Development of Inclusive Employment Australia
About the program
Inclusive Employment Australia will help create a more inclusive future where people with disability as well as those with injury or health condition can get support to prepare for, find and maintain work, and grow their career.
The program places participants at the centre of the service.
It will improve and simplify services for people looking for work, as well as employers and service providers.
More people will be able to access the new program including:
- people with an assessed work capacity of less than 8 hours per week
- voluntary participants not getting a Centrelink income support payment.
There will no longer be a two-year limit on the time people can stay in the program.
The new program will have an improved service offer including:
- intensive support for people who are preparing to be ready to work
- flexible support for people who don’t need intensive services.
Current Disability Employment Services (DES) participants will receive individual communications and information about the new program before it starts.
Information for DES participants
Support for employers
Employers will be able to access expert guidance from providers on recruitment and workplace practices. Providers will work with employers to:
- identify their business needs
- find suitable candidates
- access training
- make workplace adjustments, job customisation and tailoring
- provide safe and productive workplaces
- retain employees with disability.
Employers may also be eligible for the new wage subsidy program. This will provide up to $10,000 per eligible supported job seekers who are supported to achieve sustainable employment.
A diverse network of providers
A diverse network of high-quality providers will deliver the new program. There will be greater focus on providers with staff and leadership reflecting the diversity of their community. Providers will place clients and employers at the centre of their service design. They will build meaningful relationships with both clients and employers.
The Disability Employment Centre of Excellence (Centre of Excellence) will support providers. It will develop best practice, evidence-based information in disability employment. This will help providers deliver high-quality, effective employment services and supports to improve outcomes.
Requests for Tender
The new specialist disability employment program Request for Tender was open from 4 October to 4 November 2024.
The National Panel of Assessors Request for Tender was open from to 16 October to 11 November 2024.
Visit the AusTender website to learn more about the tenders:
- specialist disability employment program tender(Opens external website)
- National Panel of Assessors tender(Opens external website)
We hosted an industry briefing on the New Specialist Disability Employment Program Request for Tender on Friday 11 October 2024. We held a briefing on the National Panel of Assessors Request for Tender on Monday 21 October 2024.
The briefings outlined key elements of the tenders and provided an overview of key changes from the Exposure Draft and the procurement process. Visit the Engage website to learn more about the public briefings(Opens external website).
Read our response to social media about tenderers for the new specialist disability employment program.
Consultation
We have consulted on how the new program will work, with:
- stakeholders and the community
- people with disability
- peak organisations
- service providers
- employers.
In May 2024, we held a live event with the Minister for Social Services, the Hon. Amanda Rishworth MP. We provided details on the reforms announced in the 2024-25 Budget.
Visit the Engage website(Opens external website) to view the 2024-25 Budget Disability Employment Reform event.
Following release of the new specialist disability employment program and National Panel of Assessors Exposure Drafts(Opens external website) of the Requests for Tender, we hosted public briefing webinars.
The webinars provided an opportunity for questions and feedback.
We will share how to contribute to ongoing consultation as the new program is implemented. We will also update our consultation website DSS Engage(Opens external website).
The need for a new program
More than one in 5 Australians, about 5.5 million people, live with disability. People with disability experience higher levels of disadvantage. Employment services help job seekers to build skills and capacity and help employers tap into an underutilised workforce.
People with disability and employers should have a service that meets their needs and provides the right support.
As part of the 2022-23 October Budget, the Government agreed to commence a reform process for the DES program.
Read the Media Release: Better support for people with disability.
Extensive consultation informed potential changes to the current DES program and future reforms. Feedback highlighted issues with the current DES program and ways to improve service quality for participants and employers. Information is available on DSS Engage on the following public consultations:
- New Disability Employment Support Model(Opens external website) (November 2021 to February 2022)
- DES Reforms – Recent reviews and recommendations relating to disability employment(Opens external website) (February 2024)
A DES Reference Group provided advice and guidance on the reforms. The Reference Group was chaired by the former Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Ben Gauntlett.
The new program considers findings from multiple reviews. They further highlighted the need to re-design the DES program, including:
- Working Future: Australian Government White Paper on Jobs and Opportunities(Opens external website)
- Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability(Opens external website)
- House Select Committee on Workforce Australia Employment Services(Opens external website)
- Independent Review into the National Disability Insurance Scheme(Opens external website)
The following papers also informed the reform process.
- Mid-term Review of the Disability Employment Services (DES) Program (May 2021)
- Building Employer Demand - Literature Review (March 2021)
- Disability Employment Landscape Research Report (December 2021)
Contributing to the Government’s agenda
The Australian Government has developed strategies to support all people with disability to thrive in diverse and inclusive communities. The new specialist disability employment program will be informed by, and contribute to the implementation of the following strategies: