May 26, 2024 • 34 mins
It’s interview time again!
In this episode, we spoke with Martin Wren, CEO of Nova Employment and it was a great discussion. You will not be able to walk away from this episode without feeling inspired!
Nova Employment is a Sydney based disability employment service. They've supported the vocational aspirations of young people with disability for well over 30 years.
Martin opens up about his own personal experience, and gives great examples of what NOVA have done to support their clients and employers that they've worked with.
If you've never hired someone with a disbility before, Martin helps simplify that, giving practical ways to take the first step and inspiring us that it's actually no different than employing anybody else.
You can find the show notes for this episode here
Would you like to submit a question to the show? Let us know on our website or via LinkedIn.
Brought to you by Aster HR, the Work Wonders Podcast is hosted by Angela Gauci & Susan Rochester and is recorded at Launch Pad at Western Sydney University.
All information or advice included in this podcast is general, has been developed as a starting point for your business, and should be tailored to your specific requirements. It should not be considered legal advice. We have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and currency of this information at the time of recording. However, references to things like employment laws are subject to change. For specific advice relating to your business, please get in touch with us.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:06):
Welcome to the Work Wonders podcast brought to you
by Asta HR, where we simplifythe human side of business.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm Angela and I'm Susan, let's dive into today's
episode and find out what you'vebeen wondering about.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
In today's episode we have another guest for you.
We interviewed Martin Wren,who's the CEO of Nova Employment
.
Nova Employment is aSydney-based disability
employment service that'ssupported the vocational
aspirations of young people withdisability for well over 30
years.
Martin is well known forspeaking out on the rights of
young people with disabilitiesto find and sustain employment.
(00:44):
Our conversation with Martinwas a really great one.
He actually is open and talksto us about his own personal
experience, and he gives us somereally great examples of what
they've done to support theirclients and employers that
they've worked with.
If you're interested in workingwith Nova Employment to find a
wonderful young person with adisability for your workplace,
(01:05):
then you can do that and there'slots of benefits available to
you.
Martin believes the secret toensuring there are jobs for each
person with a disability isabout matching individual
aspirations and the abilities toan available opportunity.
He helps simplify that for usand show us how it's actually no
different than employinganybody else in your business,
(01:26):
and Martin even gave us sometips on how to get started if
you've never employed someone inyour team with a disability.
He even inspires us as he tellsus a little more about the
Focus on Ability Film Festival,so watch out for that.
Look, there's a lot in thisepisode and I hope you get a lot
out of it.
So let's get started.
This is the Work Wonders podcast.
Hi Susan, hi Angela.
(01:49):
Well, look, we've got anotherinterview today, which we always
love.
Today, we'd love to welcome tothe studio Martin Wren from Nova
Employment.
Hi, martin.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Good morning all and good morning to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Thank you.
Well, we're very excited tohave you here with us today, and
one of the first things wealways like to ask our guests is
can you tell us a little bitabout what's led you to what
you're doing today?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Probably sins in a past life.
I've been working in disabilityemployment for 34 years, mostly
because no one else had had me,but also because I find the
(02:36):
rewards far outweigh the costand I think in relation to how
should you see it work?
Well, it's work, not play, butit doesn't mean you can't get a
lot of personal satisfaction anda lot of fun along the way.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It's a good way to look at it.
It's a great attitude, isn't ityeah?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I don't always maintain it.
I get grumpy.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
No, none of us are perfect in that regard.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
I don't think there's many people I'd speak to
nowadays that could say thatthey've been in a job or an
industry even for that long.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It's really good.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I'm sure you've got lots of experience to share.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I'm coming towards the tail end of my career.
Looking back over it, it hasbeen the best fun.
I've met some people who aretruly inspirational, in the
sense that you will rememberthem and their attitude for all
time.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
And Nova Employment itself has been a stayer really,
when we look at disabilityemployment 34 years Exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Funnily enough, the same amount of time as me.
Funnily enough, funnily enough,the same amount of time as me,
funnily enough.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
But when we look at that sector, there's been brands
that have come and gone overthat time, but over employment
is still around.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
And I think and this would be probably for others to
judge but we've maintained adedication to improve the lot of
people with disability ratherthan improve the lot of the
organisation, necessarily.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, I think that makes a big difference and I
know, working in HR, I've comeacross people who work for you
in the field, supporting theirclients with disability.
I'm not sure do you call themclients?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Clients will do Job seeker, or I prefer Dave or
Steve.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yes, I think that's always preferable and they're as
dedicated as you are.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Absolutely, that's because work is so important.
Yes, there's so many thingsrevolve around it, like if
you're at a barbecue and you'remeeting someone for the first
time, a great conversation pieceis well, tell me what you do
for work, whether we want to ornot.
(04:54):
When that person answers,there's a ladder that goes off
in our head and decides whereyou're going to put that person.
So if we're at a party and youasked the question and I say I'm
a rocket scientist, I will havea certain status associated
(05:14):
with that.
When the next person says I'm adoctor, you've got to decide
now whether that's moreimportant than rocket scientist.
But almost any answer you cancome up with is better than
unemployed.
Because, unemployed has suchstigma.
It's a dreadful sticky labelthat, once you get on it, when
(05:36):
you answer the question bysaying I'm between jobs at the
moment or I'm looking for asuitable opportunity, or
whatever you're using, people go, go bludger.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And for people with disability it's sort of a double
whammy.
You've got enough things toovercome as it is, without an
attitude in society that saysunemployed people clearly aren't
trying hard enough.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, that's so true.
What I'd like you to expand on,if you could, is the importance
of employment for someone witha disability, like what a
difference that makes to theirlives.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Well, it's enormous.
My father passed away a coupleof years ago and before he died
I realised that actually I wasnever going to have an identity
of my own.
I was always going to be Dave'sboy and when I had kids I
thought I might get it then, butthey somehow became that Mary's
(06:34):
dad and I never actually becamethat, which I think shows you
the importance of work.
People say we'll say to youwhen someone passes away, what
did your loved one do when we'rekiddies?
People will come up to us andsay when you're grown up, what
(06:55):
would you like to be?
So your very being can be tiedup with your job, with the roles
that you occupy.
Because you're employed and Ithink that probably I can't even
it's more likely to havepositive or negative benefits
for you than actually having acareer.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Yeah, that's so true.
Yeah, I'm just going to jump inwith a personal story.
Our daughter, sophie, has amoderate intellectual disability
and she has been employed nowfor eight years with one
organisation and that was set upthrough a disability employment
service, not NOVA.
