Media Release by The Hon Jane Prentice MP

Investment to unlock workforce innovation for NDIS participants and providers

Joint Media Release with:

  • The Hon. Jane Prentice MP
    Assistant Minister for Disability Services

    • The Hon Christian Porter MP, Minister for Social Services
    • The Hon Jane Prentice MP, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services

The Coalition Government has today announced a $5 million fund to identify innovative ways of building and managing the National Disability Insurance Scheme workforce.

The new Innovative Workforce Fund (IWF) will be run by peak body National Disability Services (NDS), with $1 million allocated towards researching and developing different workforce models that can be applied to the disability sector, and the remaining $4 million available for innovative workforce related projects over the next two years.

Minister for Social Services, Christian Porter said the IWF was a key component of the NDIS Sector Development Fund (SDF) and is the next important step in supporting the disability sector during the transition to full scheme.

“The NDIS puts the power in the hands of participants, who now have choice and control over the supports they receive and how they are delivered,” he said.

“That’s a significant shift for service providers, and it’s crucial that we support the sector and workforce through the change to this more competitive, individualised market.

“As providers organise and deploy their workers in new ways, this IWF will equip them with good practice and bright ideas that have been proven to work in other industries.

“With the disability support workforce expected to substantially increase by full scheme in 2020, supporting an efficient and innovative workforce that can meet the needs of NDIS participants will be key to the scheme’s success.”

Assistant Minister for Disability Services, Jane Prentice said applications for funding would be sought from a broad range of industries to identify innovative workforce solutions that could be applied to the disability sector.

“Businesses will continue to do their own workforce recruitment and planning,” she said.

“This fund will support them by showcasing new models and exchanging best practice methods across the broader service industry.

“The NDS has a solid capacity for research that can be applied to the disability sector and the IWF will result in a more effective way of delivering disability services.

“The purpose of the IWF is to stimulate and disseminate new, more efficient and effective ways for providers to engage, develop and utilise the workforce to meet the needs of NDIS participants.”

The Government will continue to work with State and Territory governments to identify additional initiatives that can be funded through the SDF to support the rollout of the NDIS.

To register your interest in applying for the IWF, please email innovativeworkforce@nds.org.au

For further information on the NDIS, please visit www.ndis.gov.au or call 1800 800 110.