Employment issues: what the BSWAT decision is about and what it's not about

If you are even mildly confused by the responses from various interest groups to the recent Human Rights Commission decision about the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool (BSWAT), these two links will provide clarification:

An open letter to Senator The Hon Mitch Fifield, Assistant Minister for Social Services,  Mark Pattison, Executive Director, National Council on Intellectual Disability (NCID), 7th May 2014
Dear Minister Fifield,With respect, you cannot go on national radio (AM, Radio National 7 May 2014) and say to people with intellectual disability and their families that people with significant intellectual disability are unable to work in the open labour market (open employment).
This is factually wrong ... read the full text of the open letter, or listen to an audio file here.

This article uses excellent graphics to explain the processes behind the BSWAT, the Human Rights Commission decision, and to clarify who is affected and who is not:

Fears thousands with severe disability could be thrown out of work: scaremongering or valid concern?  Opinion, Disability Directory, 7th May 2014
The ABC reported ... that “There are fears that thousands of people with a severe disability could be thrown out of work after a decision by the Human Rights Commission. … [N]ot-for-profit groups say they cannot afford to move that quickly and could actually fold, leaving many people without work altogether.” 

With the Facebook post of the article receiving hundreds of comments, we have pulled together the following to help you understand this issue. 

Firstly, it is important to know what this decision is and is not about. 

It can help to think of it this way ... read the full text of the article and the graphics here