But we've noticed how muchshe's grown in her confidence in
(07:42):
her ability to speak to peopleand it's given her a much wider
network and independence thatshe wouldn't have had without
having that job.
And I'm sure you've seen itthousands of times over Martin.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Absolutely, but it still gives me a thrill.
I'm still excited by it becauseI know, and you will know as a
mum of a person with disability,that this is a cruel world
sometimes and having somethingto show that's very positive is
(08:18):
really important.
I don't want to get onto ahobby horse of mine, but half of
the disability that we see inpeople is because they've been
bullied.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
They've been bullied while they're at school because
they're a slow learner or theyhave some physical impairment or
whatever it may be, and itshuts those young people down.
Yeah, being in work in anenvironment where, because
things happen to people withdisability in their and the
(08:54):
Royal Commission highlightedthis, the recent Royal
Commission Things happen topeople with disability that
would never happen in thegeneral community without
someone going to jail.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, exactly that's terrible.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I had a young man come to see us.
Oh, it would be now probablythe best part of 10 years ago
and he was not a greatcommunicator.
He'd much rather be quiet andbe left alone than to speak
about his views or his opinion.
But anyway, we introduced himto other participants in the
(09:31):
program we were running at thetime and it was a long time
After probably the best part ofthe year.
We began to have some moreconfidence and trust in each
other and we began to sharethings and this quiet boy became
far more energized by life andby his communication with others
(09:54):
.
He got the power of speech backHis employer, because we got
him into a fairly humble job agreat starting point for you 19,
.
Take the humble job.
So he took the humble job andthe environment was a warm and
caring business and he began tobecome more and more integrated.
(10:18):
And then, the next thing weknew, his employer said I'm
thinking of promoting him, am Iallowed to?
Yeah, fabulous.
So of promoting him.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Am I allowed to?
Oh, fabulous.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
So we gave him permission.
This young man has great.
I see him three or four times aweek because we are paths
across.
He works not far from the NovaSt Mary's office and I'll get
away and he'll stop for a chatsometimes or if he's late for
work Not that he's late veryoften, but if he is late for
(10:50):
work he'll rush past.
But that boy now, I haven'tbetrayed any secrets about him.
He has a young lady in mind.
She's not averse to his inquiry.
And I am sure they will make agreat couple.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Now, if he's listening, I won't give his name
away, but just ask the kidthat's a wonderful story and I
bet that's not, like Susan said,not the only one that you've
got but, Martin, what's um inall the work that you've done
with employers that areemploying your wonderful clients
that have a lot of ability?
What's one piece of advice youwould give to employers in
(11:33):
creating that really welcomingenvironment?
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Just be yourself.
People will say to us not somuch these days, because
integration and inclusion is farmore common but people will say
to us what should I say to Mary?
And I'll always go.
Well, I have no idea.
What would you say to anyone?
Test the water by just having anormal conversation.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I should take you back in time, though.
Let's go back in time 34 yearsOkay, sure, 34 years and I had
been teaching in the TAFE inWestern Sydney in the
intellectual disabilitydepartment, and I saw some
fabulous candidates I feltfabulous candidates come through
(12:26):
the TAFE system.
But TAFE wasn't set up toactually go and find work or
help people with disability intoemployment.
We just gave them people theskills that they had to parlay
into work.
I thought I can do better thanthis.
All I've got to do is get totalk to someone for five minutes
and that business will share myenthusiasm.
(12:48):
So I went down into MulgawaRoad, out to the industrial area
out there First building I cameto looked all right and I'm
thinking well, what are we goingto have here?
Packing, dispatch, labouring,those sorts of things?
My boys can do that.
They can do that easily.
I went into the organisationand they've gone bust.
(13:12):
So I don't think I'll hurtanyone by saying Campbell's Cash
and Carry.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Oh yes.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
But in I went and I found the guy that I thought was
the boss and I gave him mystory.
And I found the guy that Ithought was the boss and I gave
him my story and I told himabout what a wonderful
opportunity my boys offered himand his business.
Anyway, I explained what Iwanted and he said to me now you
wait a minute, here, I'm justgoing to get someone else.
And he went away and he cameback with another man and they
(13:43):
said tell us your story.
Okay.
So I told them the story againthe second time and they laughed
.
They laughed at the thoughtthat these two young men, both
of whom had Down syndrome, couldpossibly be employees, let
alone get paid for it.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That's awful.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
So I learned, though, that people didn't necessarily
share my enthusiasm.
That must have been a hardlesson, and I didn't enjoy their
sense of humour, so we had tocome at it from a different way
so that both of us had our needsmet.
Anyhow, we've got those twoyoung men into work.
They have a great career.
They're still with us.
From time to time they'll neednew jobs, but they've been
(14:25):
valuable employees for three orfour employers over the last 30
or 40 years.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
As I hear you saying that, Martin, it seems
disappointing that that originalemployer that laughed really
missed out on two greatemployees.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
I think he damned them to hell and that's why they
went bust.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Let's go with that, let's go with that.
But on that thought, what's apiece of advice you would give
to employers that are thinkingwell, maybe I could start
thinking differently about whoI'm recruiting and how I'm
accessing these people and beingmore open in my practices of
how I distribute the workout tomy team.
You know what's something thatyou would say to someone who's
thinking about those things?
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Understand how you feel.
I've seen many, many peoplefelt the same.
What you'll find is that youwill have someone who is not
necessarily fail-proof but noone is, is not necessarily
always motivated, but then whois and who brings to your
(15:30):
workplace a whole bunch of otherskills that you will find add
value and build value into yourbusiness, not just for you as
the employer, but for yourcustomers and for your
co-workers.
Your business will be betteroff having a conscious program
(15:51):
of recruiting people withdisability as part of your
normal hiring mix.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Martin, I often think about recruitment.
When managers are thinkingabout, oh well, I need this job
done or that job done, theyoften think about, well, I need
these qualifications or thismuch experience or this mix of
work.
But when you said skills there,it made me think about how
would you encourage managers tostop thinking about what those
(16:17):
traditional means are of how ajob is made up or what quals
that you need, but reallythinking more deeply about the
skills and the strengths that aperson brings to the
organisation and maximisingthose?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Well, I would think that's probably a really
important consideration, and ifyou can get the answer right, it
will serve you well, not justnow, but for years to come, for
the rest of the life of thebusiness.
What skills do people withdisability bring in a general
sense?
