Disability Employment Assistance
Disability Employment Assistance is the name of the programme providing funding support on behalf of the Australian Government to business services.
The Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children's Services, the Hon Bill Shorten MP, recently announced $2.6 million to fund 278 new supported employment places for people with a disability, in locations where demand for places is high. Mr Shorten said the new places would provide job opportunities for people with disability across Australia in a variety of businesses, ranging from hospitality to food manufacturing to property maintenance.
"Today's announcement will help address key gaps in business service placements across Australia, especially in Western Australia," Mr Shorten said.
"These new supported employment places will target regions where demand is greatest, giving people with disability access to meaningful employment opportunities that also create opportunities to build skills and enter open employment.
"This package will allow for the start up of 10 new business services - in Western Australia, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
"The new services will target people with psychiatric disability, young people with disability and Indigenous people with disability.
"There are currently around 18,000 people with moderate to severe disability working in over 350 business services across Australia.
"People with disability have the same rights as other Australians when it comes to finding employment and business services are an integral part of the employment market for people with disability," Mr Shorten said.
The successful organisations are:
Organisation Name
State
Nominated Region
Nominated Target Group/s
Workpower Inc
WA
Mandurah
Young people
Activ Foundation Inc
WA
Wanneroo
Young people
On Track
NSW
Tweed & Byron
Psychiatric disability
Tulgeen Disability Services
NSW
Bega Valley
Rural and remote region
Intework Supported Employment
WA
Rockingham & Mandurah
Young people
Cumberland Industries
(Enrico's Kitchen)NSW
Fairfield
Young people
Cumberland Industries (Cumberland Fine Foods)
NSW
Penrith
Young people
Uniting Care Wesley Port Adelaide (UCWPA)
SA
Whyalla
Indigenous People with Disability
Uniting Care Wesley Port Adelaide
SA
Port Adelaide
Indigenous People with Disability
Waverley Industries
VIC
Casey
Young People
Included here are a number of resources to assist business service providers in their day to day activities of supporting people with disability in work.