Speaker 1: Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily
Speaker 1: ohs oh, now it makes sense. Good morning and welcome
Speaker 1: to the Daily OS. It's Monday, the second of June.
Speaker 1: I'm Emma Gillespie.
Speaker 2: I'm Zara Seidler.
Speaker 1: Last week, TDA hosted a Good News Bruise event where
Speaker 1: hundreds of our readers and listeners came together to share
Speaker 1: in some brightness, some positivity around the good news that
Speaker 1: we don't often always get time to pause and reflect on,
Speaker 1: but it is something that's important to us here at
Speaker 1: the Daily OS and it served us a good reminder
Speaker 1: that there are so many amazing stories out there of
Speaker 1: people doing wonderful things.
Speaker 2: And that's why today we wanted to start your week
Speaker 2: with a good news story from a fellow young person.
Speaker 2: In today's deep dive, we're going to speak to Bianka Stern,
Speaker 2: the general manager and the founding member of All Things Equal.
Speaker 3: Now.
Speaker 2: All Things Equal is a Melbourne based social enterprise empowering
Speaker 2: people with disability through award wage employment, purposeful training and
Speaker 2: pathways through rewarding careers in hospitality.
Speaker 1: The organization recently put out an Equal Opportunity white paper,
Speaker 1: which it calls a blueprint for disability employment in hospitality
Speaker 1: and this report is basically a call to action for
Speaker 1: the entire hospitality sector, which it says is at a
Speaker 1: turning point. The paper says, quote, we can continue to
Speaker 1: complain about staff shortages, or we can widen our hiring
Speaker 1: lens and future proof our industry. To talk us through
Speaker 1: inclusive employment in hospitality and how All Things Equal is
Speaker 1: paving the way for the rest of the industry. We
Speaker 1: are joined by their GM Bianker Stern Bianka. Welcome to
Speaker 1: the podcast.
Speaker 3: Hello, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: We are so happy to be chatting to you today.
Speaker 1: But for those listening who might not be as familiar
Speaker 1: with All Things Equal, what do we need to know
Speaker 1: about the organization? How would you describe it?
Speaker 3: Yeah? So All Things Equal is a hospitality based social
Speaker 3: enterprise based in Balaclava in Melbourne. We provide training and
Speaker 3: award wage employment for people with disability in the hospitality sector.
Speaker 1: So what inspired you to get involved? Where did All
Speaker 1: Things Equal come from? And how did we end up
Speaker 1: with you leading this mission?
Speaker 3: So I have to preface I'm not the only person
Speaker 3: that's leading this. We've got an amazing team of people
Speaker 3: that we work with. But essentially there are a bunch
Speaker 3: of different ways that this all came together. Our founder,
Speaker 3: his name's Jonathan. Jonathan's got a daughter called Tully who
Speaker 3: was finishing school at a beautiful special school called Giant Steps,
Speaker 3: and naturally he was concerned about what the employment landscape
Speaker 3: could look like for Tully. But he knew that the
Speaker 3: kitchen was the perfect environment where Tully absolutely thrived and
Speaker 3: continues to thrive today. So he had this concept of
Speaker 3: all things Equal. He knew that if he wanted a
Speaker 3: place for Tality to thrive, he had to create an
Speaker 3: environment that was totally tailored to her and individuals like her.
Speaker 3: So at the same time as that, I was working
Speaker 3: on a pilot project helping individuals with disability to get
Speaker 3: into employment in local businesses, and then when I heard
Speaker 3: about All Things Equal, it was just something that I
Speaker 3: absolutely had to be part of.
Speaker 1: Just aligned with your passions and what you were working
Speaker 1: on very much. Can you talk me through for a
Speaker 1: person with a disability who might engage with All Things
Speaker 1: Equal or for their families, how does the whole process
Speaker 1: work from someone finding out about the organization to actually
Speaker 1: being a part of it to their future employment. Tell
Speaker 1: us a bit about that process.
Speaker 3: So we have an employment pathway model where individuals with
Speaker 3: disability over the age of eighteen and to our pre
Speaker 3: employment program, which is a twelvemonth work training program, so
Speaker 3: that's unpaid training where we're learning the foundational skills of
Speaker 3: being ready to work and the hospitality sector so transferable
Speaker 3: skills like punctuality, organization, professional presentation, giving and receiving feedback.