Well, they've had to cope withthings that can present physical
(16:51):
barriers, things that canpresent emotional barriers, and
they've developed skills andcoping skills that make them
problem solvers.
Like I can't do up my ownshoelaces, and I genuinely can't
.
So I made a little jig thatputs the laces in the right
(17:12):
place and I can do my shoelacesup.
So, instead of it taking me 15minutes of frustration, I
actually time myself and can getit done in a minute.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
That's great, good example.
Yeah, I think one of the thingsthat employers, it might stop
them initially and I'mespecially thinking of people
that, like in your example thereof managers who laughed at that
person or maybe anything inbetween that it might stop them
while they're thinking, oh, do Ineed to make this modification,
(17:44):
or does that mean they can't dothis part of the job, or will I
say something wrong, or allthese sorts of concerns.
I think we often say managersdon't do this part of the job,
or will I say something wrong,or all these sorts of concerns.
I think we often say managersdon't set out to do the wrong
thing.
You know, people want to do theright thing.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Oh no.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
It's a fear of going.
Am I going to do or say thewrong thing or not do enough?
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, I've found there is very, very little
discrimination in the workplace.
People talk about it.
What you get are inexperience,sometimes a lack of experience,
and fear.
And I don't mean that, as inyou know, quaking with fear
(18:25):
because some who is that chap,jack Nicholson's coming after
you with a, you know, but fearof just saying the wrong thing.
Yeah, what do you say to ablind person?
Hopefully, for your sake, he'sgot a dog because you can pat
the dog rather than speak withthe person.
(18:48):
And it's also the fear of whatif it doesn't work out.
So you go home at the end ofthis day and you say to your
wife and the kids I did a reallygreat thing today.
I've hired a person who's deafor whatever else it may be, and
you celebrate your success.
But it doesn't work out, and itdoesn't always work out.
It would be dishonest to saythat sometimes there's not the
(19:12):
best match been made or itdidn't turn out the way anybody
thought it might.
But you just have to jump in.
I interview people for part ofNova's promotional program and
the common theme of theirresponse to similar questions is
just do it.
Once you've done it once, youcan do it twice.
(19:35):
Once you've done it three orfour, you'll find you've got a
really valuable addition to yourteam.
And there'll be some thingsthey can't do, but there are
some things I can't.
It doesn't make me a bademployee, exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Whether you call a person disabled, you know
disabled or not, I think we allhave strengths I hate the word
weaknesses but we all havethings that we're great at and
things we're not so great at, nomatter our physical or
intellectual abilities.
So I think it's yeah, it'simportant to think about it like
what you just said there, usthinking, you know, everybody
does things that way.
Any person in a workplace canbe great at one particular part
(20:12):
of their job or not.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, sorry, I was just laughing because I was
thinking of my Pilates teacheryesterday and somebody said to
her I don't know how you do thisjob.
You know doing these classes,one after the other.
And she just turned around andsaid well, I don't know how you
do your job, so we've all gotour own strengths.
It's all about perspective.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Absolutely.
If you're going to judge on thebasis of negativity or things
people can't do, everybody willpull up short.
I can't grow hair I've triedbut none and a hundred other
things.
When I was a young school kid,one of the school reports I got
(21:02):
said Martin needs to concentrate.
I can't be honest and say ifsomeone was to do a report on me
now, probably Martin needs toout.
60 years later he never quitemanaged it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
I'll put my hand up for that one as well.
We hope you're enjoying theWork Wonders podcast, because we
started it for people just likeyou.
We're here to answer questionsthat you might have about
employing people every step ofthe way through, before you
start looking to when they needto leave.
You can submit a question forthe podcast via our website.
(21:41):
Just go to the podcast page atastrohrcomau.
We look forward to seeing whatquestions you're going to ask.
Now let's get back to theepisode, Martin.
So if our listeners you know ifthere's someone listening to
this and they're thinking, well,yes, I'd like to do it, but
(22:03):
where do I start?
What's the very first step Ineed to take?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Look, I'd rather bring it or get on the web and
find out for employment.
We're not hidden.
And the thing to remember.
There are a couple of thingsthat are important.
First of all, the serviceitself is free, so it doesn't
cost anything.
The people you'll be workingwith that come from my team have
(22:26):
generally been doing their jobfor many years.
They've got some great skillsand it is not in our interest to
put the wrong person into yourbusiness.
It's not in our interest tohammer away a square peg until
it fits a round hole.
We will say, look, we've pickedup that this job really isn't
(22:51):
for the person we thought it was.
They're not going to be happy.
They can see that You're notgoing to be happy.
We can see it.
Let's promise you we will findthem another job.
Promise you we'll try hardernow we know more about your
business.
Yes, and do everything we canto stay friends.
So stuff doesn't always workout.
(23:12):
Nova's strike rate is somethinglike 74%, which I'm pretty
proud of, but it means that 26%of the people we see it doesn't
work out.
But that's the same for everyone.
Yeah, I mean, over the yearsI've hired some people who
really I don't want to use theexpression wouldn't work in an
iron lung, but convinced methrough a bad day for me, that
(23:37):
they'd be good for my business.
They weren't.
It was a mistake.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Yes, it happens, it does.
I wish it didn't.
It can be difficult anddislocating, but sometimes hires
don't work out.
Be difficult and dislocating,but sometimes hires don't work
out.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I think one difference, though, with your
service is that when it doeswork out, you're still there.
You're there over however longthat person's in employment.
You're there supporting themand supporting the business.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Longest run we've done is 32 years.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Wow, yeah, that kind of support can be invaluable,
especially for somebody that's alittle unsure or might not have
done it before.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, I think I'm not sure all employers realise that
.
You know that that's theongoing promise, basically of a
service like the service you getfrom Nova.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Martin, is there not, you know, access to government
subsidies and things like thatavailable for some employers?
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
People should remember, though there's no such
thing as a free lunch.
If we're offering a subsidy,we're probably going to earn
that subsidy.
There are some really terrificthings around that people should
know about.
Workplace modification, forexample, is all paid for by the
Commonwealth, so if the doorsaren't wide enough for a
(24:57):
wheelchair, we'll get acarpenter in to widen them.
If you could work with a bit oftechnology if only you had it
we can get that for you.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
If only you had it, we can get that for you.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
If the lawnmower needs a parole cage to protect
the driver, we can get that foryou.
Assistive technology is allcovered for under a government
scheme called workplacemodifications.
Workplace mods can be.
I'm not 100% sure I'm givingyou the truth, but I won't be
(25:29):
out by March.
