Recommendation 7.30 – Support the transition to inclusive employment

What has been achieved to date

The Department of Social Services (DSS) and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) continue to support employers and the disability support sector to improve inclusive work opportunities for people with disability with high support needs who want to work. Current investments from DSS include the:

• Structural Adjustment Fund: diversifying employment options for people with disability with high support needs;
• Disability Employment Advocacy and Information Program (see Recommendation 7.28)
• WorkAbility Expos: providing people with disability, their families, and carers, with information on employment supports and connections with potential employers.

DSS has extended the eligibility for the new disability employment program, Inclusive Employment Australia, which commences in November 2025, so that people with assessed work capacity of 8 hours a week or less will be eligible for support to find open employment.

DSS is committed to engaging with people with disability with high support needs, the sector and the broader community, transition to a sector offering inclusive employment options and is evaluating current employment supports. Most recently, the department sought submissions in response to the ‘Next Steps in Supported Employment’ Discussion Paper relating to Recommendations 7.30 to 7.32, from 25 March to 22 June 2025.

The NDIA works with DSS on reforms intended to broaden opportunities for NDIS participants to work in a job of their choice, and to enact the ‘Guiding Principles for the Future of Supported Employment’ agreed by Disability Ministers, which are available at www.dss.gov.au/disability-employment/resource/guiding-principles-future-supported-employment. The NDIA is supporting employers to offer training and on-the-job assistance to employees to facilitate pathways to open employment while maintaining support for those continuing in supported employment settings. The NDIA is also consulting with individual supported employment providers on ways to facilitate pathways to open employment.

In 2024, the NDIA surveyed registered supported employment services to establish baseline data measuring the sector’s response to the reform environment and what assistance may be desired to increase work opportunities for NDIS participants. The results were published in March 2025 on the NDIS website.

What the Disability Royal Commission said in the final report

The Australian Government Department of Social Services should develop a plan to support people with disability working in Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) to move to inclusive, open employment options in a range of settings.

The plan should incorporate:

• the option for people with disability to continue working in ADEs, with strong and appropriate safeguards, if that is their free and informed choice. Commissioners Bennett, Galbally, Mason and McEwin provide a recommendation to phase out ADEs by 2034 (Recommendation 7.32). They support this element of Recommendation 7.30 until ADEs are phased out
• action to increase employment opportunities in open and inclusive settings for people with disability (linking with Recommendation 7.29)
• improved information for people with disability about employment supports, opportunities in other settings, wages and the Disability Support Pension (linking with Recommendation 7.28)
• active consultation with people with disability, Disability Representative Organisations and Disabled People’s Organisations Australia, and the adoption of inclusive design principles in developing and implementing the plan
• the Australian Government working with industry to support people with disability to access more inclusive, open employment options and to transform their segregated employment services to a more comprehensive service offering
• improved collaboration between the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Disability Employment Services to ensure different employment services work cohesively to deliver supports for people with intellectual disability and others.

Australian Government Response July 2024

As part of the 2023-24 Budget, the Australian Government announced a $52.7 million investment to help strengthen the supported employment sector. These initiatives will support people with disability to move to inclusive, open employment options in a range of settings, including:

• a Structural Adjustment Fund, which will provide grants to enable supported employment services and social enterprises to evolve their business models to better meet community expectations, and create sustainable employment opportunities for people with disability
• a Disability Employment Advocacy and Information Program, which will provide people with high support needs, their families, and carers, with access to advocacy and information supports to build their capacity to be able to advocate for their rights and options at work, and
• Disability Employment Expos, which will be open to people with high support needs and their families and provide them with information on a range of employment pathways and available supports.

These initiatives, as well as other state/territory initiatives, are outlined in the Supported Employment Plan (the plan), which was endorsed by all state and territory Disability Ministers and published in November 2023. The plan is focused on providing people with informed choice and control about their employment, as well as genuine opportunities to work in a wide range of settings. Initiatives listed in the plan will be reported on to the Disability Reform Ministerial Council every 12 months, and the plan will be updated in mid-late 2024 to reflect actions being taken in response to the Disability Royal Commission and the NDIS Review. The Government will continue to consult about what further steps are needed. 

More broadly, work is underway to ensure the Disability Employment Services program is more accessible and effective for people working in Australian Disability Enterprises, and other people with high support needs. This work includes:  

• Disability Employment Pilots, which will support different systems (Disability Employment Services, National Disability Insurance Scheme, Disability Support Pension) to work together to support options and choice for employment for people with disability, and
• a phased approach to disability employment services reform with a new specialist disability employment program that focuses on improving the quality of services provided and removing barriers to accessing the program for people with high support needs. As outlined under recommendation 7.16, the new specialist disability employment service, will expand eligibility to include voluntary participation in the program for those with less than 8 hours per week work capacity and people who are not in receipt of an income support payment.

More recommendations

View progress on other recommendations made by the Royal Commission.