A new specialist disability employment program: information paper – market structure
Overview
From 1 July 2025, the Australian Government will introduce a new specialist disability employment program. Under the new program, providers will deliver high-quality, effective employment services to improve employment outcomes for people with disability. Providers will place participants and employers at the centre of their service design and build meaningful relationships with both participants and employers. The new market settings will encourage a diversity of quality providers, viability, and emphasise participant choice.
The new specialist disability employment program includes the following key design features:
- Retaining 111 Employment Service Areas or ESAs.
- Providers may offer disability employment services within an ESA or be a cohort specialist provider who can operate across a cluster of ESAs.
- Cohort specialist providers will be selected where they are able to demonstrate a deep and historical expertise in working with their nominated cohorts, which is embedded in their organisation’s mission and purpose.
- General disability employment providers will have market shares allocated in an ESA and be required to support market coverage for an entire ESA.
- Individual participant choice of a service provider will not be subject to market shares.
- Cohort specialist providers would not be subject to market share arrangements and their services will be recommended to new participants who match their specialisation at the point of referral.
The Department of Social Services is seeking feedback from interested parties on program settings as part of the implementation and transition process. This paper outlines the proposed market structure that will underpin the new specialist disability employment program.
Consultations close of 30 July 2024