I think the maximum is $30,000.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Definitely worth knowing.
Yeah, it takes the pressure offas well if you're someone
that's got those sort ofquestions.
Martin, you talked about beinga boss yourself and hiring
yourself for your own team.
You talked about when it mightgo wrong in a hire.
Any advice for our listenersabout what you do in those
scenarios when things might gowrong?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
If it's early days, go with your gut.
If you're thinking to yourself,I'm not sure this is going to
work out.
It's probably life killing.
You Do what you think youshould do.
It's really important.
You can engage organisationslike mine and we'll do our very
best for you.
But it's your business and youknow what you want.
(26:16):
Where we say that'sdiscrimination is often, in my
view, just preference.
I have a preference in thisrole to have people who are more
mature.
You built a business.
You know how it works.
I'm sure you're all right.
Never agonize over a choice.
(26:36):
Make it quickly.
It's in everyone's interest.
It could be the first day orthe first month or two months.
It's not settling with you.
My advice is get out.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Do you enjoy listening to our interview
episodes?
As you can tell, angela and Ireally enjoy making them, so
we're always on the lookout forinteresting people we can
interview.
If you or someone you knowwould make a great guest for us,
please get in touch.
You can contact us through ourwebsite at astrohrcomau or via
(27:15):
LinkedIn.
We're always happy to have achat about what we might be able
to discuss that can both informour listeners and help you to
reach a wider audience.
Now let's get back to theepisode.
So, martin, as if being CEO ofNova wasn't enough to keep you
(27:36):
busy, it was back in 2009 youdecided to found the Film
Festival.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Yes, Focus on Ability .
Yes, so tell us a bit more aboutFocus on Ability and what
that's achieved over the yearsand it's still going on and
what's happening this year.
We'd love to hear about that.
(28:03):
To 2009 and digital cameraswere becoming commonplace and
they gave the opportunity to theowner to make short films, and
nowhere was that more obviousfor me than in high schools.
High school students year 11and 12, sharp as a tack and also
(28:28):
savvy with things technical,and so I put up a thousand.
Well, nova put up a thousanddollars for the best five-minute
film to 12 local high schoolsand we said we'll have a
get-together, a show of thefilms and a wall of prize to the
best film.
We got a dozen entries.
But what was really interestingwas the impact that the
(28:51):
filmmaking had on the schoolstudents, who were far more
accepting of their peers thathad a disability than they had
been previously, because thetheme of Focus on Ability is it
challenges the filmmakers tomake a short so five minutes or
less film that highlights theachievement and the ability of
(29:15):
originally students althoughthat was to change that have a
disability.
The other impact, which Ihadn't anticipated at all, was
that it had a very positiveimpact on the way the students
saw their peers, that it had avery positive impact on the way
the students saw their peers.
They became part of afilmmaking process in which
(29:40):
those kids who were typicallythe students who had the most
school cred from their peersbegan to say, no, you can't
bully so-and-so, because wewon't let you, and the hierarchy
that is high schools began toproduce champions for disability
rights.
We opened it up and put somemore money in it, and a few
years later I got a phone callfrom Paula Duncan.
(30:03):
Oh yes, paula is, without doubt, my very best friend and I love
her dearly, but she's gotsomething I'll never have, and
that's seven Logies.
So she's got film credit aswell.
Polly is a person who caresvery much for people with
disabilities.
She's of the Order of Australiafor her work supporting people
(30:24):
with disability, and Pollybrought a level of
professionalism that enabled usto expand.
Then we went to see JulieBishop.
Paula got us in.
We went to see Julie Bishop whosaid, no, you can't have any
more money, which is tragedy,because I thought we might have
been up for a quid or two.
But she did give us access toAustralia's consulates and
(30:46):
embassies, which began to bringin large numbers of
international students.
Focusonabilitycomau will trackthe next couple of months as we
prepare for a highlight redcarpet event that showcases
people with disabilities'culture and values from all over
(31:06):
the world.
Some of them are uniform, someof them are unusual, but they
are all absolutely fabulous.
I guarantee you that you willcry.
One of the films came fromMalawi.
Wow, they put in a fabulousfilm called Mr Ability, and Mr
Ability shows someone who's ableto create works of art using a
(31:30):
thread and his feet, because hedoesn't have any hands, so he
uses his feet to create artworks.
We got involved with thefilmmakers of Malawi, who were
able to make stuff out of stringand nails that we couldn't
build with really expensiveequipment.
They have stayed with us overthe years, but they came to us
(31:54):
in the second year and saidwe've identified a business
opportunity.
Will you support us?
It'll cost you $1,500.
So we put up $1,500 and theyrented two fields and planted
watermelon.
The watermelon took off.
They made a decent quid on it,paid us back and for the next
(32:18):
couple of years farmedwatermelon.
Then they came to us and saidwe, we want to farm watermelon,
but we, we want to gogangbusters.
We want to farm watermelon, butwe want to go gangbusters.
We want to get five acres, awhole lot more beyond.
But it's been a heap of fun andall of that's live on our
Facebook page.
So get Nova Employment onFacebook.
(32:39):
You'll see what we're doing inMalawi and in Ethiopia, because
that expanded a bit as well.
The Focus on Ability Short FilmFestival enables us to reach
people's hearts in relation totheir attitude towards people
with disability.
That's lovely, and this yearwe're back.
We're going to have 300-oddfilms.
They'll be whittled down to Ithink it's September the 29th at
(33:03):
the concourse in Chatswood.
You just have to let us knowyou're coming because entry's
free.
There'll be some professionalentertainment, there'll be some
accidental entertainment andthere'll be a night that you
won't forget.
Focus on abilitycom.
You could look at films likefamily first.
Uh, I'm marcus, but you look,you can look at any of the
(33:27):
winners over the past 15 years.
Walk away from the end of todayfeeling up-built because
there's some great thingshappening and you can be part of
it and we don't charge.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
It's lovely and it really is all throughout the
world.
I love that celebrating allthat.
It's great.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Anytime you need me, I'm always good for you.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Oh, it's been really inspirational talking to you.
Anytime you need me, I'm alwaysgood for you.
Oh, it's been reallyinspirational talking to you.
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Yeah, thank you so much for your time.
It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Okay, and we'll be putting the links in our show
notes so that people will beable to access this information.
Au revoir, thank you again.
Merci, thanks, martin.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Thanks for listening to the Work Wonders podcast
brought to you by Asta HR.
Hit the subscribe button now tonever miss an episode.
