The Australian Government, through the Papua New Guinea-Australia Partnership, has launched EmployAbility – a groundbreaking initiative aimed at creating more inclusive workplaces and supporting people living with disabilities to enter the job market in PNG.
The initiative will be delivered in collaboration with the PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons, the Business Council of PNG, and the Lae Chamber of Commerce and Industry. EmployAbility will address the significant underrepresentation of people living with disabilities in PNG’s workforce.
The initiative will develop and rollout an EmployAbility Toolkit which draws on real-life PNG case studies to provide businesses with practical advice on accommodating and empowering people living with disabilities as employees and customers.
It will also deliver work-readiness training, placement opportunities, and networking events designed to connect people with disabilities directly with employers — challenging bias and creating real employment pathways.
The initiative was officially launched on 11 July 2025 by representatives from the Australian High Commission, PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons, and the Business Council of PNG.
“With the launch of this project, the Australian Government has taken a step forward to support people with disability. For most of us that come from the Australian Awards Scholarships, we have had an issue with finding inclusive workspaces, now this project, we see that it's a dream come true for people with disability,” said Ms Ruth Javati, Vice President, PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons.
Ms Carmella Gabina, Executive Director, Business Council of PNG, said: “We believe in promoting inclusivity in the workplace is essential. For a strong and more vibrant community, we need to build workplaces where everyone can contribute their skills and ideas. This benefits not only businesses but also helps to create a fairer and more equal society.”
Also in attendance was Australian High Commission representative, Sinead Mulders-Jones.
“Many people living with disabilities face barriers to economic participation, including lack of accessibility and inclusive hiring practices. Employability aims to support PNG businesses create inclusive and more accessible workplaces for people living with disabilities in PNG,” she said.
Inclusive development is a shared priority for both the Australian and Papua New Guinean governments. EmployAbility represents a step forward in ensuring that people living with disabilities have equal access to employment opportunities and can contribute meaningfully to PNG’s economic growth.
For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100<
(From left) Sinead Mulder-Jones from the Australian High Commission, Ruth Javati from the PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons (PNGADP), Carmella Gabina from the Business Council of Papua New Guinea (BCPNG) and Adrian Rollins from the Australian-supported Australia-Papua New Guinea Economic Partnership (APEP) sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the EmployAbility Project.