Promoting Australian Disability Enterprises

The Purchasing with Purpose Expo was launched today (1 June) by the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities Bill Shorten MP. The Expo came about as part of the National Procurement Management project, funded by FaHCSIA (Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs), implemented by NDS (National Disability Services), and supported by Microsoft Australia.  The project is designed to increase government procurement from ADEs (Australian Disability Enterprises) which, in turn, will support the ongoing sustainability of this vital sector. 

ADEs are commercial businesses that provide employment opportunities for people with disability in a wide variety of industries. There are over 600 Australian Disability Enterprises Australia-wide, providing real work for more than 20,000 people with disability in a supported environment.

Speaking at the Expo, Microsoft’s Pip Marlow spoke of the company’s commitment to accessibility, and the importance of access and fair treatment at work for people with a disability, and not consigning them to the margins.

In the 2008/09 financial year alone, Microsoft Australia donated more than $10 million software to the disability services sector, covering more than 220 organisations across Australia.