Speaker 3: Within that, we've got a cooking school, a footy club, canteen,
Speaker 3: and front of house training. And then when the individual
Speaker 3: successfully completes the program, they then enter employment in our
Speaker 3: cafe and that is a sort of around twelve to
Speaker 3: eighteen month long program where a trainee is supported by
Speaker 3: a hospitality trainer and they work either front of house
Speaker 3: or back of house, so either serving customers or food
Speaker 3: preparation for our cafe and catering services. And then when
Speaker 3: we work alongside the individual to work out that they
Speaker 3: are ready to move on from our supportive environment, we
Speaker 3: support them to gain employment in other mainstream workplaces, so
Speaker 3: for example, hotels or large restaurants, catering companies, places like
Speaker 3: that that just genuinely want to have more inclusive workplaces
Speaker 3: and know that all things equal, has a really great
Speaker 3: training program.
Speaker 1: Essentially, I'm interested in the sort of demand for these opportunities,
Speaker 1: the why of why this all came about. Normally, when
Speaker 1: we see these organizations thriving, it speaks to a bit
Speaker 1: of a lack in other parts of society or a
Speaker 1: lack of other similar organizations. Can you tell me a
Speaker 1: bit about the infrastructure that may or may not be
Speaker 1: in place around that.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So we've got over one hundred people with disability
Speaker 3: on our wait list, which tells us from the start
Speaker 3: that we're dealing with the systemic problem. Right. So we
Speaker 3: know that there are initiatives that do exist and have
Speaker 3: existed for many, many years to support people with disability
Speaker 3: and neurodivergent people to get into employment. But yet the statistic,
Speaker 3: the unemployment statistic hasn't changed in over thirty years, so
Speaker 3: we're dealing with something quite significant. There are over two
Speaker 3: point two million people with disability in Australia and more
Speaker 3: than half of those individuals are unemployed or underemployed. We
Speaker 3: know that people with disability want to be in jobs
Speaker 3: and careers just like anybody does, but it's the first
Speaker 3: foot in the door that is always the challenge. We
Speaker 3: see cycles of people with disability going through programs, volunteering programs,
Speaker 3: work experience programs, where really the goal is that they
Speaker 3: want to get a paid job, an award wage paying
Speaker 3: job and a career. But when we don't see that
Speaker 3: transition into award wage, paid employment, that individual just goes
Speaker 3: back into the cycle.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and is that the feedback that you have heard
Speaker 1: from the people who participate in these programs that this
Speaker 1: is the first time they've had access to these opportunities.
Speaker 3: Very much so. So in Australia, you can get a
Speaker 3: job at the age of fourteen or nine months, but
Speaker 3: yet most of the individuals that we support and we
Speaker 3: work alongside, and the individuals that are on our wait
Speaker 3: list are from sort of around the age of twenty above.
Speaker 3: And almost every single trainee that has gone through our
Speaker 3: program has never ever had a paid job before. So
Speaker 3: this is someone's first ever foot in the door, which
Speaker 3: means that they are already there is the inequity of
Speaker 3: already being behind by at least five six years.
Speaker 1: So obviously there are broad skills that are being learned
Speaker 1: by the people with disability who are part of all
Speaker 1: things equal from front of house to back of house. Cooking, catering,
Speaker 1: business and admin skills. What are some of the strengths
Speaker 1: that people with disability and neurodivergent people bring to those roles.
Speaker 1: Have you been surprised or learned anything from them.
Speaker 3: I'm not surprised whatsoever, because I know that when someone
Speaker 3: is given the platform and the right support, the right
Speaker 3: workplace accommodations are put in place for the individual, every
Speaker 3: single person can thrive. And so we see our trainees
Speaker 3: excel in so many areas that I just wish more
Speaker 3: people in our society could see. You think about about
Speaker 3: things like workplace culture and how much time and money
Speaker 3: these workplaces put in to try build this culture. We
Speaker 3: just have it when you walk through the door instantly
Speaker 3: because the unique personalities and interests of our trainees are
Speaker 3: there from the forefront. You know, you walk into our
Speaker 3: space and it's literally like getting a warm hug. You
Speaker 3: don't get that anywhere. I know that in past jobs.
Speaker 3: I've never had that experience. We see incredible interpersonal skills.
