Changes to improve job prospects for NDIS participants

ASSISTANT Minister for Social Services, Housing and Disability Services and Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson is talking up the latest changes to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), saying they will make it easier for participants in the scheme to find work.

The changes have come about following recommendation by the NDIS Participant Employment Taskforce, which was established in November.

They include NDIS participants having easier access to employment support funding in NDIS plans by being able to activate employment supports as soon as they find a job, instead of waiting for the next plan review.

Local Area Coordinators and planners will also be given new training and support materials so they can better discuss employment options and build the confidence of participants seeking jobs.

Last week, Ms Henderson visited Matchworks, which helps more than 600 people with a disability find work, to announce the changes and meet with jobseekers.

When the taskforce launched, about 14 per cent of working age people in Victoria had a disability but they comprised only nine per cent of the workforce.

“I’d like to see as many people as possible who have the capacity to work to be working… we haven’t set an exact target, but we’d like to see that number rise,” Ms Henderson said.

She said she would “love every employer in our region to consider employing someone with a disability”, and did not believe this was an unrealistic goal.

“I think sometimes employers consider there are barriers that, with a bit of support, actually aren’t there.

“We are seeing a great sense of inclusion in this community. There is a great sense of pride that we are the home of the NDIS here in Geelong.”