And if you'd like to continuethe conversation with us, you
can find us over at astahrcomau.
See you in the next episode.
And if you'd like to continuethe conversation with us, you
can find us over at astahrcomau.
See you in the next episode.
Welcome to the Work Wonders podcast brought to you
by Asta HR, where we simplifythe human side of business.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
I'm Angela and I'm Susan, let's dive into today's
episode and find out what you'vebeen wondering about.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
In today's episode we have another guest for you.
We interviewed Martin Wren,who's the CEO of Nova Employment
.
Nova Employment is aSydney-based disability
employment service that'ssupported the vocational
aspirations of young people withdisability for well over 30
years.
Martin is well known forspeaking out on the rights of
young people with disabilitiesto find and sustain employment.
(00:44):
Our conversation with Martinwas a really great one.
He actually is open and talksto us about his own personal
experience, and he gives us somereally great examples of what
they've done to support theirclients and employers that
they've worked with.
If you're interested in workingwith Nova Employment to find a
wonderful young person with adisability for your workplace,
(01:05):
then you can do that and there'slots of benefits available to
you.
Martin believes the secret toensuring there are jobs for each
person with a disability isabout matching individual
aspirations and the abilities toan available opportunity.
He helps simplify that for usand show us how it's actually no
different than employinganybody else in your business,
(01:26):
and Martin even gave us sometips on how to get started if
you've never employed someone inyour team with a disability.
He even inspires us as he tellsus a little more about the
Focus on Ability Film Festival,so watch out for that.
Look, there's a lot in thisepisode and I hope you get a lot
out of it.
So let's get started.
This is the Work Wonders podcast.
Hi Susan, hi Angela.
(01:49):
Well, look, we've got anotherinterview today, which we always
love.
Today, we'd love to welcome tothe studio Martin Wren from Nova
Employment.
Hi, martin.
Speaker 3 (01:57):
Good morning all and good morning to your listeners.
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Thank you.
Well, we're very excited tohave you here with us today, and
one of the first things wealways like to ask our guests is
can you tell us a little bitabout what's led you to what
you're doing today?
Speaker 3 (02:13):
Probably sins in a past life.
I've been working in disabilityemployment for 34 years, mostly
because no one else had had me,but also because I find the
(02:36):
rewards far outweigh the costand I think in relation to how
should you see it work?
Well, it's work, not play, butit doesn't mean you can't get a
lot of personal satisfaction anda lot of fun along the way.
Speaker 2 (02:49):
It's a good way to look at it.
It's a great attitude, isn't ityeah?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
I don't always maintain it.
I get grumpy.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
No, none of us are perfect in that regard.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
I don't think there's many people I'd speak to
nowadays that could say thatthey've been in a job or an
industry even for that long.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It's really good.
Speaker 1 (03:07):
I'm sure you've got lots of experience to share.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
I'm coming towards the tail end of my career.
Looking back over it, it hasbeen the best fun.
I've met some people who aretruly inspirational, in the
sense that you will rememberthem and their attitude for all
time.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
And Nova Employment itself has been a stayer really,
when we look at disabilityemployment 34 years Exactly.
Speaker 3 (03:40):
Funnily enough, the same amount of time as me.
Funnily enough, funnily enough,the same amount of time as me,
funnily enough.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
But when we look at that sector, there's been brands
that have come and gone overthat time, but over employment
is still around.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
And I think and this would be probably for others to
judge but we've maintained adedication to improve the lot of
people with disability ratherthan improve the lot of the
organisation, necessarily.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, I think that makes a big difference and I
know, working in HR, I've comeacross people who work for you
in the field, supporting theirclients with disability.
I'm not sure do you call themclients?
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Clients will do Job seeker, or I prefer Dave or
Steve.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Yes, I think that's always preferable and they're as
dedicated as you are.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Absolutely, that's because work is so important.
Yes, there's so many thingsrevolve around it, like if
you're at a barbecue and you'remeeting someone for the first
time, a great conversation pieceis well, tell me what you do
for work, whether we want to ornot.
(04:54):
When that person answers,there's a ladder that goes off
in our head and decides whereyou're going to put that person.
So if we're at a party and youasked the question and I say I'm
a rocket scientist, I will havea certain status associated
(05:14):
with that.
When the next person says I'm adoctor, you've got to decide
now whether that's moreimportant than rocket scientist.
But almost any answer you cancome up with is better than
unemployed.
Because, unemployed has suchstigma.
It's a dreadful sticky labelthat, once you get on it, when
(05:36):
you answer the question bysaying I'm between jobs at the
moment or I'm looking for asuitable opportunity, or
whatever you're using, people go, go bludger.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:47):
And for people with disability it's sort of a double
whammy.
You've got enough things toovercome as it is, without an
attitude in society that saysunemployed people clearly aren't
trying hard enough.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
Yeah, that's so true.
What I'd like you to expand on,if you could, is the importance
of employment for someone witha disability, like what a
difference that makes to theirlives.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
Well, it's enormous.
My father passed away a coupleof years ago and before he died
I realised that actually I wasnever going to have an identity
of my own.
I was always going to be Dave'sboy and when I had kids I
thought I might get it then, butthey somehow became that Mary's
(06:34):
dad and I never actually becamethat, which I think shows you
the importance of work.
People say we'll say to youwhen someone passes away, what
did your loved one do when we'rekiddies?
People will come up to us andsay when you're grown up, what
(06:55):
would you like to be?
So your very being can be tiedup with your job, with the roles
that you occupy.
Because you're employed and Ithink that probably I can't even
it's more likely to havepositive or negative benefits
for you than actually having acareer.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
Yeah, that's so true.
Yeah, I'm just going to jump inwith a personal story.
Our daughter, sophie, has amoderate intellectual disability
and she has been employed nowfor eight years with one
organisation and that was set upthrough a disability employment
service, not NOVA.
But we've noticed how muchshe's grown in her confidence in
(07:42):
her ability to speak to peopleand it's given her a much wider
network and independence thatshe wouldn't have had without
having that job.
And I'm sure you've seen itthousands of times over Martin.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
Absolutely, but it still gives me a thrill.
I'm still excited by it becauseI know, and you will know as a
mum of a person with disability,that this is a cruel world
sometimes and having somethingto show that's very positive is
(08:18):
really important.
I don't want to get onto ahobby horse of mine, but half of
the disability that we see inpeople is because they've been
bullied.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
They've been bullied while they're at school because
they're a slow learner or theyhave some physical impairment or
whatever it may be, and itshuts those young people down.