Speaker 3: All of our trainees have fantastic work ethics, and really
Speaker 3: the reason why I think that might be the case
Speaker 3: and why I often believe that our trainees make better
Speaker 3: employees than a lot of other people I know, is
Speaker 3: that they have worked so hard to get to the
Speaker 3: point where they are deemed being capable of getting a job,
Speaker 3: and they've already had to self advocate so incredibly hard
Speaker 3: that when they finally have been put into a position
Speaker 3: like getting a job, at all things equal, they are
Speaker 3: grateful to be in a job. And to be honest,
Speaker 3: it's a pretty sad thing to be thinking about that
Speaker 3: someone has to feel grateful to be in a job,
Speaker 3: when really it should just be a human right. But
Speaker 3: when you think about what can change someone's life, you
Speaker 3: don't think about a job being part of it. What
Speaker 3: we don't realize is when someone's in a job, and
Speaker 3: when someone's in a job where they are genuinely valued
Speaker 3: and being compensated appropriately for their work, you've got a
Speaker 3: reason to get up in the morning. You know that
Speaker 3: you get to be part of a community where individuals
Speaker 3: genuinely respect you and accept you and want to see
Speaker 3: you thrive. People just take that for granted, but yet
Speaker 3: our trainees have had to work so hard to get
Speaker 3: to that point.
Speaker 2: We'll be back with the rest of today's chat after
Speaker 2: a quick note from our sponsor.
Speaker 1: It's so beautiful to hear you talk about it, and
Speaker 1: I can see and feel the passion and joy that
Speaker 1: it brings you and that you have for this role.
Speaker 1: You mentioned one of the founders, Jonathan, who was inspired
Speaker 1: to kind of create a better future for his daughter,
Speaker 1: to ensure that there were opportunities for her when she
Speaker 1: grew up. What kind of feedback have you gotten from
Speaker 1: the families and the loved ones of people involved in
Speaker 1: these programs. This sense of community that you describe sounds
Speaker 1: so precious and special, but like it is maybe the
Speaker 1: first time a lot of these people have felt like
Speaker 1: part of a community.
Speaker 3: We get told. The feedback that we get told is
Speaker 3: that we are changing people's lives. Our trainees feel more
Speaker 3: connected to their family. You know, they feel confident to
Speaker 3: make dinner and set the table and want to be
Speaker 3: part of the dinner conversation. And when mom or dad
Speaker 3: or whoever it is is talking about their work that
Speaker 3: day and what they got up to at work and
Speaker 3: the good things and the challenging things in their job,
Speaker 3: our trainees actually get to participate in that conversation.
Speaker 1: Given all of that, I do want to ask you
Speaker 1: about barriers, the kinds of barriers that people with disability
Speaker 1: are facing in those traditional workplaces and traditional employment environments.
Speaker 1: What needs to change in that broader landscape, especially in hospitality.
Speaker 1: We're talking about the hospitality sector. When we're talking about
Speaker 1: all things equal, what kind of reform are you pushing for?
Speaker 3: So we have a goal at all things equal of
Speaker 3: being part of the solution of having ONEY one hundred
Speaker 3: people with disability into hospitality jobs by twenty thirty five,
Speaker 3: we need to see a top down approach from government
Speaker 3: as to how we're going to make that happen. And
Speaker 3: Oney one hundred is so minimal, we can do so
Speaker 3: much better then that. That's just all things equals goal.
Speaker 3: We see the challenges and the barriers start when someone's
Speaker 3: even trying to apply for a job somewhere else. It's
Speaker 3: the fact that if someone's never had had a job, well,
Speaker 3: then what are they putting on their resume. It's the
Speaker 3: fact that when someone says that they might need an
Speaker 3: accommodation within the recruitment process, they're straightaway deemed to be
Speaker 3: too difficult. In inverted commas, we're seeing people who might
Speaker 3: be much better at showcasing who they are and what
Speaker 3: they're capable of verbally or in a video. But yet
Speaker 3: the recruitment process says this is the way to do it,
Speaker 3: and there is no room for negotiation with this. So
Speaker 3: we're seeing barriers from the actual start. Then when the
Speaker 3: person gets into work, if they actually get the opportunity
Speaker 3: to go into an interview, you've already got people there
Speaker 3: that are deeming that person to not be a good fit.
Speaker 3: In Australia, you don't have to technically disclose if you've
Speaker 3: got a disability. But really what workplaces don't already realize
Speaker 3: is that you already, statistically you already have a per
Speaker 3: with disability or a person who identifies as being neurodivergent
Speaker 3: in your workplace. And if you don't think that you do,
Speaker 3: you do. They just haven't felt safe enough to communicate
Speaker 3: that with you. So that's telling us as well about
Speaker 3: what we are doing and what we are not already doing.
