is one of the younger volunteers at the Berri Foodbank warehouse, his fellow volunteers have described him as a strong young buck, making him the perfect person to help restock the delivery truck with bundles of toilet paper and fruit and veg boxes. Previously, getting through a day where Zach did not feel challenged by his surrounding environment had been a barrier for him to participate in work. The understanding of these barriers was not recognised by previous organisations he had hoped to be part of.

Zach is not alone in experiencing this barrier. If you are autistic, you are three times more likely to be unemployed than someone else with another disability. This barrier is more often than not due to a lack of knowledge in how to create an inclusive working environment. But there was a rock star at the Berri Foodbank who enabled Zach to build his resilience by creating an inclusive and positive environment for Zach—his team leader, Evelyn. As Zach said:

Evelyn has empowered me—she has enabled me to push my boundaries and provided a foundation for positive change in my life. I now feel happy. I'm now driven to do more.

To Evelyn: thank you for being Zach's rock star by building his resilience so he can now enjoy a sense of belonging in his community. Zach's life has been transformed because of an inclusive workplace in Berri at the Foodbank workplace.

I look forward to continuing to work with organisations to create inclusive and supportive working environments so that people like Zach have an opportunity to enter the workforce, benefit his community and also transform their lives.