The Australian Government today announced an expanded list of independent assessors, available to assess appropriate workplace adjustments for people with disability. These assessments, which will be provided free of charge, enable people with disability and their employers to access government funding to pay for reasonable adjustments to a workplace so a person with disability can commence or keep a job.
The assessors will exercise expert judgement in making appropriate and accurate workplace assessments for people with disability, Disability Services Assistant Minister, Jane Prentice said.
“We have almost doubled the number of assessment providers from 54 to 93, covering all regions across Australia and regions where previously there had been an undersupply would now have full coverage.”
The accessors will:
- Provide assessments of the physical environment of a workplace and identify any barriers that a person with disability may experience
- Analyse specific work tasks and recommend adjustments to ensure any specific needs are met
- Review any injury-prevention strategies and ensure they are suitable for a person with disability
- Recommend workplace modifications to ensure a person with disability is able to carry out their job.
For more information go to: www.JobAccess.gov.au
In other disability employment news, the workforce delivering frontline NDIS services has increased by 10.5 per cent. And, when it comes to employing people with disability, Queensland leads the other states with 27.6 per cent of its NDIS workforce with a disability, followed by Tasmania with 20.7 per cent and the ACT on 16 per cent. Victoria and NSW have 12.2 per cent and 12.4 per cent respectively and South Australia, 5.1 per cent.
More than 2,300 jobs have been created to deliver the NDIS in local communities across Australia.
Social Services Minister, Dan Tehan said the NDIS Partners in the Community (PITC) program was creating jobs within experienced and qualified organisations in local communities that were delivering essential services.
“To meet the requirements of the NDIS, the disability workforce needs to grow by up to 90,000 full-time equivalent employees by 2019-20. The government recently announced a $64 million jobs and market fund to help employment and business opportunities within the NDIS.”
The NDIS is creating opportunities throughout the sector, not just for established disability service providers but also for start-ups and those looking for a career change or entering the jobs market, Assistant Minister Prentice said.
“While we acknowledge that we have some gaps in the market, this presents an ideal time for local businesses, especially in regional areas, to innovate and consider how they can become registered as a provider.”