Yeah, being in work in anenvironment where, because
things happen to people withdisability in their and the
(08:54):
Royal Commission highlightedthis, the recent Royal
Commission Things happen topeople with disability that
would never happen in thegeneral community without
someone going to jail.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, exactly that's terrible.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
I had a young man come to see us.
Oh, it would be now probablythe best part of 10 years ago
and he was not a greatcommunicator.
He'd much rather be quiet andbe left alone than to speak
about his views or his opinion.
But anyway, we introduced himto other participants in the
(09:31):
program we were running at thetime and it was a long time
After probably the best part ofthe year.
We began to have some moreconfidence and trust in each
other and we began to sharethings and this quiet boy became
far more energized by life andby his communication with others
(09:54):
.
He got the power of speech backHis employer, because we got
him into a fairly humble job agreat starting point for you 19,
.
Take the humble job.
So he took the humble job andthe environment was a warm and
caring business and he began tobecome more and more integrated.
(10:18):
And then, the next thing weknew, his employer said I'm
thinking of promoting him, am Iallowed to?
Yeah, fabulous.
So of promoting him.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Am I allowed to?
Oh, fabulous.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
So we gave him permission.
This young man has great.
I see him three or four times aweek because we are paths
across.
He works not far from the NovaSt Mary's office and I'll get
away and he'll stop for a chatsometimes or if he's late for
work Not that he's late veryoften, but if he is late for
(10:50):
work he'll rush past.
But that boy now, I haven'tbetrayed any secrets about him.
He has a young lady in mind.
She's not averse to his inquiry.
And I am sure they will make agreat couple.
Speaker 1 (11:11):
Now, if he's listening, I won't give his name
away, but just ask the kidthat's a wonderful story and I
bet that's not, like Susan said,not the only one that you've
got but, Martin, what's um inall the work that you've done
with employers that areemploying your wonderful clients
that have a lot of ability?
What's one piece of advice youwould give to employers in
(11:33):
creating that really welcomingenvironment?
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Just be yourself.
People will say to us not somuch these days, because
integration and inclusion is farmore common but people will say
to us what should I say to Mary?
And I'll always go.
Well, I have no idea.
What would you say to anyone?
Test the water by just having anormal conversation.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I love that.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
I should take you back in time, though.
Let's go back in time 34 yearsOkay, sure, 34 years and I had
been teaching in the TAFE inWestern Sydney in the
intellectual disabilitydepartment, and I saw some
fabulous candidates I feltfabulous candidates come through
(12:26):
the TAFE system.
But TAFE wasn't set up toactually go and find work or
help people with disability intoemployment.
We just gave them people theskills that they had to parlay
into work.
I thought I can do better thanthis.
All I've got to do is get totalk to someone for five minutes
and that business will share myenthusiasm.
(12:48):
So I went down into MulgawaRoad, out to the industrial area
out there First building I cameto looked all right and I'm
thinking well, what are we goingto have here?
Packing, dispatch, labouring,those sorts of things?
My boys can do that.
They can do that easily.
I went into the organisationand they've gone bust.
(13:12):
So I don't think I'll hurtanyone by saying Campbell's Cash
and Carry.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Oh yes.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
But in I went and I found the guy that I thought was
the boss and I gave him mystory.
And I found the guy that Ithought was the boss and I gave
him my story and I told himabout what a wonderful
opportunity my boys offered himand his business.
Anyway, I explained what Iwanted and he said to me now you
wait a minute, here, I'm justgoing to get someone else.
And he went away and he cameback with another man and they
(13:43):
said tell us your story.
Okay.
So I told them the story againthe second time and they laughed
.
They laughed at the thoughtthat these two young men, both
of whom had Down syndrome, couldpossibly be employees, let
alone get paid for it.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
That's awful.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
So I learned, though, that people didn't necessarily
share my enthusiasm.
That must have been a hardlesson, and I didn't enjoy their
sense of humour, so we had tocome at it from a different way
so that both of us had our needsmet.
Anyhow, we've got those twoyoung men into work.
They have a great career.
They're still with us.
From time to time they'll neednew jobs, but they've been
(14:25):
valuable employees for three orfour employers over the last 30
or 40 years.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
As I hear you saying that, Martin, it seems
disappointing that that originalemployer that laughed really
missed out on two greatemployees.
Speaker 3 (14:40):
I think he damned them to hell and that's why they
went bust.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Let's go with that, let's go with that.
But on that thought, what's apiece of advice you would give
to employers that are thinkingwell, maybe I could start
thinking differently about whoI'm recruiting and how I'm
accessing these people and beingmore open in my practices of
how I distribute the workout tomy team.
You know what's something thatyou would say to someone who's
thinking about those things?
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Understand how you feel.
I've seen many, many peoplefelt the same.
What you'll find is that youwill have someone who is not
necessarily fail-proof but noone is, is not necessarily
always motivated, but then whois and who brings to your
(15:30):
workplace a whole bunch of otherskills that you will find add
value and build value into yourbusiness, not just for you as
the employer, but for yourcustomers and for your
co-workers.
Your business will be betteroff having a conscious program
(15:51):
of recruiting people withdisability as part of your
normal hiring mix.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
Martin, I often think about recruitment.
When managers are thinkingabout, oh well, I need this job
done or that job done, theyoften think about, well, I need
these qualifications or thismuch experience or this mix of
work.
But when you said skills there,it made me think about how
would you encourage managers tostop thinking about what those
(16:17):
traditional means are of how ajob is made up or what quals
that you need, but reallythinking more deeply about the
skills and the strengths that aperson brings to the
organisation and maximisingthose?
Speaker 3 (16:29):
Well, I would think that's probably a really
important consideration, and ifyou can get the answer right, it
will serve you well, not justnow, but for years to come, for
the rest of the life of thebusiness.
What skills do people withdisability bring in a general
sense?
Well, they've had to cope withthings that can present physical
(16:51):
barriers, things that canpresent emotional barriers, and
they've developed skills andcoping skills that make them
problem solvers.
Like I can't do up my ownshoelaces, and I genuinely can't
.
So I made a little jig thatputs the laces in the right
(17:12):
place and I can do my shoelacesup.
So, instead of it taking me 15minutes of frustration, I
actually time myself and can getit done in a minute.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
That's great, good example.
