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Thank you to National Disability Services for bringing us together.
I’d like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands we’re meeting on, the Gadigal people, and paying my respects to Elders past and present.
I'd like to acknowledge, Hayley Dean, NDS President, Michael Perusco, NDS CEO, and Dr Louisa Ellum, Director Centre for Inclusive Employment.
It’s a privilege to be here with so many providers, advocates, participants and families playing a crucial role in ensuring that every Australian with disability who wants to work, can.
Like you, I know that having a job is about so much more than a wage.
It’s about independence. Making friends. Finding community.
Which is why securing everyone's right to participate, to feel recognised, and to have genuine choice and opportunity at work, sits at the heart of our reforms as a government.
I know some of you are uncertain about the NDIS reforms and how they might affect those goals.
Which is why I want to be clear: our government will continue to fund the supports people with disability need to find and keep a job they'll love.
Supported employment funding will not be impacted by changes to the Social, Civic and Community Supports program.
And when it comes to employment supports, we’re working to bring greater consistency and predictability into what gets included in participants’ plans, through the New Framework Planning process.
Of course, we know that many people are looking beyond day-to-day funding to the future of supported employment.
That questions about where it's heading and what form it will take have loomed large.
I know the uncertainty has been daunting.
That the consultations have felt endless at times.
But we are listening, and your feedback has been crucial.
You’ve consistently told us there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
That some people will want open employment with the right supports.
Others will choose supported employment because it’s the right environment for them.
Our responsibility is to deliver a system that lives up to the needs and aspirations of its participants.
The work to turn your feedback into a longer-term plan is underway, but we also recognise many providers are facing difficult decisions right now.
That’s why today I’m announcing $2.5 million for the Centre for Inclusive Employment to help supported employment providers take the next steps to modernise their businesses.
For providers who are ready to go with business transformation, we will expand the intensive program run by Whitebox Enterprises.
The pilot of this program helped three providers transition, creating 30 new open employment jobs and helping 98 participants earn more. We’ll open the program to six more providers.
And for those still working out what their future might look like, we'll work with DEI Investments to offer benchmarking and coaching to help them start that journey.
This is an investment in the sector's future.
A down payment on the broader roadmap we’re developing together.
Because if we want supported employment to remain a strong option for the people who choose it, we need to create a system that's sustainable.
At the same time, we know how important it is to keep creating clear pathways into open employment for those who seek them.
Inclusive Employment Australia is central to that ambition.
It represents one of the biggest reforms to disability employment services in years, and it’s already helping more Australians access tailored support to find and keep meaningful work.
Today, more than 250,000 participants are receiving support through Inclusive Employment Australia, delivered by 81 providers across more than 3,200 sites.
We’re seeing more people access specialist support than ever before.
The number of specialist providers has grown from just seven under the previous system to twenty-nine today.
And the number of participants receiving support from those providers has more than tripled.
We’re also seeing encouraging changes through meaningful engagement.
More than 95 per cent of new job plans are now meaningful engagement plans.
That means less time spent on compliance.
And more time focused on helping participants' build the skills they need to achieve their goals.
But reforms of this scale are never finished on day one.
They improve by listening to participants, providers and employers, and by being prepared to evolve.
That’s why I’m excited to announce that we’re investing $2.5 million, also through the Centre for Inclusive Employment, to trial an Australian version of the customised employment model for people with the highest support needs.
International experience shows customised employment can create opportunities for people who have traditionally been excluded from the workforce.
But while overseas models will inform this work - they can’t simply be copied and pasted here.
That’s why we want to work with providers like you, to understand what’s needed at home.
What supports deliver the best outcomes.
And importantly, what it actually costs to provide the level of support some people need to succeed.
The evidence from this trial will help shape improvements to Inclusive Employment Australia and ensure future policy is grounded in real experience.
Ultimately, everything we’re doing comes down to a simple principle.
Which is that Australians with disability should have the same opportunity as everyone else to build a meaningful career.
A life with purpose.
Independence.
Connection.
That’s what we’re working towards.
I want to thank every person in this room for the role you’re playing in making that vision a reality.
Together, we can continue building a system that expands opportunity, respects choice, and helps every Australian who wants to work do so with dignity, and pride.
Thank you.