Australia grant targets 50 disability jobs in tourism, aviation

Fiji will use a AUD$140,000 (FJ$219,378.00) grant from Australia to help bring people with disabilities into aviation and tourism jobs.

This was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation Viliame Gavoka in Parliament yesterday.

Mr Gavoka said the funding would support accessibility audits, training and a recruitment drive aimed at helping state-owned enterprises achieve a two per cent disability employment target by 2029.

"The aviation program is funded by a grant of 100,000 Australian dollars or approximately 145,000 Fijian dollars from the Australian government," Mr Gavoka said.

He said the funding was administered through the Fiji Program Support Platform and required no additional funding from Fiji's national budget.

Mr Gavoka said a pilot programme would bring about 50 people with disabilities into aviation and tourism roles, with half of the places reserved for women.

He said 40 employees had already completed disability sensitisation training, while audits had been completed at one hotel, three tourist attractions and nine international airports.

Women participation

Opposition MP Hem Chand welcomed the initiative but pushed the Minister further, asking how many women and people with disabilities sit on the Tourism Fiji and Civil Aviation Authority boards.

"Inclusion cannot be measured only by programmes and employment initiatives. It should also be reflected at the decision-making level," Mr Chand said.

He said people with disabilities and women should help shape policy from the start, rather than being consulted afterward.

"Inclusion must be visible not only in the workforce, it must also be visible around the tables where decisions are made," Mr Chand said.

Mr Gavoka said his ministry was still verifying the full scale of the disability employment gap through the Bureau of Statistics.