Yeah, I think one of the thingsthat employers, it might stop
them initially and I'mespecially thinking of people
that, like in your example thereof managers who laughed at that
person or maybe anything inbetween that it might stop them
while they're thinking, oh, do Ineed to make this modification,
(17:44):
or does that mean they can't dothis part of the job, or will I
say something wrong, or allthese sorts of concerns.
I think we often say managersdon't do this part of the job,
or will I say something wrong,or all these sorts of concerns.
I think we often say managersdon't set out to do the wrong
thing.
You know, people want to do theright thing.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
Oh no.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
It's a fear of going.
Am I going to do or say thewrong thing or not do enough?
Speaker 3 (18:01):
Yeah, I've found there is very, very little
discrimination in the workplace.
People talk about it.
What you get are inexperience,sometimes a lack of experience,
and fear.
And I don't mean that, as inyou know, quaking with fear
(18:25):
because some who is that chap,jack Nicholson's coming after
you with a, you know, but fearof just saying the wrong thing.
Yeah, what do you say to ablind person?
Hopefully, for your sake, he'sgot a dog because you can pat
the dog rather than speak withthe person.
(18:48):
And it's also the fear of whatif it doesn't work out.
So you go home at the end ofthis day and you say to your
wife and the kids I did a reallygreat thing today.
I've hired a person who's deafor whatever else it may be, and
you celebrate your success.
But it doesn't work out, and itdoesn't always work out.
It would be dishonest to saythat sometimes there's not the
(19:12):
best match been made or itdidn't turn out the way anybody
thought it might.
But you just have to jump in.
I interview people for part ofNova's promotional program and
the common theme of theirresponse to similar questions is
just do it.
Once you've done it once, youcan do it twice.
(19:35):
Once you've done it three orfour, you'll find you've got a
really valuable addition to yourteam.
And there'll be some thingsthey can't do, but there are
some things I can't.
It doesn't make me a bademployee, exactly.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
Whether you call a person disabled, you know
disabled or not, I think we allhave strengths I hate the word
weaknesses but we all havethings that we're great at and
things we're not so great at, nomatter our physical or
intellectual abilities.
So I think it's yeah, it'simportant to think about it like
what you just said there, usthinking, you know, everybody
does things that way.
Any person in a workplace canbe great at one particular part
(20:12):
of their job or not.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, sorry, I was just laughing because I was
thinking of my Pilates teacheryesterday and somebody said to
her I don't know how you do thisjob.
You know doing these classes,one after the other.
And she just turned around andsaid well, I don't know how you
do your job, so we've all gotour own strengths.
It's all about perspective.
Speaker 3 (20:36):
Absolutely.
If you're going to judge on thebasis of negativity or things
people can't do, everybody willpull up short.
I can't grow hair I've triedbut none and a hundred other
things.
When I was a young school kid,one of the school reports I got
(21:02):
said Martin needs to concentrate.
I can't be honest and say ifsomeone was to do a report on me
now, probably Martin needs toout.
60 years later he never quitemanaged it.
Speaker 2 (21:17):
I'll put my hand up for that one as well.
We hope you're enjoying theWork Wonders podcast, because we
started it for people just likeyou.
We're here to answer questionsthat you might have about
employing people every step ofthe way through, before you
start looking to when they needto leave.
You can submit a question forthe podcast via our website.
(21:41):
Just go to the podcast page atastrohrcomau.
We look forward to seeing whatquestions you're going to ask.
Now let's get back to theepisode, Martin.
So if our listeners you know ifthere's someone listening to
this and they're thinking, well,yes, I'd like to do it, but
(22:03):
where do I start?
What's the very first step Ineed to take?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Look, I'd rather bring it or get on the web and
find out for employment.
We're not hidden.
And the thing to remember.
There are a couple of thingsthat are important.
First of all, the serviceitself is free, so it doesn't
cost anything.
The people you'll be workingwith that come from my team have
(22:26):
generally been doing their jobfor many years.
They've got some great skillsand it is not in our interest to
put the wrong person into yourbusiness.
It's not in our interest tohammer away a square peg until
it fits a round hole.
We will say, look, we've pickedup that this job really isn't
(22:51):
for the person we thought it was.
They're not going to be happy.
They can see that You're notgoing to be happy.
We can see it.
Let's promise you we will findthem another job.
Promise you we'll try hardernow we know more about your
business.
Yes, and do everything we canto stay friends.
So stuff doesn't always workout.
(23:12):
Nova's strike rate is somethinglike 74%, which I'm pretty
proud of, but it means that 26%of the people we see it doesn't
work out.
But that's the same for everyone.
Yeah, I mean, over the yearsI've hired some people who
really I don't want to use theexpression wouldn't work in an
iron lung, but convinced methrough a bad day for me, that
(23:37):
they'd be good for my business.
They weren't.
It was a mistake.
Speaker 2 (23:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (23:40):
Yes, it happens, it does.
I wish it didn't.
It can be difficult anddislocating, but sometimes hires
don't work out.
Be difficult and dislocating,but sometimes hires don't work
out.
Speaker 2 (23:50):
I think one difference, though, with your
service is that when it doeswork out, you're still there.
You're there over however longthat person's in employment.
You're there supporting themand supporting the business.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Longest run we've done is 32 years.
Speaker 1 (24:07):
Wow, yeah, that kind of support can be invaluable,
especially for somebody that's alittle unsure or might not have
done it before.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
Yeah, I think I'm not sure all employers realise that
.
You know that that's theongoing promise, basically of a
service like the service you getfrom Nova.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Martin, is there not, you know, access to government
subsidies and things like thatavailable for some employers?
Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
People should remember, though there's no such
thing as a free lunch.
If we're offering a subsidy,we're probably going to earn
that subsidy.
There are some really terrificthings around that people should
know about.
Workplace modification, forexample, is all paid for by the
Commonwealth, so if the doorsaren't wide enough for a
(24:57):
wheelchair, we'll get acarpenter in to widen them.
If you could work with a bit oftechnology if only you had it
we can get that for you.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
If only you had it, we can get that for you.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
If the lawnmower needs a parole cage to protect
the driver, we can get that foryou.
Assistive technology is allcovered for under a government
scheme called workplacemodifications.
Workplace mods can be.
I'm not 100% sure I'm givingyou the truth, but I won't be
(25:29):
out by March.
I think the maximum is $30,000.
Wow.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Definitely worth knowing.
Yeah, it takes the pressure offas well if you're someone
that's got those sort ofquestions.
Martin, you talked about beinga boss yourself and hiring
yourself for your own team.
You talked about when it mightgo wrong in a hire.
