A major overhaul of the national disability employment system will give thousands of Australians with disability greater access to job support. The federal government’s new scheme, Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA), will replace the long-standing Disability Employment Services (DES) from 1 November, expanding eligibility and removing key barriers to participation.
The changes will be implemented through 84 funded providers nationwide, including Illawarra-based organisation the disability trust, which has rebranded its employment service as embarc. According to the government, the initiative is designed to provide personalised, long-term assistance and address long-standing gaps in the existing programme.
A Wider Safety Net for Jobseekers
Under the IEA, anyone aged 15 and over with a disability, injury, or health condition will be able to access services regardless of whether they receive Centrelink income support. The current two-year limit on participation will be abolished, allowing jobseekers to stay in the programme as long as they require.
According to the Department of Social Services, the programme will also extend support to individuals assessed as having a work capacity of fewer than eight hours per week. This expansion is expected to include an additional 15,000 people who were previously excluded under DES, which required participants to either receive social security payments or work at least eight hours a week.
Mat McIntyre, chief operating officer for employment and enterprises at the Disability Trust, said the new funding would allow his organisation to “help people into meaningful employment,” by offering tailored assistance such as training certifications, licence support and access to public transport. He added that the rebranded embarc service would be rolled out across Wollongong, Shoalhaven, Eurobodalla, the lower South Coast, Queanbeyan and Melbourne’s Bayside area.
Designed in Consultation With People With Disability
The IEA programme was developed following recommendations from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, which highlighted the shortcomings of DES. Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek stated that previous schemes had “failed” to deliver the support people needed, and emphasised that IEA had been “designed in consultation with people with disability,” ensuring a more personalised approach.
The government has also introduced stronger accountability measures for providers, including mandatory staff training, participant feedback systems and requirements for people with lived experience of disability to be part of leadership teams. Existing DES participants – currently 245,000 nationwide – will be automatically transitioned to IEA, with what officials have described as a “seamless process” supported by dedicated transition assistance.
According to the Disability Trust, these reforms mark “the next step forward” in helping people with disability access meaningful employment and removing the structural obstacles that have limited their opportunities for decades.