Speaker 3: You know, we see barriers around resources and how can
Speaker 3: we turn written expectations in our case or in the
Speaker 3: hospitality world like recipes all Things Equal, has all our
Speaker 3: recipes in visual form, How can we do that because
Speaker 3: really that's supporting an individual with disability, but actually that
Speaker 3: might be supporting every person in the workplace, whether it's English,
Speaker 3: is a second language, whatever it might be, it could
Speaker 3: potentially make any person's role easier.
Speaker 1: And ultimately the business outcomes better.
Speaker 3: The business outcomes better. And also this doesn't technically answer
Speaker 3: your question, but in the hospitality world, it's a very
Speaker 3: transient workforce. You've got people who are going through university
Speaker 3: that are looking at at hospitality as sort of just
Speaker 3: a short term job before they they might may want
Speaker 3: to have a different career path. We've got people who
Speaker 3: genuinely believe that hospitality and customer service is a career
Speaker 3: for them. When you're employing a person with disability, you
Speaker 3: are gaining so much more than you realize. And if
Speaker 3: we don't have the right setup in place, and we
Speaker 3: don't have the right top down approach and bottom up
Speaker 3: approach from the employees, we aren't going to be able
Speaker 3: to get there.
Speaker 1: So, in terms of pushing for that reform, you've mentioned
Speaker 1: that there needs to be government action. Policy is shifting.
Speaker 1: Can you tell me about this white paper that All
Speaker 1: Things Equal has submitted.
Speaker 3: Yeah, So, All Things Equal has put together what we
Speaker 3: are calling our Equal Opportunity Report, which is our industry
Speaker 3: white paper our call out to the hospitality industry and
Speaker 3: the workforce at large to say, hey, you know, we
Speaker 3: can actually do better at this, and we could do
Speaker 3: this together. Our approach is that we're not talking about
Speaker 3: all the things that aren't already working. We're saying we
Speaker 3: acknowledge it that there's barriers, and there have been barriers
Speaker 3: to a person with disability being able to participate in society,
Speaker 3: but we now have a solution to this, and we
Speaker 3: as an industry and as a sector can actually actually
Speaker 3: do better together. So our white paper has heard the
Speaker 3: voices of individuals with lived experience, whether that's our trainees,
Speaker 3: to disability leaders, to people who run incredibly successful businesses
Speaker 3: who also happen to have a disability, and we have
Speaker 3: heard their voices and what they want to know and
Speaker 3: what they want to see. And we believe that when
Speaker 3: we have the right people open to these conversations, we
Speaker 3: can really get somewhere. And from our white paper so far,
Speaker 3: we have sparked some pretty interesting conversations with some really
Speaker 3: great businesses who we know genuinely want to be part
Speaker 3: of the solution but just needed that little bit of
Speaker 3: a push to be able to do that.
Speaker 1: I have Kevji for long enough Today, Yankee, you have
Speaker 1: plenty of important work to go and do, but thank
Speaker 1: you for everything that you do. Thank you to the
Speaker 1: whole and everyone who's part of All Things Equal. It's
Speaker 1: been so wonderful to hear more about the organization what
Speaker 1: you guys are doing. And thank you for coming in
Speaker 1: sharing your story with us.
Speaker 3: Yeah, thanks so much for the opportunity. And if you're
Speaker 3: in Melbourne, come say hello and of.
Speaker 1: Course we will pop some links in the show notes
Speaker 1: the episode description. If you want to learn more about
Speaker 1: All Things Equal, or get involved or go and visit
Speaker 1: the cafe, please check it out.
Speaker 2: That chat just serves as another reminder as to why
Speaker 2: we do good news here and why it's so valuable
Speaker 2: to highlight young people doing incredible things out in the community.
Speaker 2: So thanks to m and Bianca for that chat. Thank
Speaker 2: you for joining us for our Monday episode of The
Speaker 2: Daily Os. We will be back with the headlines later today,
Speaker 2: but until then, enjoy your day. My name is Lily
Speaker 2: Madden and I'm a proud Arunda bunge lung Chalcotin woman
Speaker 2: from Gadigl Country.
Speaker 3: The Daily OS acknowledges that this podcast is recorded on
Speaker 3: the lands of the Gadighl people and pays respect to
Speaker 3: all Aboriginal and torrest rate island and nations.
Speaker 2: We pay our respects to the first peoples of these countries,
Speaker 2: both past and present.