Any advice for our listenersabout what you do in those
scenarios when things might gowrong?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
If it's early days, go with your gut.
If you're thinking to yourself,I'm not sure this is going to
work out.
It's probably life killing.
You Do what you think youshould do.
It's really important.
You can engage organisationslike mine and we'll do our very
best for you.
But it's your business and youknow what you want.
(26:16):
Where we say that'sdiscrimination is often, in my
view, just preference.
I have a preference in thisrole to have people who are more
mature.
You built a business.
You know how it works.
I'm sure you're all right.
Never agonize over a choice.
(26:36):
Make it quickly.
It's in everyone's interest.
It could be the first day orthe first month or two months.
It's not settling with you.
My advice is get out.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
Do you enjoy listening to our interview
episodes?
As you can tell, angela and Ireally enjoy making them, so
we're always on the lookout forinteresting people we can
interview.
If you or someone you knowwould make a great guest for us,
please get in touch.
You can contact us through ourwebsite at astrohrcomau or via
(27:15):
LinkedIn.
We're always happy to have achat about what we might be able
to discuss that can both informour listeners and help you to
reach a wider audience.
Now let's get back to theepisode.
So, martin, as if being CEO ofNova wasn't enough to keep you
(27:36):
busy, it was back in 2009 youdecided to found the Film
Festival.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Yes, Focus on Ability .
Yes, so tell us a bit more aboutFocus on Ability and what
that's achieved over the yearsand it's still going on and
what's happening this year.
We'd love to hear about that.
(28:03):
To 2009 and digital cameraswere becoming commonplace and
they gave the opportunity to theowner to make short films, and
nowhere was that more obviousfor me than in high schools.
High school students year 11and 12, sharp as a tack and also
(28:28):
savvy with things technical,and so I put up a thousand.
Well, nova put up a thousanddollars for the best five-minute
film to 12 local high schoolsand we said we'll have a
get-together, a show of thefilms and a wall of prize to the
best film.
We got a dozen entries.
But what was really interestingwas the impact that the
(28:51):
filmmaking had on the schoolstudents, who were far more
accepting of their peers thathad a disability than they had
been previously, because thetheme of Focus on Ability is it
challenges the filmmakers tomake a short so five minutes or
less film that highlights theachievement and the ability of
(29:15):
originally students althoughthat was to change that have a
disability.
The other impact, which Ihadn't anticipated at all, was
that it had a very positiveimpact on the way the students
saw their peers, that it had avery positive impact on the way
the students saw their peers.
They became part of afilmmaking process in which
(29:40):
those kids who were typicallythe students who had the most
school cred from their peersbegan to say, no, you can't
bully so-and-so, because wewon't let you, and the hierarchy
that is high schools began toproduce champions for disability
rights.
We opened it up and put somemore money in it, and a few
years later I got a phone callfrom Paula Duncan.
(30:03):
Oh yes, paula is, without doubt, my very best friend and I love
her dearly, but she's gotsomething I'll never have, and
that's seven Logies.
So she's got film credit aswell.
Polly is a person who caresvery much for people with
disabilities.
She's of the Order of Australiafor her work supporting people
(30:24):
with disability, and Pollybrought a level of
professionalism that enabled usto expand.
Then we went to see JulieBishop.
Paula got us in.
We went to see Julie Bishop whosaid, no, you can't have any
more money, which is tragedy,because I thought we might have
been up for a quid or two.
But she did give us access toAustralia's consulates and
(30:46):
embassies, which began to bringin large numbers of
international students.
Focusonabilitycomau will trackthe next couple of months as we
prepare for a highlight redcarpet event that showcases
people with disabilities'culture and values from all over
(31:06):
the world.
Some of them are uniform, someof them are unusual, but they
are all absolutely fabulous.
I guarantee you that you willcry.
One of the films came fromMalawi.
Wow, they put in a fabulousfilm called Mr Ability, and Mr
Ability shows someone who's ableto create works of art using a
(31:30):
thread and his feet, because hedoesn't have any hands, so he
uses his feet to create artworks.
We got involved with thefilmmakers of Malawi, who were
able to make stuff out of stringand nails that we couldn't
build with really expensiveequipment.
They have stayed with us overthe years, but they came to us
(31:54):
in the second year and saidwe've identified a business
opportunity.
Will you support us?
It'll cost you $1,500.
So we put up $1,500 and theyrented two fields and planted
watermelon.
The watermelon took off.
They made a decent quid on it,paid us back and for the next
(32:18):
couple of years farmedwatermelon.
Then they came to us and saidwe, we want to farm watermelon,
but we, we want to gogangbusters.
We want to farm watermelon, butwe want to go gangbusters.
We want to get five acres, awhole lot more beyond.
But it's been a heap of fun andall of that's live on our
Facebook page.
So get Nova Employment onFacebook.
(32:39):
You'll see what we're doing inMalawi and in Ethiopia, because
that expanded a bit as well.
The Focus on Ability Short FilmFestival enables us to reach
people's hearts in relation totheir attitude towards people
with disability.
That's lovely, and this yearwe're back.
We're going to have 300-oddfilms.
They'll be whittled down to Ithink it's September the 29th at
(33:03):
the concourse in Chatswood.
You just have to let us knowyou're coming because entry's
free.
There'll be some professionalentertainment, there'll be some
accidental entertainment andthere'll be a night that you
won't forget.
Focus on abilitycom.
You could look at films likefamily first.
Uh, I'm marcus, but you look,you can look at any of the
(33:27):
winners over the past 15 years.
Walk away from the end of todayfeeling up-built because
there's some great thingshappening and you can be part of
it and we don't charge.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
It's lovely and it really is all throughout the
world.
I love that celebrating allthat.
It's great.
Speaker 3 (33:45):
Anytime you need me, I'm always good for you.
Speaker 2 (33:48):
Oh, it's been really inspirational talking to you.
Anytime you need me, I'm alwaysgood for you.
Oh, it's been reallyinspirational talking to you.
Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Yeah, thank you so much for your time.
It's been a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (33:55):
Okay, and we'll be putting the links in our show
notes so that people will beable to access this information.
Au revoir, thank you again.
Merci, thanks, martin.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Thanks for listening to the Work Wonders podcast
brought to you by Asta HR.
Hit the subscribe button now tonever miss an episode.
And if you'd like to continuethe conversation with us, you
can find us over at astahrcomau.
See you in the next episode.
And if you'd like to continuethe conversation with us, you
can find us over at astahrcomau.
See you in the next episode.
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